[Federal Department of Health and Environment and its connection with the Academy of Medicine at Belgian and international levels].

Point of departure of the lecture is the note "Activities of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium", written by professor Lacquet on 15 April 1994, in which he outlines the statutory links of the Academy with the federal administration. After having questioned the truly federal status of the National Foundation for Scientific Research and the Foundation for Medical Scientific Research, the links between the Academy and the federal ministry of Health are reaffirmed by the author with regard to the matters enumerated in article 2 of the statutes of the Academy. Subsequently the author discusses the international treaties and relations with its ensuing obligations for the ministry of Health. The obligations are in many cases shared with the Communities and the Regions. The author mentions: the bilateral agreements with regard to health care and medical sciences, concluded with twelve countries, the BENELUX, the European Union, NATO, the European Council and the WHO. In conclusion the author stresses that there remain only few formal links between the Academy and the federal ministry of Health, but that functional relations concerning important health matters still exist.