As a member of the EU, Belgium has strong rule of law and a high level of consistency and transparency vis-à-vis intellectual property rights protection, standards, contract enforcement, and dispute resolution. That said, U.S. companies should be cognizant that while Belgium is a small country, its regions of Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels have distinct economic identities and business cultures. Political competences in Belgium are shared between the federal government, the three regions, and the French and German linguistic communities. Most regulations impacting the business environment (taxes, labor market, energy) are controlled at the federal level. In contrast, environmental regulations and trade and investment promotion policies are developed mostly at the regional level. Belgium publishes all its relevant legislation and administrative guidelines in an official Gazette, called Het Staatsblad/Le Moniteur Belge.