In terms of political and civil liberties, Belgium is 1. Citizens in Belgium experience complete freedom. The majority of countries where citizens enjoy wide civil liberties and political liberties are representative democracies, where officials are directly elected by the citizens to advocate for their needs and wants. Free countries are often backed by healthy economies and well-functioning governments. The companies of Belgium are 3 in terms of economic freedom. Citizens in Belgium are considered moderately free with regard to their economic decisions. The government in this country exercises appreciable control over corporations and other economic activities. Citizens can own property and control certain financial decisions, but in many cases the government can take control of private property for government purposes. In terms of journalistic freedom, the Belgian media are in a 1. While journalists in Belgium are allowed to express a wide range of opinions, they are only allowed to publish those that do not oppose the government or state ideology. The government in that country may have its own government-sponsored publications to promote its ideas and beliefs. This is considered a problematic situation.