Climate change policy in Belgium

In Belgium, the environment is primarily a regional responsibility. But the issue of climate change - given the scale of the threat and the interactions between the different policies - goes well beyond the bounds of environment in the narrow sense. Thus the Federal and Regional Governments are striving to organise a joint response.

The first National CO2 Emissions Reduction Programme was adopted in 1994. It aimed to cut 2000 emissions by 5% in relation to the 1990 figure, in accordance with the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention. This programme did not reach the targets. On the contrary, carbon dioxide emissions rose by 4% during the period.

During the formation of the Rainbow coalition government in June 1999, climate policy was chosen as one of the priorities of the political agenda. With that impetus, the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development, approved on 20 July 2000, recommended that the Kyoto objectives be achieved by means of a multi-sectoral approach targeting energy, transport, industry, agriculture and waste.

The Federal Government and the regions then drafted a National Climate Change Plan (2002-2012). This plan, adopted in 2002, incorporates all the policies and measures decided by the Federal Government and the three regions up to that date. The measures cover all sectors. The measures concerning energy target three major objectives:

- to improve energy efficiency (attaining the same result while consuming less energy);
- to promote rational energy use (REU) by limiting consumption and reducing waste;
- to foster the use of non-polluting renewable energies (wind generators, solar panels, biomass, hydroelectricity, etc.).

For more information on Belgian climate change and environment policies please consult the website of the Belgian Federal public service for health, food chain safety and environment.

Belgian energy policy

Energy policy in Belgium is a split responsibility for both the federal and regional level and therefore a complex matter. Briefly, one could say that the federal authorities are responsible for high pressure and high-tension transport of gas and electricity, nuclear production and the strategic reserves in oil. The regional governments are responsible for lower pressure transportation and distribution of gas and electricity.

Belgium and the UK are on the same wavelength concerning the 3rd package on energy launched by the European Commission in September 2007. Especially the issue of the unbundling of transportation and production ownership unites both countries.

The Belgian and UK gas markets have a direct link via the Interconnector between Bacton (UK) and Zeebrugge (BE), through which 25.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year can be imported into the UK. Enough to supply 17 million homes. In reverse flow, i.e. from the UK to Belgium, a maximum of 20 billion cubic metres can be imported into Belgium. Furthermore, Belgium and the UK also co-operate within the Northwest Gas Regional Energy Market, an initiative launched by the European Regulators Group for Electricity and Gas.

Although both electricity markets are not yet interconnected, Elia, the Belgian grid operator, and its British counterpart National Grid, have come to an agreement to investigate the possibilities for a high-tension link between both countries underneath the channel. This would be a first ever, as the Belgian and British electricity networks have never been connected before. Furthermore, Centrica, a mayor British energy company, is actively engaged in the Belgian market through its participation in SPE-Luminus.