As Belgium's various climate ministers cannot find an agreement on the national climate plan which needs to be submitted to the European Commission, they have also missed the second deadline which expired on Friday.
Last summer, Belgium obtained a new deadline from the EU but has since failed to unblock the same issue: Flanders does not want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as Wallonia, Brussels and the Federal Government – leaving Belgium below EU targets.
"In Flanders, we have been saying the same thing for three years now; 2030 is the day after tomorrow, by then we cannot achieve that -47%," Flemish Climate Minister Zuhal Demir said on Flemish radio on Friday. "We did not push the green button in Europe, the others did, the Ecolo ministers in the lead."
"Flanders has always taken the position that we should also have taken within Europe: this is not feasible, always making promises you already know you are not going to achieve – just look at the nitrogen dossier," Demir said. "Flanders is putting enormous effort into energy saving."
Measures to better insulate homes and an obligation for for the large-scale energy users to install solar panels are being brought in. "We believe that with these concrete measures, we will be able to go to that -40%. I do want to see by 2030 whether Europe will impose those penalties, only 6 Member States might meet the target."
Missing a second deadline
On 30 June 2023, the Belgian regions and Federal Government missed the deadline to submit their updated national energy and climate plan to the European Commission. This plan is a road map explaining how Belgium intends to reach the EU climate targets; it would require a 47% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2005.
The EU as a whole aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55%. If things had gone according to schedule, the Commission would have proposed adjustments to Belgium's plan submitted at the end of June 2023, after which Belgium would submit its final plan in June 2024. But because Belgium missed the 30 June deadline it received a postponement until Friday 3 November (today) from the Commission.
Still, the various ministers have reached an agreement on the so-called umbrella text – a "manual" for the Commission. After all, Belgium is not submitting one uniform climate plan, but a bundle of regional climate plans that are not always aligned. In that umbrella text, the various governments also endorse the content of those plans.
Flemish Minister of Environment, Energy, Tourism and Justice Zuhal Demir. Credit: Belga/Jonas Roosens
This text will not be submitted to the Commission today however, as the problem remains the same as in June: while the Walloon, Brussels and Federal Governments are committed to 47% reductions, Flanders only wants to go to 40%. This would balance out with Belgium's emissions reduction in 2030 at 43% – below the European target.
Belgium could make up for that shortfall in climate action by buying up emission allowances, but that comes at a high cost. Depending on the cost of a tonne of CO2 in 2030, it will cost over €1 billion.
Demir has consented to submit the umbrella text currently on the table to the European Commission, with an annex giving the relevant offices more negotiating time to decide how to close the remaining 4% gap. "I also said that to Brussels Climate Minister Alain Maron (Ecolo). Every region has a climate plan, submit it and then we will see what Europe says next. Let's not make a fuss about it for months on end."
Passing costs to families
But Maron, who is President of the National Climate Conference, refuses to concede ground for the sake of a greater alignment. Responsible for delivering Belgium's climate plan to the Commission, he has refused to submit a loosely-ended climate plan in June.
"The minister wants to remind that the Paris Climate Agreement must be respected if we want to maintain a reasonable quality of life on Earth," his spokesperson Alexandre Azer-Nessim told VRT, pointing out that neighbouring countries such as the Netherlands (48%) and Germany (50%) were given even higher targets than Belgium.
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In a press release, the Climate Coalition organisation stressed that the Flemish government's current lack of ambition harms both citizens and the climate.
"It is difficult to understand why the Flemish government wants to pass on the costs to businesses and families in both the north and south of the country," stressed Zanna Vanrenterghem, vice-chair of the Climate Coalition. "The Climate Coalition calls on the Flemish government to urgently adopt a climate plan that fully meets the European targets. This is the absolute minimum."
