COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Environmental Implementation Review 2019 Country Report - BELGIUM Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Environmental Implementation Review 2019: A Europe that protects its citizens and enhances their quality of life
Date: 2019-07-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: Belgium, EU environmental policy, application of EU law, climate change policy, environmental law, environmental protection, governance, green economy, public health, quality of the environment

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 31.7.2019  SWD(2019) 112 final/2  CORRIGENDUM This document corrects document SWD(2019) 112 final of 04.04.2019 Change of footer and header on page 32. The text shall read as follows: COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Environmental Implementation Review 2019       Country Report - BELGIUM               Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Environmental Implementation Review 2019:  A Europe that protects its citizens and enhances their quality of life   {COM(2019) 149 final} - {SWD(2019) 111 final} - {SWD(2019) 113 final} - {SWD(2019) 114 final} - {SWD(2019) 115 final} - {SWD(2019) 116 final} - {SWD(2019) 117 final} - {SWD(2019) 118 final} - {SWD(2019) 119 final} - {SWD(2019) 120 final} - {SWD(2019) 121 final} - {SWD(2019) 122 final} - {SWD(2019) 123 final} - {SWD(2019) 124 final} - {SWD(2019) 125 final} - {SWD(2019) 126 final} - {SWD(2019) 127 final} - {SWD(2019) 128 final} - {SWD(2019) 129 final} - {SWD(2019) 130 final} - {SWD(2019) 131 final} - {SWD(2019) 132 final} - {SWD(2019) 133 final} - {SWD(2019) 134 final} - {SWD(2019) 135 final} - {SWD(2019) 136 final} - {SWD(2019) 137 final} - {SWD(2019) 138 final} - {SWD(2019) 139 final}  
 
 
This report has been written by the staff of the Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission. Comments 
are welcome, please send them to ENV-EIR@ec.europa.eu 

More information on the European Union is available at http://europa.eu. 

Photographs: p. 14 — ©iStock/ Geofff; p. 15 — © iStock/ 4nadia; p. 22 — © iStock/ jotily; p. 26 — © gettyimages/ 
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©European Union, 2019 

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of contents 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 3 

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS .............................................................................................................................. 4 

1. 

TURNING  THE  EU  INTO  A  CIRCULAR,  RESOURCE-EFFICIENT,  GREEN  AND  COMPETITIVE  LOW-
CARBON ECONOMY .............................................................................................................................. 4 

Measures towards a circular economy ................................................................................................. 4 
Waste management .............................................................................................................................. 8 
Climate change .................................................................................................................................... 10 

2. 

PROTECTING, CONSERVING AND ENHANCING NATURAL CAPITAL .................................................. 14 

Nature and biodiversity ....................................................................................................................... 14 
Maintaining and restoring ecosystems and their services .................................................................. 15 
Estimating natural capital ................................................................................................................... 17 
Invasive alien species .......................................................................................................................... 17 
Soil protection ..................................................................................................................................... 18 
Marine protection ............................................................................................................................... 19 

3. 

ENSURING CITIZENS’ HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE ........................................................................ 21 

Air quality ............................................................................................................................................ 21 
Industrial emissions ............................................................................................................................. 23 
 ................................................................................................................................................. 24 
Noise 
Water quality and management ......................................................................................................... 25 
Chemicals ............................................................................................................................................ 27 
Making cities more sustainable ........................................................................................................... 29 

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK: IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS ................................................................... 32 

4. 

GREEN  TAXATION,  GREEN  PUBLIC  PROCUREMENT,  ENVIRONMENTAL  FUNDING  AND 
INVESTMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 32 

Green taxation and environmentally harmful subsidies ..................................................................... 32 
Green public procurement .................................................................................................................. 33 
Environmental funding and investments ............................................................................................ 34 

5. 

STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE ......................................................................... 38 

Information, public participation and access to justice ...................................................................... 38 
Compliance assurance ......................................................................................................................... 39 
Effectiveness of environmental administrations ................................................................................ 40 
International agreements ................................................................................................................... 42 
Sustainable development and the implementation of the UN SDGs .................................................. 43 

2 

 
 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

Executive summary 

Belgium and the Environmental Implementation Review 
(EIR) 

continue to be assessed and in Flanders efforts to reduce 
nutrients pollution must continue.  

In  the  2017  EIR,  the  main  challenges  identified  for 
Belgium  for  the  implementation  of  EU  environmental 
policy and law were to:  

 

 

improve  air  quality,  in  particular  nitrogen  dioxide 
levels, by reducing traffic congestion;  
continue  to  address  water  pollution  coming  from 
urban wastewater and agricultural sources;  

  manage 

towards 
the  Natura  2000  network 
favourable  conservation  status  for  all  species  and 
habitats. 

In  its  EIR  National  Dialogue  in  March  2017,  Belgium 
focused on traffic congestion, air pollution, human health 
and  compliance  assurance.  The  federal  structure  of 
Belgium means most environmental issues are a regional 
competence. Therefore, effective coordination is needed 
within a system of multi-level governance.  

The Commission launched in 2017 the TAIEX-EIR Peer-to-
Peer (EIR P2P), as a new practical tool facilitating peer-to-
learning  between  environmental  authorities. 
peer 
Belgium has participated in EIR P2P activities on circular 
economy, air and waste management. 

Progress since the 2017 report in meeting challenges 

The 2019 EIR report shows that for air quality there has 
been  some  progress  in  reducing  emissions.  This  was 
helped by planning measures such as low emission zones, 
technical improvements to vehicles and fiscal incentives. 
There  was  substantial  progress  on  particulate  matter, 
with no reports of Belgium exceeding limits in 2016  and 
some  progress  on  nitrogen  oxides  emissions..  Emissions 
were  only  marginally  reduced  and  limit  values  continue 
to be exceeded, mainly due to the volume of road traffic 
in Belgium, which remains high with almost 80 % of trips 
by private car. Progress needs to continue on an effective 
company  car  system  reform  as  well  as  on  reducing 
congestion, maintaining parity between petrol and diesel 
fuel  prices  and  investing  in  more  sustainable  modes  of 
transport. 

For water quality, there has been substantial progress in 
that  all  agglomerations  (population  centres  or  places  of 
economic  activity)  comply  with  the  Urban  Wastewater 
Treatment  Directive  thanks  to  appropriate  investment. 
Concentrations of nitrates in Walloon surface and ground 
waters have remained fairly steady and diffuse pollution 
agricultural pressures remain significant  in Flanders. The 
effectiveness  of  the  current  measures  against  pollution 
from  manure  and  fertilisers  in  Wallonia  must  therefore 

  3 

In the area of nature conservation, thanks to an effective 
use  of  EU  funding,  several  measures  are  under  way  to 
restore  and  manage  Natura  2000  sites.  Agricultural 
management  measures  have  also  been  stepped  up  to 
protect  species  and  habitats,  although  it  is  currently 
unclear if these measures are sufficient to counteract the 
negative trends in the wider countryside that are due to 
agricultural  intensification  and  resulting  eutrophication. 
An issue raised in this report is the need to ensure better 
implementation of the EU Timber Regulation. 

Furthermore, Belgium continues to make efficient use of 
EU  funds  and 
in  particular  for 
loan  opportunities 
supporting circular economy.  

Examples of good practice 

 

initiative 

In 2018, Belgium issued its first green bonds. 

 
  Regarding circular economy, the work in Flanders to 
examine  sustainability transitions through its ‘Vision 
is  noteworthy.  Wallonia  has 
2050’ 
introduced  effective  incentives  for  municipalities  to 
increase  separate  waste  collection.  As  for  the 
Brussels,  its  efforts  on  the  circular  economy  have 
been  showcased  in  the  European  Circular  Economy 
Platform.  At  53.5 %  (2016),  Belgium’s  municipal 
waste recycling rate is among the highest in the EU. 
Several  green  infrastructure  initiatives  have  taken 
shape. For example: (i) ‘maillage vert et bleu’ which 
reconnects  natural  sites  in  the  Brussels  region;  (ii) 
the  restoration  prioritisation  framework 
in  the 
Flanders  region;  and  (iii)  the  Walloon  Code  for 
ecological 
territorial 
in 
connectivity.  Belgium  has  also  done  well 
containing the expansion of the Asian hornet. 
Commendable  actions 
in  public  administration 
include: (i) the interregional cooperation bodies  and 
cooperation  bodies  between  the  regions  and  the 
federal state; (ii) the Sustainable Development Goals 
implementation report/task force; and (iii) the single 
information  point  on  how  to  implement  the  Aarhus 
Convention/public participation. 
The  Commission  deems  Belgium’s  action  plan  on 
green  public  procurement  to  be  an  EU  example  of 
good  practice.  Belgium  has  increased  training  and 
the 
development 
Convention  on  International  Trade  in  Endangered 
Species  of  Wild  Fauna  and  Flora  (CITES)  such  as  the 
‘Africa Twix’ and the African Elephant Fund.  

supporting  enforcement  of 

development 

requiring 

 

 

 
 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

Part I: Thematic areas 

1. Turning the EU into a circular, resource-efficient, green and 

competitive low-carbon economy 

Measures towards a circular economy 

The  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan  emphasises  the  need 
to  move  towards  a  life-cycle-driven  ‘circular’  economy, 
reusing  resources  as  much  as  possible  and  bringing 
residual  waste  close  to  zero.  This  can  be  facilitated  by 
developing  and  providing  access  to  innovative  financial 
instruments and funding for eco-innovation. 

Following  the  adoption  of  the  Circular  Economy  Action 
Plan in 2015 and the setting up of a related stakeholder 
platform  in  2017,  the  European  Commission  adopted  a 
new  package  of  deliverables  in  January  20181.  This 
included  additional  initiatives  such  as:  (i)  an  EU  strategy 
for plastics; (ii) a Communication on how to address the 
interplay  between  chemical,  product  and  waste 
legislation; (iii) a report on critical raw materials; and (iv) 
a  framework  to  monitor  progress  towards  a  circular 
economy2. 

Based  on  the  10  indicators  in  the  circular  economy 
monitoring framework, Belgium is significantly above the 
EU average in circular (secondary) use of material (18.9 % 
in  2016  vs  an  EU  average  of  11.7 %).  However,  Belgium 
performs  below  the  EU  average  for  people  employed  in 
the  circular  economy  (1.12 %  of  total  employment  in 
2015 versus an EU average of 1.73 %3). 

The  2017  Special  Eurobarometer  468  on  attitudes  of  EU 
citizens  towards  the  environment  shows  that  86 %  of 
Belgian citizens are highly concerned about the effects of 
plastic  products  on  the  environment  (EU  average  87 %) 
and  about  the  impact  of  chemicals  (92 %  vs  an  EU 
average  of  90 %4).  Overall,  Belgian  society  seems 
supportive  of 
and 
environmental protection actions. 

initiatives 

economy 

circular 

In  2016,  the  Federal  ministries  for  economy  and  for 
public health and environment worked together to set up 
a  roadmap  supporting  the  transition  towards  a  more 
circular  economy5.  Since  then,  partnerships  have  been 

1 European Commission, 2018 Circular Economy Package. 
2 COM(2018) 029. 
3Eurostat, Circular Economy Indicators. 
4 European Commission, 2017, Special 486 Eurobarometer, ‘Attitudes 
of European citizens towards the environment’. 
5 Federal Ministry for Energy, Environment and Sustainable 
Development, Ensemble, faisons tourner l’économie, 2016. 

4 

established  with  recyclers  and  technology  companies. 
Another  welcome  development  was  a  study  on  the 
reparability  criteria  adopted  in  mid-2018  which  focused 
(dishwashers  and  vacuum 
on  two  practical  cases 
cleaners)6. 

As  regards  cross-EU  cooperation,  the  Benelux  countries 
cooperate  on  the  circular  economy78  as  a  bloc  and  the 
European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  supports 
trans-frontier collaboration between Belgium and France 
on  the  RECY-COMPOSITE9  waste  project  and  with  the 
Netherlands  on 
for  grass 
recycling10. 

the  GrasGoed  project 

In  Wallonia,  resource  efficiency  and  circular  economy  is 
one  of  the  major  political  priorities  as  reflected  in  the 
Regional  Policy  Statement  of  25  July  201811  and  is  part 
of several policies initiatives among which is the Marshall 
plan  4.0  (the  regional  development  Plan  2015-2019  of 
the  Walloon  Government)12.  The  NEXT  programme13, 
focusing  on  the  effective  management  of  resources 
across  all  sectors,  is  dedicated  to  the  transition  to  a 
circular  economy  and  is  a  means  of  strengthening  the 
Walloon  strategy  for  smart  specialisation  as  it  provides 
links  with  other  key  sectors  and  clusters.  Furthermore, 
the Walloon Agency for Enterprise & Innovation has been 
supporting  SMEs  that  want  to  be  involved  in  circular 
economy since 200414.  

Wallonia  also  has  an  employment-environment  alliance 
for sustainable construction15. The alliance is also based 
on  an  innovative  governance  dynamic:  to  mobilise  and 
coordinate  public  authorities,  households  and  private 
in  the  construction  sector  around  concerted 
actors 

6 KU Leuven, VITO, Benelux, Repairability criteria for energy related 
products, 2018.  
7 BENELUX, Roundtable, 14.12.2015. 
8 Luxembourg Government, Portail de l’environnement. 
9 2018 ERDF Annual Implementation Report (citizens report), Belgium-
France, p. 5. 
10 2018 ERDF Annual Implementation Report (citizens report), Belgium-
Netherlands, p. 4. 
11 Walloon government, 2018 La Wallonie plus forte. 
12 Walloon government, Plan Marshall. 
13 Walloon government, declaration of Regional Policy (DPR), pp. 22, 24, 
83, 90. 
14 Walloon government, circular economy. 
15 European Environment Agency, 2016. More for less — material 
resource efficiency in Europe. Belgium, Agence de stimulation 
économique, 2016, p. 9. 

 
 
 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

actions  to  respond  to  the  challenges  related  to  energy 
transition, climate and employment. 

European  Circular  Economy  Stakeholder  Platform’s  new 
website23. 

The  use  of  eco  cheques  was  approved  in  July  2017  and 
the  ERDF  provided  a  budget  for  these  of  EUR 3 260 
million  from  Wallonia’s  Operational  Programme  (OP). 
These  eco  cheques  allow  companies  to  use  expert 
services  in  eco-conception  and  the  development  of 
sustainable goods. 

In March 2016, Flanders approved ‘Vision 2050’ as one of 
the  seven  transitions  to  a  circular  economy16.  The 
Flemish  government  approved  a  concept  paper 
in 
February  201717  which  focuses  on  the  circular  city, 
circular  purchasing  (for  which  a  ‘green  deal’  has  already 
been launched) and circular businesses. 

‘Circular Flanders’18 is another notable circular economy 
strategy. It is a space for networking and building public-
private  partnerships  in  the  circular  economy.  It  also 
serves as a policy lab, supporting partners in the circular 
economy  and  sharing  knowledge  among  participants 
supported  by  a  centre  for  policy  research.  Circular 
purchasing (or  circular  procurement) is one of the three 
strategic themes of Circular Flanders for the period 2017-
2018, 
“circular 
entrepreneurship”.  In  2017  a  new  subsidy  programme 
was 
in  social 
innovation  (such  as  new  production  and  consumption 
models) towards circular economy.  

launched  for  supporting  experiments 

“circular 

cities” 

next 

and 

to 

involves  3 

Be  Circular 
regional  ministries,  15 
administrations,  an  advisory  committee  and  more  than 
60  stakeholders  (public  and  private).  It  provides  a  wide 
diversity  of  coaching,  training  and  funding  opportunities 
for  Brussels-based  businesses.  After  18  months  of 
implementation,  the  average  rate  of  implementation  of 
Be Circular measures is 45%.; of the 111 measures of Be 
Circular, only 14 have not started yet. More than 20% of 
the  measures  are  100%  complete,  many  of  which  are 
recurrent over time.  

In  Belgium,  private  investments,  jobs  and  gross  value 
added  related  to  circular  economy  sectors  increased 
from  EUR 2 292.6  million  in  2009  to  EUR 2 843.5  million 
in 201524.  

Belgium  performed  slightly  better  than  the  EU  average 
for resource productivity25 (how efficiently the economy 
uses  material  resources  to  produce  wealth),  with 
2.63 EUR/kg in 2017 (EU average: 2.04 EUR/kg26). Figure 
1,  which  shows  trends  over  time,  indicates  a  slight  but 
steady increase of resource productivity in Belgium since 
2009,  with  the  exception  of  a  drop  between  2016  and 
2017. 

Figure 1: Resource productivity 2010-201727 

Another  programme,  entitled  ‘Smart  Flanders’  which 
supports  13  cities  wishing  to  become  ‘smart  cities’,  will 
run to the end of 201919. The  standout  project  entitled 
‘Green  Light  Flanders’  is  a  network  for  digitisation  and 
sustainable 
Flemish 
Environment  Agency  has  published  a  ‘system  balance’ 
report for 2017, looking at whether energy, mobility and 
food  systems  are  in  balance  with  the  environment  and 
what system changes are needed20. 

LED-lighting’. 

Finally, 

the 

In  March  2016,  the  Brussels’  regional  government 
adopted  a  circular  economy  regional  plan  (Be  Circular) 
with  111  measures2122  setting  out  a  strategy  to 
transition from a linear to a circular economy by 2025. Be 
Circular  has  won  the  regional  innovation  award  (2016) 
organized  by  the  Assembly  of  European  Regions  (AER), 
in  the  category 
and  the  Eurocities  award  (2017) 
“innovation”.  Be  Circular  is  currently  showcased  on  the 

licensed 

The  high  number  of  EU  Ecolabel  products  and  of  EMAS 
(European  Commission's  Eco-Management  and  Audit 
the 
Scheme28) 
commitment  of  public  authorities  to  the  circular 
transition  and  the  engagement  of  many  private-sector 
actors and national stakeholders. As of September 2018, 
a  total  of  2057  Belgian  products  and  49  licences  are 
registered in the EU Ecolabel scheme of a total of 71 707 

organisations 

shows 

16 Flemish government, Vision 2050, 2016. 
17 Flemish government, Transitie Circulaire Economie, 2017. 
18 Flemish government 2017 Circular Flanders. 
19 National Reform Programme 2018, p. 27. 
20 MIRA, System Balance 2017. 
21 BCR, Programme Régional en Economie Circulaire, March 2016. 
22 BCR, Programme National de Réforme, April 2016, pp.55; 66-67. 

23 European Commission, European Circular Economy Stakeholder 
Platform. 
24 Eurostat, Private investments, jobs and gross value added related to 
circular economy sectors. 
25 Resource productivity is defined as the ratio between gross domestic 
product and domestic material consumption (DMC). 
26 European Commission, Resource productivity. 
27 European Commission, Resource productivity. 
28 European Commission, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. 

5 

 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

products  and  2167  licences  in  the  EU29.  Moreover,  75 
organisations  from  Belgium  are  currently  registered  in 
EMAS (April 2018) with 751 geographic sites. 

An important event on 20 years of Belgian product policy 
in a wider sense took place on 4 December 2018. 

Regarding  the  creation  of  a  secondary  raw  materials 
market along with an awareness-raising campaign aimed 
at  consumers,  important  actions  have  been  taken  in  all 
three regions. For example, in Flanders, the waste agency 
OVAM is an important partner of 30 accredited Kringloop 
reuse  centres  and  together  they  have 
formed  a 
professional  network  to  improve  quality  and  learn  from 
one  another30.  OVAM  supports  the  industrial  symbiosis 
platform  for  matching  companies  that  produce  side 
streams  that  can  be  used  as  a  raw  material  in  another 
company.  A  business  example  is  ‘Umicore’,  which  has 
loop  business  model  focusing 
developed  a  closed 
specifically  on 
for  the 
automotive  sector31. The EIB is providing loan financing 
for  port  facilities  for  recycling  shipboard  hydrocarbon 
waste ('slops') in Antwerp. 

its  products  and  services 

In  the  province  of  Namur,  concrete  and  bricks  from 
demolished  buildings  are  being  turned  into  eco-friendly 
road surfaces. 

SMEs and resource efficiency 

The  environmental  performance  of  Belgium’s  small  and 
medium  sized enterprises (SMEs) continues to be in line 
with the EU average (see Figure 2). There was no change 
in these indicators between 2016 and 2017. The number 
of  SMEs  that  have  actually  taken  resource  efficiency 
measures  is  above  the  EU  average  and  more  of  them 
benefited  from  tax 
incentives  and  other  types  of 
subsidies  than  the  EU  average.  The  number  of  Belgian 
SMEs  providing  green  products  or  services  has  also 
caught up with the EU average. However, the number of 
SMEs  that  get  more  than  50 %  of  their  turnover  from 
green products is below the EU average. 

The  latest  Eurobarometer  on  ‘SMEs,  resource  efficiency 
and  green  markets’32  shows  improvement  on  some  of 
the main indicators. 51 % of Belgian SMEs have invested 
up  to  5 %  of  their  annual  turnover  to  be  more  resource 
efficient  (EU  average  50 %),  while  36 %  claim  to  offer 
green products or services or say they are planning to do 
so  in  less  than  2  years  (EU  average  33 %).  Of  Belgium’s 
‘green’  SMEs,  69 %  are  satisfied  with  the  government’s 
assistance  (EU  average  58 %).  Nonetheless,  there  is  still 
room  for  improvement.  While  the  average  number  of 

29 European Commission, Ecolabel Facts and Figures. 
30 Reuse centres, De Kringwinkel. 
31 Umicore. 
32 European Commission, Flash Eurobarometer 456: SMEs, resource 
efficiency and green markets, 2018. 

employees working in green jobs in SMEs in the EU is 4, 
in Belgium the average is 3.8.  

Figure 2: Environmental performance of SMEs33 

introduced  several  significant 
Belgian  regions  have 
measures to develop green businesses, make companies 
more  sustainable  and  energy-efficient  and  support  eco-
innovation.  The  Brussels  region  offers  through  the  Be 
Circular  programme  a  one-stop  shop  for  SMEs  seeking 
information,  support  or  funding.  SMEs  can  for  example 
benefit from coaching tools developed in the framework 
of  the  ‘Resilient  Web’  project,  supported  by  the  ERDF. 
Another  example  is  the  Be  Circular  call  for  projects 
dedicated to businesses and entrepreneurs in the circular 
economy, with an annual budget of EUR 1.5 million. The 
two  first  editions  of  the  call  for  projects  allowed  the 
financial support of 70 projects. 

A Ghent-based project, entitled ‘Bio Base NWE’, won the 
RegioStars  Award  2017 
‘Smart 
Specialisation  for  SME  Innovation’34.  Investment  from 
the  INTERREG  IVB  programme  was  a  supportive  factor: 
up to EUR 71 million leading  to the creation of 320 new 
jobs in the bio based economy in north-west Europe. 

the  category 

in 

Wallonia has introduced a new initiative, entitled ‘SMART 
PARK  II’,  for  SMEs  that  promote  energy  efficiency  and 
renewable  energy  production.  The  region  also  has 
support  and  financing  schemes  in  place  that  make  it 

33 European Commission, 2018 SBA fact sheet - Belgium, p. 14. 
34 European Commission, 2017 REGIOSTARS winner. 

6 

 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

possible  for  SMEs  and  VSMEs35  to  invest  in  energy 
efficiency  and  increase  their  production  of  renewable 
energy. 

Eco-innovation 

Belgium  ranked  8th  on  the  European 
Innovation 
Scoreboard  2018,  posting  a  6.8  point increase  since 
201036. However, with a total score of 83 in the overall 
Eco-Innovation  Scoreboard  2017,  Belgium  ranked  16th 
on the list of EU countries (see Figure 3)37. 

Figure 3: 2017 Eco-Innovation Index (EU=100)38 

systems,  putting  the  country  in  18th  place  in  the  EU41, 
while  employment  in  eco-industries  and  the  circular 
economy accounts  for only 1.16 % of total employment, 
compared with the EU average of 1.71 %42. 

As mentioned in the 2017 EIR, there are several drivers of 
eco-innovation  in  Belgium.  Firstly,  eco-innovation  and 
sustainability goals are fully integrated into industrial and 
economic  policies  since  they  are  considered  as  valuable 
assets  for  business  competitiveness.  Secondly,  Belgium 
has  well  developed  technological  capabilities,  regulation 
and infrastructure. A clear government focus on sciences, 
tax  incentives,  strong  R&D  funding,  human  capital  and 
other  factors  have  helped  to  strengthen  the  knowledge 
base and put Belgian eco and other industries in a strong 
position.  Thirdly,  there  is  a  growing  demand  among 
private consumers for green technology and products as 
well  as 
larger  companies  and  governments 
dedicated to greening strategies. 

from 

Figure 4: Belgium’s Eco-Innovation performance 

Between 2011 and 2016, Belgium’s eco-innovation score 
dropped  from  115  points  to  82  points  (see  Figure  4)39. 
While the country’s eco-innovation development did not 
slow down, its speed of progress is not as fast as that of 
other EU countries40. 

Belgium  must  improve  its  performance  for  some  of  the 
index’s  main  indicators  if  it  is  to  reduce  this  gap.  For 
example,  only  1 167  Belgian  organisations  use  the  ISO 
14001 standard on effective environmental management 

35 Very small and medium sized enterprises. 
36 European Commission, European Innovation Scoreboard 2018, p. 15. 
37 European Commission, Eco-innovation Observatory: Eco-Innovation 
Scoreboard 2017. 
38 European Commission, Eco-innovation Observatory: Eco-Innovation 
Scoreboard 2017. 
39 This drop is mainly due to a lack of data supplied by Belgium. Thus 
the index was only based on only one out of three indicators, i.e. the 
indicator on ISO 14001 registrations among companies. And with regard 
to this indicator, Belgium did indeed perform low, causing a low overall 
score for this component. 
40 European Commission, Eco-Innovation Observatory: EU Eco-
Innovation Index 2017 Brief, 2018. 

to 

are 

Some 

related 

There  are  also  various  types  of  barriers  to  eco-
innovation. 
inter-regional 
coordination,  integrated  planning  and  decision  making, 
where  little  attention  is  given  to  the  dissemination  of 
regional good practice and cooperation at national level. 
Another barrier is the lack of eco-innovation and circular 
economy  related  skills  in  SMEs43.  The  Federal  ministry 
for  public  health  and  environment  has  commissioned  a 
study to develop practical tools for enterprises to assess 
the  switch  from  a  sales  business  model  to  a  business 
model based on products-as-a-service. A practical case is 
being  tested  with  a  larger  SME.In  both  Flanders  and 
Wallonia,  the  policy  to  improve  the  market  value  of 
innovations  is  organised  around  clusters,  with  close 
cooperation  between  industry,  knowledge  centres  and 
regional governments. 

In  Flanders, 
innovation  clusters 

there  are 

two 

large  demand-driven 
in  the  field  of  eco-innovation, 

41 International Organisation for Standardisation, ISO Survey of 
Certifications, 2016. 
42 Eurostat, Circular Economy Monitoring Framework, 2018. 
43 European Commission, Eco-Innovation Observatory: Eco-innovation 
Country Profiles 2016-2017. 

7 

 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

specifically  for  energy44  and  sustainable  chemistry45. 
I-cleantech is an organisation that encourages the uptake 
of  eco-innovation  by  companies46.  An  innovation  hub 
(Blue  App)  and  incubator  (BlueChem)  are  also  about  to 
be launched. These will focus on reusing waste and side 
streams  and  on  developing  renewable  chemicals  and 
sustainable  materials.  The  project  will  cost  over  EUR 11 
million  and  will  be  co-funded  by  the  ERDF,  the  city  of 
Antwerp and the Flanders region46. 

Turning  to  Wallonia,  in  line  with  its  smart  specialisation 
strategy,  the  government  has  continued  to  implement 
the  ‘competitiveness  cluster  policy’.  Some  clusters  are 
active in the field of circular  economy, such as: the Eco-
Building cluster that promotes responsible buildings and 
construction techniques; CAP 2020 which focuses on the 
building  industry  and  energy  consumption  reduction; 
TWEED47 which  focuses on renewable  energies, climate 
impact  and  energy  efficiency,  and;  GreenWin,  which 
supports  green  chemistry,  sustainable  materials,  and 
using  landfills  as  a  new  source  for  raw  materials.  The 
related  ‘EASYGREEN’  measure,  launched  in  November 
2017, aims to support Walloon SMEs that want to reduce 
their energy consumption or develop innovative projects 
that  have  a  direct 
impact  on  CO2  emissions  (eco-
innovation). 

The ‘smart  city’ approach is being rolled out  throughout 
Belgium.  Regional  and  sector-specific  examples  include: 
(i)  the  Flemish  iMinds/imec  smart  cities  programme;  (ii) 
the smart city conference in Wallonia; (iii) the smart city 
e-platform  at  Brussels  level;  and  (iv)  the  smart  cities 
community  established  by  the  Belgian  technology 
industry  sector  organisation  (Agoria).  In  addition,  the 
Smart  Flanders  programme  mentioned  previously 
provides solutions to reduce congestion, distribute goods 
to and from downtown in a sustainable way, improve air 
quality, promote health, ensure good parking policies and 
eliminate barriers for disadvantaged groups. Also of note 
is the ‘City of Things’ test bed in Antwerp, which is being 
used  as  an 
lab.  The  European 
Investment  Bank  (EIB)-Belfius  partnership  also  supports 
the development of smart cities in Belgium via 100 smart 
and sustainable projects48. 

inter-operability 

For the three 2017 EIR Suggested Actions in the fields of 
circular economy, SMEs and resource efficiency and eco-
innovation,  Belgium  has  made  substantial  progress  as 
reflected 
in  the  above  text.  Furthermore,  the  Co-
ordination  Committee  for  International  Environmental 

44 Flux50. 
45 Catalisti.  
46 Enginneeringnet.be. 
47Technology of Wallonia Energy, Environment and sustainable 
Development. 
48 EIB, Smart Cities Financing. 

Policy  (CCIEP)  facilitates  the  exchange  of  good  practices 
between all Belgian bodies. 

Waste management 

Turning waste into a resource is supported by: 
(i) fully implementing EU waste legislation, which includes 
the  waste  hierarchy,  the  need  to  ensure  separate 
collection of waste, the landfill diversion targets, etc.; 
(ii)  reducing  waste  generation  and  waste  generation  per 
capita in absolute terms; and  
(iii)  limiting  energy  recovery  to  non-recyclable  materials 
and  phasing  out  landfilling  of  recyclable  or  recoverable 
waste. 

This  section  focuses  on  management  of  municipal 
waste49  for  which  EU  law  sets  mandatory  recycling 
targets50. 

In 2017, municipal waste generation in Belgium remained 
below the EU average (409 kg/y/inhabitant compared to 
around  487  kg)51  with  a  downward  trend,  but  with 
considerable differences between regions. In 2016, waste 
generation was around 490kg/y/inhabitant in Flanders52, 
around  535  kg/y/inhabitant  in  Wallonia53  and  around 
300 kg/y/inhabitant54 in the Brussels region. 

Figure  5  measures  the  municipal  waste  by  treatment  in 
Belgium in terms of kg per capita and shows that the split 
between treatment methods remains rather stable. 

Belgium remains among the top performers in the EU on 
waste  management,  with  a  recycling  rate  of  municipal 
waste of 54 % in 2017 (EU average 45 %), of which 20 % is 
composting 
there  are 
(see  Figure  6).  However, 
differences between the regions, with the Brussels region 
performing the worst.  

Belgium  has  already  met  the  50 %  recycling  target  for 
202055  and  has  eliminated  landfilling  of  biodegradable 
waste56.  However,  further  efforts  will  be  needed  to 

49 Municipal waste consists of mixed waste and separately collected 
waste from households and from other sources, where such waste is 
similar in nature and composition to waste from households. This is 
without prejudice to the allocation of responsibilities for waste 
management between public and private sectors. 
50 See Article 11.2 of Directive 2008/98/EC. This Directive was 
amended in 2018 by Directive (EU) 2018/851, and more ambitious 
recycling targets were introduced for the period up to 2035. 
51 Eurostat, Municipal waste and treatment, by type of treatment 
method. 
52 OVAM, 2016, p. 12. 
53 Vivre la Wallonie No 35 - Printemps 2017. 
54 Bruxelles Environnement. 
55 Member States may choose a different method than the one used by 
Eurostat (and referred to in this report) to calculate their recycling rates 
and track compliance with the 2020 target of 50 % recycling of 
municipal waste. 
56 National sources: in Flanders (OVAM 2015) over 70 % (2014) of the 
household waste was subject to some form of material recovery, while 
in Wallonia separate collection accounted for 60 % (2012). However, 

8 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

meet  the  recycling  targets  for  the  post-2020  period57. 
This  will  require  particular  efforts  on  reducing  the 
incineration of municipal waste, which has not been on a 
downward trend58. 

Figure  5:  Municipal  waste  by  treatment  in  Belgium 
2010-201759 

Figure 6: Recycling rate of municipal waste 2010-201760 

Belgium  has  only  one  mechanical  biological  treatment 
plant in operation due to its separate collection of waste. 
Both  Flanders  and  Wallonia  report  that  around  70 %  of 
their municipal waste is collected separately61, whereas 
the  Brussels  region  report  around  37%62.  In  2017,  the 

these figures do not correspond with Eurostat figures. 
57 Directive (EU) 2018/851, Directive (EU) 2018/852, Directive (EU) 
2018/850 and Directive (EU) 2018/849 amend the previous waste 
legislation and set more ambitious recycling targets for the period up to 
2035. These targets will be taken into consideration to assess progress 
in future Environmental Implementation Reports.  
58 The incineration rate has slowly increased reaching 44.3 % in 2016 — 
a 0.6 % increase from 2014. 
59 Eurostat, Municipal waste by waste operations. 
60 Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste. 
61 OVAM, 2016, p. 12; Vivre la Wallonie No 35 - Printemps 2017. 
62 OVAM, 2016, p. 12; Vivre la Wallonie No 35 - Printemps 2017, 

Brussels  region  extended  separate  collection  to  include 
voluntary  separate  collection  of  kitchen  waste  in  an 
attempt  to  improve  its  recycling  rate.  Furthermore,  all 
three  regions  have  recently  banned 
the  use  of 
lightweight plastic bags. Belgium is the highest recycler of 
packaging in Europe (80 % according to Eurostat). 

All  three  regions  already  have  a  system  in  place  that 
taxes  incinerated  waste  and  they  all  encourage  heat 
recovery from waste incineration. 

Further  progress  could  be  made  by  introducing  new 
economic  instruments  to  prevent  waste  by  avoiding 
incinerating reusable or recyclable waste — especially in 
the  Brussels  region  —  and  by  making  the  reuse  and 
recycling of waste more economically attractive.  

In  Flanders,  the  2016-2022  waste  management  plan  for 
household  waste  and  similar  commercial  and  industrial 
waste  sets new targets to further reduce the amount  of 
residual  waste  by  10-15 %  (equivalent  to  around  140  kg 
residual  household  waste  per  capita).  On  20  July  2018, 
the  Flemish  government  agreed  a  package  of  measures 
such as the prohibition of disposable plastic bags and the 
mandatory  use  of  reusable  cups 
in  events.  These 
measures will enter in force in 2019.  

In  addition,  Flanders  is  running  several  pilot  projects 
aimed  at  extended  separate  collection  of  plastics,  as  an 
average  of  15  kg  of  plastics  per  inhabitant  per  year  are 
still found in mixed household waste. Flanders is working 
on  an  action  plan  for  plastics  for  2019-2024,  which  will 
set  out  concrete  measures  to  address  the  challenge  of 
shifting towards a more circular economy in this area63.  

The  Walloon  Waste-Resources  Plan  adopted  by  the 
Walloon  Government  on  22  March  2018  contains 
measures that have been developed and selected so that 
they  can  contribute  to  the  most  efficient  application  of 
the  principles  of  the  circular  economy  and  the  waste 
management  hierarchy  in  Wallonia.  The  plan  contains 
157  measures of which  93 are closely  linked to  material 
resource  efficiency  and  the  development  of  a  circular 
economy.  The  lack  of  the  waste  plan  in  Wallonia  was 
subject of a Suggested Action in the 2017 EIR. 

The  Brussels  Resources  and  Waste  Management  Plan 
aims  to  reduce  waste  generation  by  up  to  20%  before 
for  households  and  non-household  waste 
2030 
producers,  increase  recycling  and  preparation  to  reuse 
according  to  or  above  the  European  new  objectives, 
develop  reuse  of  building  material,  sustainable  citizen 
consumption, and reduce single-use plastic consumption. 
Various  measures  target  stakeholders  (citizens,  schools, 
professionals  in  various  sectors  including  building,  the 
green  economy  and  the  waste  sector.)Food  waste  is 

Bruxelles Environnement. 
63 OVAM. 

9 

 
 
 
                                                                                                        
 
                                                                                                        
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

issue  being  dealt  with  by  Flanders64  and 
another 
Wallonia.  Wallonia  has  the  ‘Plan  REGAL’  2015-2025  for 
food waste. Both regions intend to reduce food losses by 
30%  by  2025  compared  to  2015.  The  cities  of  Liège, 
Charleroi and Verviers are also taking part in a number of 
sustainable food initiatives65. 

lead  partner 

On sustainable food, the Brussel Capital Region has been 
in  the  URBACT  Thematic  Network 
a 
‘Sustainable  Food  in  Urban  Communities ’66,  involving 
nine  other  European  cities.  It  also  adopted  the  ‘Good 
food, towards a more sustainable food system in Brussels 
Capital  Region’  strategy  in  December  201567,  with  a 
target  of  a  30%  reduction  in  food  waste  by  2020).  The 
mid-term evaluation shows that 1 out of 3 inhabitants of 
the  Brussels  region  say  they  have  changed  their  eating 
habits in the last 2 years. 

Finally,  the  Belgian  project ‘Robin  Food’, which  aims  to 
prevent the waste of food that is approaching its sell-by 
date68,was  a  finalist  in  the  green  category  of  the  2018 
StartUp Europe Awards.  

The  city  of  Leuven  participated  in  a  TAIEX-EIR  PEER  2 
PEER  workshop  in  Galway,  Ireland  on  21  -  22  Feb  2018 
where  the  cities  from  the  Green  Leaf  network  from 
Sweden 
Spain, 
collaborated  and  share  best  practice  on  the  Waste 
Management and the Green Economy in urban areas. 

Ireland,  Belgium,  Portugal 

and 

A  TAIEX  EIR  Peer  to  Peer  Study  Visit  of  experts  from 
Danish  Municipal  waste  management  to  Belgium  was 
been  organised  on  24  –  25  September  2018  in  order  to 
learn  about  waste  prevention,  re-use  –  repair  networks 
and recycling in Belgian regions and municipalities. 

2019 priority action 

Climate change 

The EU has committed to undertaking ambitious climate 
action internationally as well as in the EU, having ratified 
the Paris Climate Agreement on 5 October 2016. The EU 
targets are to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 
20 % by 2020 and by at least 40 % by 2030, compared to 
1990.  As  a  long-term  target,  the  EU  aims  to  reduce  its 
emissions  by  80-95 %  by  2050,  as  part  of  the  efforts 
required by developed countries as a group. Adapting to 
the adverse effects of climate change is vital to alleviate 
its  already  visible  effects  and  improve  preparedness  for 
and resilience to future impacts. 

The EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) covers all large 
greenhouse  gas  emitters  in  the  industry,  power  and 
aviation  sectors  in  the  EU.  The  EU  ETS  applies  in  all 
Member States and has a very high compliance rate. Each 
year,  installations  cover  around  99 %  of  their  emissions 
with the required number of allowances.  

For  emissions  not  covered  by  the  EU  Emission  Trading 
Scheme  (ETS),  Member  States  have  binding  national 
targets under the Effort  Sharing legislation.  Belgium had 
lower  emissions  than  the  annual  emission  allocations 
(AEAs) for the years 2013-2015, while in 2016 emissions 
slightly exceeded the AEA. According to preliminary data, 
emissions in 2017  were slightly lower than the AEA (see 
Figure 7). 

Figure  7:  Change  in  total  GHG  emissions  1990-2017 
(1990=100 %)69 

  Shift  reusable  and  recyclable  waste  away  from 
economic 

including 

through 

incineration, 
instruments. 

64 Flemish government. 
65 CATL; Ceinture allimentaire Charleroi Métropole; RATav. 
66 The URBACT Thematic Network “Sustainable Food in Urban 
Communities”  
67 BCR, Stratégie Good Food « Vers un système alimentaire plus 
durable en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale ; Good Food Strategy. 
68 StartUp Europe Awards 2018. 

69 Annual European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2016 (EEA 
greenhouse gas data viewer). Proxy GHG emission estimates for 
2017Approximated EU greenhouse gas inventory 2017 (European 
Environment Agency). Member States national projections, reviewed by 
the European Environment Agency. 

10 

 
                                                                 
 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

Belgium’s  national  target  for  2020  under  this  decision  is 
to  reduce  emissions  by  15 %  compared  to  2005.  A 
cooperation agreement on the internal burden sharing of 
Belgium’s  climate  and  energy  objectives  for  the  2013-
2020 period was agreed in December 2015 and formally 
adopted  in  February  2018.  This  agreement  focuses  on 
greenhouse  gas  emissions  (GHG)  reduction  targets  for 
non-ETS sectors, the share of renewable energies in final 
to 
and 
consumption, 
energy 
finance.  For  2030,  Belgium’s 
international  climate 
national  target  under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation  will 
be  to  reduce  emissions  by  35 %  compared  to  2005  (see 
Figure 8). 

contribution 

the 

In July 2013, a Federal Royal Decree put forward a long-
term  policy  vision  on  sustainable  development,  which 
includes the commitment  to reduce GHG by at least 80-
95 %  between  1990  and  2050,  striving  for  carbon 
neutrality after that. The three regions have also included 
the 80-95% goal in their plans and/or legislation. 

Figure  8:  Targets  and  emissions  for  Belgium  under  the 
Effort Sharing Decision and Effort Sharing Regulation70 

The  Energy  Pact  concluded  between  the  federal  and 
regional energy ministers in December 2017 gives federal 
and  regional  energy  ministers  a  longer  term  vision  for 
energy  transition.  The  federal  government  conditionally 
approved  the  Pact  in  2018,  as  part  of  a  broader  federal 
energy strategy. This pact should be the basis for a set of 
concrete  policy  measures  with  a  clearly-defined  policy 
path,  combining  four  separate  energy  visions  (those  of 
each of the three regions plus that of the federal level) in 
a  compatible  way.  It  also  aims  for  a  widely  supported 
agreement following consultation of all stakeholders. The 
pact  maintains  the  commitment  to  phase  out  nuclear 
introduction  of  new 
power,  and 
the 
interconnectors,  an 
in  renewable  energy 
increase 
generation  capacity  (especially  off-shore  wind)  and 
introduction  of  new  energy  norms.  It  provides  the 

foresees 

70 Proxy GHG emission estimates for 2017Approximated EU greenhouse 
gas inventory 2017 (European Environment Agency). Member States 
national projections, reviewed by the European Environment Agency. 

11 

framework  for  the  transition  of  the  energy  sector 
towards a low carbon society by 2050. 

The  Energy  Pact  also  includes  inter  alia,  the  following 
sectoral goals, to be reached by 2050: 

 

 

 

 

shifting  electricity  production  to  sustainable  energy 
sources,  
entirely phasing out the use of fossil fuels for heating 
of buildings, 
increasing  the  uptake  of  renewable  energy  sources 
for thermal applications in the industry to 70 to 80%  
allocating  5  to  10  %  of  Research  and  Development 
budgets to projects related to climate and energy.  

Under  the  Governance  of  the  energy  union  and  Climate 
Action  Regulation,  Member  States  are  preparing 
integrated  national  energy  and  climate  plans  as  well  as 
long-term  climate  and  energy  strategies.  A  draft  version 
of  the  national  plan  was  submitted  on  31  December 
2018, containing a federal and three regional draft plans. 

At  regional  level,  the  Parliament  of  the  Walloon  region 
adopted  the  ‘Walloon  Climate  Decree’  in  2014,  setting 
reduction  objectives  for  total  GHG  at  -30 %  between 
1990  and  2020  and  -80 %  to  -95 %  between  1990  and 
2050.  The  decree  has  been  made  operational  through  a 
new  air-climate  plan  adopted  in  2016  and  running  until 
2030. It contains 142 measures to reduce GHG and other 
air  pollutants  from  different  economic  sectors,  improve 
air  quality  and  adapt  to  the  impacts  of  climate  change.  
In September 2017, the Walloon Parliament also adopted 
a climate resolution which calls in particular for Wallonia 
to reduce emissions by -95 % by 2050. In December 2018 
the  Walloon  Government  approved  its  draft  energy  and 
climate plan for 2030. 

The  Flemish  government  launched  the  Flemish  Climate 
Summit (“Klimaattop”) in April 2016 with the objective to 
stimulate  all  stakeholders  of  society  to  take  concrete 
actions and measures that contribute to the Flemish GHG 
reduction  targets.  On  1  December  2016,  the  second 
Climate  Summit  was  organised  and  the  Flemish  Climate 
and Energy Pact (“Vlaams Klimaat- en Energiepact”) was 
adopted. The Flemish Government also commits itself to 
establishing  a  clear,  ambitious  and  broad-based  Flemish 
Climate  Vision  for  2050  in  consultation  with  the  various 
stakeholders  of  society  by  2018  (Flemish  Government, 
2016a).  On  23  November  2016,  the  Flemish  Parliament 
adopted  a  resolution  with  recommendations  to  the 
Flemish  government  for  a  strong  long-term  Flemish 
climate  policy  (Flemish  Parliament,  2016).  In  line  with 
these  commitments,  Flanders’  energy  and  climate  plans 
are  currently 
in  process  of  adoption.  Although  the 
Flemish climate plan has a sectoral structure, transversal 
included  such  as  advancing  the 
measures  are  also 
transition  to  the  circular  economy,  a  climate  friendly 
spatial  planning  and  tax  system.  The  city  of  Leuven 

 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

developed  its  own  climate  action  plan  setting  out  an 
ambitious goal to become a climate neutral city by 2030. 
Energy use in Leuven’s buildings will be reduced by 30 % 
by  2019  and  new  buildings  will  meet  the  passive 
standard71.  Ghent72  and  Antwerp73  also  plan  to  be 
climate neutral by 2050. 

Finally,  the  Brussels  Capital  Region  has  adopted  its 
contribution  to  the  first  version  (draft)  of  the  national 
energy  and  climate  plan  (NECP)  2021  -2030  on  12  July 
2018.  Further  work  and  consultations  will  take  place 
early in 2019 to feed the final elaboration of the regional 
plan by mid-2019. In parallel, the Region will continue its 
work on its low-carbon strategy. 

Transport  represents  almost  a  quarter  of  Europe's  GHG 
and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. Transport 
emissions in Belgium increased by 5 % from 2012 to 2016 
(figure 9).  

Figure 9: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector (Mt. CO2-
eq.).  Historical  data  1990-2016.  Projections  2017-
203074 

Belgium has notified the measures required by the ‘MAC 
Directive’  on  air  conditioning  systems  used  in  small 
motor  vehicles,  and  the  ‘F-gas  Regulation’  which  covers 
all  key  applications  in  which  F-gases  are  used  and 
gradually reduces the amount of hydrofluorocarbons that 
may be placed on the EU market. 

Accounting  of  emissions  and  removals  from  forests  and 
agriculture are governed by the Kyoto Protocol. Reported 

71European Commission, Technical Assessment Synopsis Report 
European Green leaf Award 2017, p. 12. 
72 European Commission, Good Practice Report European Green 
Capital 2018, p. 16. 
73 Antwerpenmorgen.  
74 Annual European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990–2016 (EEA 
greenhouse gas data viewer). Proxy GHG emission estimates for 
2017Approximated EU greenhouse gas inventory 2017 (European 
Environment Agency). Member States national projections, reviewed by 
the European Environment Agency. 

12 

quantities under the Kyoto Protocol for Belgium show net 
removals  of,  on  average,  -1.7  Mt  CO2-eq  for  the  period 
2013  to  2016.  In  this  regard  Belgium  contributes  with 
0.4%  to  the  annual  average  sink  of  -384.4  Mt  CO2-eq  of 
the  EU-28.  Accounting  for  the  same  period  depicts  net 
debits of, on average, 0.8 Mt CO2-eq, which corresponds 
to  a  negative  contribution  of  -0.7%  of  the  EU-28 
accounted sink of -115.7 Mt CO2-eq. Belgium is one of six 
in  this 
EU  Member  States  which  show  net  debits 
preliminary  accounting  exercise.  Reported  net  removals 
show  no  notable  trend,  while  accounted  net  debits 
depict slight decreases. 

The  EU  Strategy  on  adaptation  to  climate  change, 
adopted  in  2013,  aims  to  make  Europe  more  climate-
resilient, by promoting action by Member States, better-
informed  decision  making,  and  promoting  adaptation  in 
key vulnerable sectors. By adopting a coherent approach 
and  providing  for  improved  coordination,  it  seeks  to 
enhance the preparedness and capacity of all governance 
levels to respond to the impacts of climate change.  

In  2010,  Belgium  adopted 
its  national  adaptation 
strategy.  It  then  adopted  a  national  adaptation  plan 
(2017-2020)  in  April  2017  with  a  systematic  and  sector-
by-sector approach. The plan identifies specific measures 
to  be  taken  at  a  national  level  to  strengthen  the 
cooperation  and  synergies  on  adaptation.  Having 
comprehensively  assessed  the  risks  and  vulnerabilities 
and examined competence sharing between the different 
bodies  involved,  Belgium  has  identified  a  number  of 
vulnerable sectors that will need to adapt. These include 
health, 
forestry,  biodiversity, 
ecosystems  and  water,  coastal,  marine  and  tidal  areas 
and  production  systems,  and  physical  infrastructure. 
Belgium  continuously  monitors  the  impacts  of  climate 
change. Even if the system is fragmented (monitoring at 
the  regional  level),  the  sum  of  the  different  monitoring 
covers  the  whole  of  Belgium.  Meanwhile,  a  separate 
monitoring  system  has  been  developed  to  evaluate 
adaptation activities, with a midterm evaluation planned 
by the end of 2018. 

tourism,  agriculture, 

Through the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, 
the  EU  seeks  to  promote 
local  action  on  climate 
mitigation,  adaptation  and  energy  efficiency.  In  October 
2018,  337  Belgian  cities  had  signed  up  to  the  EU 
Covenant of Mayors. 

In the years 2013-2017Belgium received EUR 607 million 
in  revenues  from  the  auctioning  of  emission  allowances 
under the ETS. In 2017, 92 % of the revenues were spent 
on climate relevant expenditures.  

Energy  policy  choices  can  also  have  serious  implications 
in  areas  such  as  nature  and  energy  infrastructure75. 

75 European Commission, Energy Union 2017. 

 
 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

However,  in  Belgium’s  case  such  impacts  have not  been 
brought to the Commission’s attention. 

2019 priority action 

In this report, no priority actions have been included on 
climate action, as the Commission will first need to assess 
the  draft  national  energy  and  climate  plans  which  the 
Member  States  needed  to  send  by  end  of  2018.  These 
plans  should  increase  the  consistency  between  energy 
and climate policies and could therefore become a good 
example  of  how  to  link  sector-specific  policies  on  other 
interlinked themes  such as agriculture-nature-water and 
transport-air-health.  

13 

 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

2. Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital 

Nature and biodiversity 

in  the  EU  by  2020. 

The  EU  biodiversity  strategy  aims  to  halt  the  loss  of 
biodiversity 
full 
implementation  of  the  Birds  and  Habitats  Directives  to 
achieve  favourable  conservation  status  of  protected 
species and habitats. It also requires that the agricultural 
and  forest  sectors  help  to  maintain  and 
improve 
biodiversity. 

It  requires 

Biodiversity strategy 

In  Belgium,  nature  and  biodiversity  policy  is  mainly  a 
regional competence, but only Flanders and the Brussels 
region  have  their  own  biodiversity  strategies  and  plans. 
Some  exceptions,  such  as  marine,  trade,  development 
and  taxation,  are  a  federal  competence.  The  national 
biodiversity strategy to 202076 provides a framework to 
improve consistency between different levels and sectors 
and  to  integrate  national  and  international  biodiversity 
commitments.  It  mainly  builds  on  regional  and  federal 
plans  giving  political  orientation  to  help  regions  meet 
their  biodiversity 
to  ensure 
consistency,  fill  gaps  and  integrate  biodiversity  concerns 
at national and international level. It applies to all Belgian 
bodies.  

commitments,  and 

Setting up a coherent network of Natura 2000 sites 

The land and marine areas covered by Natura 2000 sites 
were presented in the 2017 EIR. 

Belgium’s relatively low coverage of Natura 2000 reflects 
its high population density, its high levels of urbanisation 
and the intensity of its land use, particularly in the central 
and  northern  parts  of  the  country.  For  Flanders, 
considering  its  type  of  land  use  and  the  isolation  of  its 

76 Biodiversity 2020, Update of Belgium’s National Biodiversity 
Strategy. 

14 

sites,  additional  restoration  efforts  are  clearly  needed 
outside  the  Natura  2000  network  for  it  to  achieve 
favourable  conservation  status.  In  the  Walloon  region, 
the network is generally more interconnected. Therefore, 
the  conservation  and  restoration  objectives  are  more 
concentrated on the network of sites itself, which are still 
complementary  to  protection  and  restoration  activities 
outside of the network. 

Designating Natura 2000 sites and setting conservation 
objectives and measures 

In  all  three  Belgian  regions  (Flanders,  Wallonia  and 
Brussels),  significant  progress  has  been  made  in  recent 
years  on  legal  land  site  designation.  All  38  Habitats 
Directive land sites in Flanders, all 156 Habitats Directive 
sites  in  Wallonia  and  all  three  Habitats  Directive  sites  in 
the Brussels region are now legally designated as special 
areas  of  conservation  (SACs).  Flanders  and  the  Brussels 
region  are  exemplary,  as  all  their  SACs  have  quantified 
conservation objectives for individual sites. However, this 
is  not  the  case  for  the  Walloon  region,  where  only 
regional-level conservation objectives are available so far 
and  site-specific  objectives  still  need  to  be  set.  In  July 
2018,  the  Brussels  region  joined  together  two  Natura 
2000 sites south of Brussels by designating a connecting 
site of 13 ha to improve species’ connectivity77. 

In  Flanders,  specific  conservation  objectives  for  special 
areas of protection (SPAs) under the  Birds Directive  had 
been  adopted  in  2014  where  they  overlap  with  SACs 
under  the  Habitats  Directive.  In  2017  specific  site-level 
conservation objectives were also established for each of 
the  remaining  SPA78.  For  the  last  SPA  (IJzervallei)  the 
final adoption is in procedure. 

Flanders  should  therefore  establish  specific  site-level 
conservation  objectives  for  the  remainder  of  its  SPA 
network.  In  the  Walloon  region,  where  SPAs  and  SACs 
have  largely  been  merged,  site-specific  conservation 
objectives  for  bird  species  are  also  still  missing  and  the 
Brussels region has no SPAs. 

Conservation measures are integrated in the designation 
acts  of  the  Walloon  sites  and  are  further  developed 
under  the  LIFE  integrated  project.  Flanders  is  taking  a 
step-by-step  approach  to  put 
in  place  site-specific 
conservation  measures,  taking  into  account  the  priority 
measures included in the designation acts. A new format 

77 Le Vif, Elargissement de la zone Natura 2000 du sud de Bruxelles, 
2.7.2018. 
78 Flemish government, Designation acts including the conservation 
objectives and priority measures. 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

for the nature management plan as well as a new law on 
subsidies 
for  nature  management  measures  were 
adopted  end  of  201779.  Technical  and  financial  support 
is  being  offered  to  private  land  owners  for  developing 
management plans and for measures contributing to the 
implementation 
site-specific 
conservation objectives80. 

established 

the 

of 

restoring 
in  maintaining  or 
Progress 
conservation status of species and habitats 

favourable 

The  2017  EIR  referred  to  the  latest  report,  dated  2012, 
from  the  Member  States  on  the  conservation  status  of 
habitats  and  species;  new  data  will  be  available  for  the 
next EIR.  

Regarding  the  2017  EIR  Suggested  Actions,  some 
measures are being implemented to restore and manage 
Natura  2000  sites  (notably  as  part  of  rural  development 
and  LIFE  programmes),  and  these  are  likely  to  lead  to 
further positive trends in the status of certain species and 
habitats in the coming years. Some progress is also noted 
on stepping up measures to protect species and habitats 
depending  on  agricultural  management,  but 
is 
currently  unclear  if  these  are  enough  to  counteract  the 
overall  negative  trends  in  the  wider  countryside,  which 
are  due  to  widespread  agricultural  intensification  and 
eutrophication, especially in low lying areas. 

it 

2019 priority actions 

 

 

the  establishment  of 

Establish the missing SPA/SCI site-level conservation 
objectives at federal level and in Wallonia for marine 
sites,  and  for  bird  species  (SPAs)  also  in  Flanders. 
the  site-specific 
Finalise 
conservation  measures,  taking  into  due  account 
external pressures and threats (such as atmospheric 
nitrogen emission). 
For  those  species  and  habitats  that  have  not  yet 
reached  a  favourable  conservation  status,  take 
urgent actions to reach this favourable conservation 
status  as  well  as 
in  further  restoration 
measures on the basis of the site-level objectives for 
species and habitats. 

invest 

Maintaining and restoring ecosystems and 
their services 

The EU biodiversity strategy aims to maintain and restore 
ecosystems  and  their  services  by 
including  green 
infrastructure  in  spatial  planning  and  restoring  at  least 
15 %  of  degraded  ecosystems  by  2020.  The  EU  green 
infrastructure  strategy  promotes  the  incorporation  of 
green infrastructure into related plans and programmes. 

The EU has provided guidance on the further deployment 
of green and blue infrastructure81 and a country page on 
the  Biodiversity  Information  System  for  Europe  (BISE)82 
This 
information  will  also  contribute  to  the  final 
evaluation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. 

Brussels Capital Region 

integrate  nature  considerations 

The  Brussels  Capital  Region’s  nature  plan83  aims  to 
increase access to green spaces, reconnect natural areas 
and 
in  plans  and 
projects. Green and blue infrastructure (‘maillage vert et 
bleu’84) reinforced by the Brussels ecological network is 
being  developed  to  reconnect  Natura  2000  sites.  A 
network  to  connect  inner  city  green  areas  (‘continuités 
vertes’) 
sustainable 
development  plan  (PRDD),  while  a  green  walking  path 
(Promenade Verte85) connects  parks, semi-natural sites, 
nature  reserves  and  woodlands  in  the  area  around  the 
Brussels  Region.  By  implementing  the  nature  plan,  the 
Brussels  Region  aims  to  analyse  how  to  maximize  and 
monitor  multifunctionnality  and  ecosystems  services 
offered  by 
Two  multifunctional 
spaces. 
management  plans  are  currently  on  their  way  to  be 

included 

regional 

green 

the 

in 

is 

79 Flemish government, 2017, Natuurbeheerplan. 
80 Flemish government, subsidies Natuurbeheerplan.  

81 European Commission, The recommendations of the green 
infrastructure strategy review report and the EU Guidance on a 
strategic framework for further supporting the deployment of EU-level 
green and blue infrastructure. 
82 BISE page for Belgium  
83 Bruxelles Environnement (2016). Plan Nature: Plan régional nature 
2016-2020 en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale 
84 Bruxelles Environnement. Les maillages. 
85 Promenade Verte 

15 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

approved  (one  for  the  Sonian  forest  and  one  for  the 
natural  reserve  Zavelenberg).  High  quality  green  spaces 
and  waterways  within  Brussels  will  be  able  to  provide 
solutions  to  urban  challenges,  such  as  flooding,  heat 
stress, drought, poor air  quality and unemployment  and 
will help also biodiversity to flourish. 

Flanders Region 

The  2018  Strategic  Vision  of  the  Spatial  Policy  Plan  of 
Flanders86 refers to green infrastructure and its multiple 
benefits 
for  climate  adaptation,  biodiversity  and 
recreational activities. To improve the data availability for 
green  infrastructure  there  are  currently  two  important 
projects  conducted  by  the  Department  of  environment 
and  spatial  development.  The  GOBELIN  project  tries  to 
map  the  green  infrastructure  in  relation  to  ecosystem 
services and will guide local actors to use all the available 
tools. The GARMON project  focusses on the potential of 
private gardens by developing a garden monitor. 

In 2016, Flanders’ Nature and Forest  Agency and Spatial 
Planning  Department  issued  guidelines  to  municipalities 
on  how  to  design  urban  greenery  and  urban  forestry 
according to the local vision87. The aim is to increase the 
area,  quality  and  linkages  of  green  spaces  in  urban  and 
peri-urban areas, and to integrate green infrastructure in 
spatial  planning.  Financing  for  green  infrastructure  is 
available  via  funding  instruments  connected  to  nature 
and  land  planning  regulations,  in  combination  with  EU 
funds. Through the call for proposals for ‘Nature in your 
neighbourhood’  the  Flemish  Government  financially 
supports 
that  are 
specifically  aimed  at  enlarging  and  improving  the  green 
infrastructure  in  the  built  environment.  For  example,  In 
2017 and 2018 together two big initiatives in cities were 
launched and 15 smaller scale initiatives in smaller cities 
and municipalities88. 

local  authorities 

initiatives  by 

In  addition,  the  government  of  Flanders  makes  ‘Green 
Deals’89  with  private  partners 
joint 
applications 
legislative 
bottlenecks that delay action on the environment. 

funding  and  overcome 

to  support 

for 

Flanders  also  published 
its  restoration  prioritisation 
framework  in  2016  to  implement  Action  690  of  the  EU 
biodiversity strategy.  

led,  by  2003,  to  the 
The  1997 
establishment  of  a  Flemish  Ecological  Network  (VEN)91 

‘Nature  Decree’ 

86 Ruimte Vlaanderen (2018). Beleidsplan Ruimte Vlaanderen 
Strategische Visie. 
87 Agentschap Natuur en Bos (2016). Draaiboek Groenplan. Richtlijnen 
bij het opmaken van een lokale groenvisie. 
88 Agency for Nature & Forests, Government of Flanders, 
neighbourhood subsidies & Pimpjespeelplaats & groenerand subsidies.  
89 Departement Omgeving (n.d.). Wat is een Green Deal? 
90 Agentschap Natuur en Bos (2016). Prioriteitenkader voor 
ecosysteemherstel in Vlaanderen. RPF Vlaanderen. 

of  large  natural  units  complemented  by  an  integral 
connecting and supporting network, covering a total area 
of 125 000 ha. While the network does not fully overlap 
with  Natura  2000,  some  Natura  2000  sites  and  other 
natural areas form its core. However, the development of 
the  VEN  has  been  slow  and  only  85 000  ha  of  already 
existing areas had been incorporated into the network by 
2003.  Since  then,  efforts  have  focused  on  Natura  2000 
and  progress  on  the  integral  connecting  and  supporting 
network,  especially  on  agricultural  land,  has  stalled. 
There  is  also  another  supportive  network  called  IVON 
which 
and 
connectivity92, 

coherence 

ecological 

focuses 

on 

Researchers  in  Flanders  have  shown  that  that  woody 
networks  in  agricultural  landscapes  are  a  rich  source  of 
intrinsic  and  functional  biodiversity  and  thus  need 
protection93. 

Walloon Region 

to  ecological  networks, 

The  regional  policy  statement  2014-201994  makes  no 
the  Walloon 
reference 
government  has  pledged  to  put  in  place  a  ‘Walloon 
nature  network’95  which  sets  out  a  range  of  voluntary 
measures  to  encourage  nature  on  public  buildings, 
restore  wetland  and  riparian  habitats  ,  create  municipal 
nature  reserves  and  raise  awareness  on  the  importance 
of nature. The region is also in the process of concluding 
agreements  with  private  companies  to  promote  green 
infrastructure.  The  ‘Forestry  Code’  aims  to  ensure  the 
regeneration  and  protect  the  sustainability  of  forests, 
combat  climate  change  and  preserve  biodiversity.  Most 
authorisations  for  spatial  and  urban  planning  impose 
mitigation and/or offset measures as part of the permits. 
The Walloon Nature and Forest Department manages the 
nature  budget,  which  is  in  addition  to  EU  funding  (e.g. 
agri-environmental  measures), 
contracts, 
environmental  education  activities  and  Natura  2000 
subsidies.  In  2017,  Wallonia  informed  the  Commission 
that 
it  had  developed  a  restoration  prioritisation 
framework  based  on  existing  nature  conservation 
frameworks.  The  framework  itself  does  not  set  out  any 
measures,  activities  or  budgetary  implications,  as  these 
are covered by existing instruments. It does, however, set 

river 

91 Agentschap Natuur en Bos (n.d.). Vlaams Ecologisch Netwerk an het 
Integraal Verwevings- en Ondersteundend Netwerk. 
92 Researech Institute Nature and Forest, IVON 
93 Van Den Berge, S., Baeten, L., Vanhellemont, M., Ampoorter, E., 
Proesmans, W., Eeraerts, M., Hermy, M., Smagghe, G., Vermeulen, I & 
Verheyen, K. (2018). Species diversity, pollinator resource value and 
edibility potential of woody networks in the countryside in northern 
Belgium. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 259: 119– 126. 
94 Walloon Government (2014). Déclaration de politique régionale 
2014-2019. 
95 Service Public de Wallonie (2015). Réseau Wallonie Nature: 
Catalogue d’Actions. 

16 

                                                                 
                                                                                                        
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

out  priorities  for  ecosystem  restoration  to  be  achieved 
with the existing tools. 

Resource mobilisation 

Belgium  has  not  yet  reported  to  the  Convention  on 
Biological  Diversity  (CBD)  on  resource  mobilisation. 
Reporting  to  the  CBD  on  financial  flows  is  important  for 
the  position  of  the  EU  and  individual  Member  States  in 
the  CBD  and  helps  encourage  good  practices  among 
other countries. 

Estimating natural capital 

The  EU  biodiversity  strategy  calls  on  Member  States  to 
map  and  assess  the  state  of  ecosystems  and  their 
services96 in their national territories by 2014, assess the 
economic  value  of  such  services  and  integrate  these 
values  into  accounting  and  reporting  systems  at  EU  and 
national level by 2020. 

Belgium  continues  to  network  and  collaborate  in  the 
Benelux  Mapping  and  Assessment  of  Ecosystems  and 
their Services (MAES) initiative. Furthermore, the Belgian 
Ecosystems  and  Society  community97  continues  to 
organise its successful annual Christmas market. 

Flanders  has  completed  its  biophysical  mapping  and 
assessment and is one of the most advanced regions for 
MAES implementation. According to the Flanders’ nature 
report  —  a  regional  ecosystem  assessment  (REA)  — 
Flanders  will  develop,  map  and  value  alternative 
scenarios for green infrastructure by 2019. Furthermore, 
in 2018 Flanders started the Horizon2020 project ‘MAIA: 
from  Mapping  and  Assessment  to  Integrated  ecosystem 
Accounting’. 

Figure 10: Implementation of MAES (September 2018) 

The Brussels Capital Region is currently analysing how to 
use the MAES assessment in order to better measure and 
improve ecosystem services offered by the city. Brussels 
is also actively following the ESMERALDA project  funded 
by  the  LIFE  programme  as  this  project  will  provide  an 
integrated approach and friendly tool for policy makers.  

The  Walloon  ecosystem  services  platform  WalES  has 
been put on hold following a political decision to focus on 
concrete decision making tools. 

Because of Wallonia’s lack of progress, the MAES working 
group that met in Brussels in September 2018 announced 
the 
in 
lack  of  progress  of  Belgium  as  a  whole 
implementing  MAES  since  January  2016  (see  Figure  10). 
This  assessment,  which  is  updated  every  6  months,  is 
underpinned by the ESMERALDA project98.  

Belgium  has  established  a  business  and  biodiversity 
strategy (#BeBiodiversity) at federal level. It has also set 
up  a  Belgian  Biodiversity  Platform99  which  provides 
involved 
services 
in 
the  scientific  community 
biodiversity  research.  The  platform 
is  also  actively 
involved in projects. 

to 

2019 priority action 

  The  Walloon  region 

is  encouraged  to  mobilise 
resources  to  recommence  its  activities  on  mapping 
and  assessing  ecosystems  and  their  services  and  to 
provide  relevant 
information  on  the  Biodiversity 
Information  System  for  Europe  platform for  the  final 
evaluation  of  the  EU  biodiversity  strategy  to  2020. 
Flanders  is  encouraged  to  share  its  experience  with 
other Member States. 

Invasive alien species 

Under  the  EU  biodiversity  strategy,  the  following  are  to 
be achieved by 2020:  
(i) invasive alien species identified;  
(ii) priority species controlled or eradicated; and  
(iii)  pathways  managed  to  prevent  new  invasive  species 
from disrupting European biodiversity.  
This  is  supported  by  the  Invasive  Alien  Species  (IAS) 
Regulation, which entered into force on 1 January 2015. 

Belgium  contributed  to  the  EU  list  of  invasive  alien 
species  (IAS100)  by  submitting  risk  assessments  for  two 
species  to  the  first  list.  These  were  the  Amur  sleeper 
(Perccottus glenii) and fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), both of 
which were put on the list. 
The grid on Belgium’s distribution of IAS (see Figure 11), 
shows that of the 37 species on the first EU list, 28 have 
already been observed in the environment and, of these, 
19  IAS  are  well  established  in  Belgium.  Moreover,  the 
total number of IAS is the highest of all EU countries and 
the number of established populations is the fifth highest 
in  the  EU  after  Germany,  France, 
Italy  and  the 
Netherlands. The high number of IAS, in particular when 

96 Ecosystem services are benefits provided by nature such as food, 
clean water and pollination on which human society depends. 
97 Belgian Biodiversity Platform.  

98 Esmeralda project. 
99 Belgian Biodiversity Platform. 
100 European Commission, Invasive Alien Species. 

17 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

considering the country’s small surface area, is related to 
its central location, its intensive economic and transport 
activities. 

Between  the  entry  into  force  of  the  first  EU  list  and 
18 May 2018, Belgium has submitted five early detection 
notifications,  as  required  under  Article 16(2)  of  the  IAS 
Regulation.  Four  of  them  were  for  new  appearances  of 
the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), showing the high rate 
of invasion from France.  

Figure  11:  Number  of  IAS  of  EU  concern,  based  on 
available georeferenced information for Belgium101 

The  fifth  notification  relates  to  two  muntjac  deer 
(Muntiacus  reevesi),  a  male  and  a  female  that  escaped 
from  confinement.  It  is  important  that  the  eradication 
measures under  way are  successful, as on the European 
continent,  muntjac  deer  have  only  been  reported  in  a 
handful of member states102.  

With  regard  to  the  IAS  regulation,  Belgium  has  notified 
the Commission of its competent authorities responsible 
for  implementation  (Article 24(2))  and  the  provisions  on 
penalties  applicable  to  infringements  (Article 30(4))  for 
the  federal  level,  Flanders  and  the  Brussels  region. 
However,  the  notification  for  the  Walloon  region  is  still 
pending. 

2019 priority action 

  Belgium  is  urged  to  swiftly  complete  its  national 
legislation  in  the  Walloon  region  for  a  system  of 
penalties  under  the  IAS  regulation  and  notify  the 
Commission in this regard. 

101 Tsiamis K; Gervasini E; Deriu I; D`amico F; Nunes A; Addamo A; De 
Jesus Cardoso A. Baseline Distribution of Invasive Alien Species of Union 
concern. Ispra (Italy): Publications Office of the European Union; 2017, 
EUR 28596 EN, doi:10.2760/772692. 
102 BE DK IE NL DE FR. 

Soil protection 

The  EU  soil  thematic  strategy  underlines  the  need  to 
ensure a  sustainable use of soils.  This  entails preventing 
further  soil  degradation  and  preserving  its  functions,  as 
well as restoring degraded soils. The 2011 Roadmap to a 
Resource Efficient Europe states that by 2020, EU policies 
must  take  into  account  their  direct  and  indirect  impact 
on land use. 

is  a  finite  and  extremely  fragile  resource  and 

Soil 
increasingly degrading in the EU. 
The percentage of artificial land103 in Belgium (Figure 12) 
can  be  seen  as  a  measure  of  the  relative  pressure  on 
nature  and  biodiversity,  as  well  as  the  environmental 
pressure  on  people  living  in  urbanised  areas.  A  similar 
measure is population density. When the share in both is 
high,  it  can  be  expected  that  the  challenges  to  protect 
natural  capital  and  to  ensure  well-being  of  people  are 
also  high,  and  adequate  implementation  of  the  relevant 
EU policy and law is a priority. 

Belgium  ranks  considerably  higher  than  the  EU  average 
as regards artificial land coverage with 11.4 % of artificial 
land  (EU-28  average:  4.1 %).  The  population  density  is 
372.1/km2, which is also above the EU average of 118104. 
According  to  the  RUSLE2015  model105,  Belgium  has  an 
average soil loss rate by water of 1.22 tonnes per hectare 
per  year  (t ha−a yr−y)  compared  to  a  European  mean 
average of 2.46 t ha−a yr−y, which indicates soil erosion is 
low on average. 

Belgium  has  an  average  concentration  of  soil  organic 
land  cover  types) 
carbon  of  41.3  g/kg  (across  all 
compared to a European mean of 47 g/kg.  

the 

Contamination  can  severely  reduce  soil  quality  and 
threaten  human  health  or  the  environment.  A  recent 
report  of 
the 
Commission106  estimated  that  potentially  polluting 
activities  have  taken  or  are  still  taking  place  on 
approximately  2.8  million  sites  in  the  EU.  650  000  of 
these  sites  have  been  registered  in  national  or  regional 

Joint  Research  Centre  of 

103 Artifical land cover is defined as the total of roofed built-up areas 
(including buildings and greenhouses), artificial non built-up areas 
(including sealed area features, such as yards, farmyards, cemeteries, 
car parking areas etc. and linear features, such as streets, roads, 
railways, runways, bridges) and other artificial areas (including bridges 
and viaducts, mobile homes, solar panels, power plants, electrical 
substations, pipelines, water sewage plants, and open dump sites). 
104 Eurostat, Population density by NUTS 3 region. 
105 Panagos, P., Borrelli, P., Poesen, J., Ballabio, C., Lugato, E., 
Meusburger, K., Montanarella, L., Alewell, C., The new assessment of 
soil loss by water erosion in Europe, (2015) Environmental Science and 
Policy, 54, pp. 438-447. 
106 Ana Paya Perez, Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio (2018), Status of local 
soil contamination in Europe: Revision of the indicator “Progress in the 
management Contaminated Sites in Europe” 

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Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

inventories. 65 500 contaminated sites already have been 
remediated.  Flanders  has  registered  68  000  sites  where 
potentially  polluting  activities  have  taken  or  are  taking 
place,  and  already  has  remediated  or  applied  aftercare 
measures on 3 509 sites, while Wallonia has registered 3 
796  and  1  593  sites  respectively.  Brussels  has  not 
reported 
the  management  of 
in 
contaminated sites and brownfields to the working group 
Information  and 
of 
Observation Network (EIONET) that is responsible for this 
matter. 
Figure 12: Proportion of artificial land cover, 2015107 

the  European  Environment 

the  progress 

for  the 

legal  basis 

In Flanders, the most important legislation for soils is the 
2006 Decree on Soil Remediation and Soil Protection that 
replaced  the  1995  Soil  Remediation  Decree.  This  mainly 
focuses on point source contamination, but also provides 
‘Decision  of  the  Flemish 
the 
Government  on  Erosion  Control’.  The  decree  sets  very 
strict investigation and remediation obligations based on 
a list of risk activities. The handover of a soil certificate to 
the buyer is mandatory for  each real  estate transaction. 
Flanders plans to clean up all historical contamination by 
2036.  To  meet  this  target  a  new  obligation  was 
introduced  in  2017,  so  that  parcels  which  were  not 
be 
and 
investigated 
contaminated, will be investigated in the coming years. 

potentially 

before 

could 

In the Brussels Region, after 14 years of implementation, 
588  Ha  (out  of  876  Ha)  have  been  remediated  and 
reassigned  to  other  uses.  The  rest  of  the  polluted  land 
will  be  remediated  around  2029-2030.  To  achieve  this 
objective, a new legislation has been adopted (Decree of 
23  June  2017)  to  simplify  the  study  procedure  and 
increase  financial  support.  At  the  same  time,  Brussels 
Environment has started to work on a global strategy for 
soil protection which should be completed around 2024. 
The three regions and the federal state finally reached a 
political  agreement  in  2018  on  the  setting  up  and 
financing  of  a  fund  for  the  remediation  of  leaking  fuel 
tanks.  The  fund  will  be  financed  with  the  remaining 
surplus  of  the  successful  BOFAS  fund  for  contaminated 
petrol stations109, and then with a new levy on fuel oil. 
In  this  way,  the  remediation  costs  which  can  get  very 
high, will be covered. 

Marine protection 

EU coastal and marine policy and legislation require that 
by  2020  the  impact  of  pressures  on  marine  waters  be 
reduced  to  achieve  or  maintain  good  environmental 
status (GES) and ensure that coastal zones are managed 
sustainably. 

The  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive  (MSFD)110 
aims  to  achieve  good  environmental  status  of  the  EU’s 
marine  waters  by  2020.  To  that  end,  Member  States 
must develop a marine strategy for their marine waters, 
and cooperate with the EU countries that share the same 
marine (sub)region. 

For  Belgium,  the  Convention  for  the  protection  of  the 
marine  environment  of  the  North-East  Atlantic  (the 
‘OSPAR  Convention’)  is  a  significant  contribution  to 
achieving  the  goals  required  by  the  Marine  Strategy 
Framework Directive. This strategy sets out a number of 
steps  to  be  taken  over  six-year  cycles.  The  latest  step 

With  the  help  of  ERDF  co-financing,  Wallonia  is  tackling 
the  post-industrial  conversion  of  contaminated  soils 
including  in  urban  areas.  Furthermore,  the  European 
Fund  for  Strategic  Investments  (EFSI)  has  financed  an 
equity fund entitled ‘Ginkgo Fund II’ for decontaminating 
industrial  land  (e.g.  in  Ottignies  and  Tournai)  with  a 
contribution of EUR 30 million108.  

In  Wallonia,  the  new  Soil  Decree,  adopted  in  February 
2018,  is  a  significant  achievement.  This  aims  to  improve 
soil  quality  and  address 
the  management  of 
contaminated sites. Wallonia expects to have completed 
the  remediation  of  all  priority  sites  identified  in  the 
Marshal Plan by 2022.  

107 Eurostat, Land covered by artificial surfaces by NUTS 2 regions.  
108 European Commission, 2016. The Investment Plan for Europe — 
state of play Belgium; Ginkgo Advisor. 

109 BOFAS npo — Fund for soil remediation around petrol stations. 
110 Directive 2008/56/EC. 

19 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

it 

to 

to 

report 

reach  good  environmental 

meant  that  Member  States  had  to  establish  their 
the 
‘programme  of  measures’  and 
Commission  by  31 March  2016.  The  Commission 
is 
currently  assessing  whether  Belgium’s  measures  were 
status 
appropriate 
reported  are  considered 
(GES111).  The  measures 
partially  adequate  to  address  the  pressures 
in  the 
country’s  seas.  For  example,  new  measures  were 
introduced  to  address  gaps  (collecting  floating  litter  in 
harbours  and  rivers,  addressing  recreational  fisheries, 
etc.).  However,  a  few  activities  and  sources  of  pressure 
were  not  covered  by  the  measures  reported  (such  as 
aquaculture or nutrient input from agriculture). 

Flanders adopted an action plan on marine litter in 2018, 
addressing  all  sources  of  marine  litter  (sea-  and  land-
based). This action plan also includes concrete targets for 
the  reduction  of 
leakage  of  waste  to  the  marine 
environment.  

2019 priority actions 

 

 

Provide  more 
information  about  measures  to 
achieve  GES,  establish  more  that  have  a  direct 
impact  on  pressures  and  quantify  the  expected 
reduction of pressure as a result. 
Ensure  regional  cooperation  with  Member  States 
sharing  the  same  marine  (sub)region  to  address 
predominant pressures. 

111 COM(2018) 562 and SWD(2018) 393. 

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Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

3. Ensuring citizens’ health and quality of life 

Air quality 

EU clean air  policy and legislation require the significant 
improvement  of  air  quality  in  the  EU,  moving  the  EU 
closer to the quality recommended by the World Health 
Organisation.  Air  pollution  and  its  impacts  on  human 
health,  ecosystems  and  biodiversity  should  be  further 
reduced with the long-term aim of not exceeding critical 
loads  and  levels.  This  requires  strengthening  efforts  to 
reach  full  compliance  with  EU  air  quality  legislation  and 
defining strategic targets and actions beyond 2020. 

The  EU  has  developed  a  comprehensive  body  of  air 
quality  legislation112,  which  establishes  health-based 
standards and objectives for a number of air pollutants. 

Emissions  of  several  air  pollutants  have  decreased 
in  Belgium113.  The  emission  reductions 
significantly 
between  1990-2014  mentioned 
in  the  previous  EIR 
Reports, continued between 2014-2016 with emissions of 
methane  (NH3)  falling  by  0.29%,  emissions  of  nitrogen 
oxides (NOx) by 4.36 %, and emissions of volatile organic 
compounds  (NMVOCs)  by  1.95%.  Meanwhile  emissions 
of  fine  particulate  matter  (PM2.5)  have  increased  by 
15.16 % and emissions of sulphur dioxide (S02) by 2.54 % 
between  2014  and  2016.  Nevertheless,  the  emission 
levels  for  all  these  pollutants  except  for  NOx  are  within 
the  currently  applicable  national  emission  ceilings114. 
However, this exceedance of the ceiling for NOx does not 
apply  to  compliance  checking  as  applications  for  the 
adjustment  of 
inventories  were  accepted  by  the 
Commission.  See  also  figure  13  on  the  total  PM2.5  and 
NOx emissions per sector. 

Despite  the  emission  reductions  since  1990,  additional 
efforts  are  needed  to  meet  the  emission  reduction 
commitments  (compared  to  2005  emission  levels)  laid 
down in the new National Emissions Ceilings Directive  115 
for the period 2020 to 2029, and for any year from 2030 
on. 

Indeed,  air  quality  in  Belgium  continues  to  give  a  cause 
for concern. For 2015, the European Environment Agency 
estimated  that  about  7400  premature  deaths  were 

112 European Commission, 2016. Air Quality Standards 
113 See EIONET Central Data Repository and Air pollutant emissions 
data viewer (NEC Directive). 
114The current national emission ceilings have been mandatory since 
2010 (Directive 2001/81/EC); revised ceilings for 2020 and 2030 have 
been set by Directive (EU) 2016/2284 on the reduction of national 
emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 
2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC. 
115 Directive 2016/2284/EU. 

attributable to fine particulate matter concentrations116, 
220  to  ozone  concentrations117  and  1500  to  nitrogen 
dioxide118 concentrations119. 

Figure  13:  PM2.5  and  NOx  emissions  by  sector 
Belgium120 

in 

For  2017121,  limit  values  were  reported  as  having  been 
exceeded  for  nitrogen  dioxide  in  two  air  quality  zones: 
figure  14).  Substantial 
Brussels  and  Antwerp  (see 
progress  was  made 
in  reducing  particulate  matter 
emissions  with  no  exceedance  of  target  values  reported 
for  2017;  this  was  a  Suggested  Action  in  the  2017  EIR 
report. 

The  persistent  breaches  of  air  quality  requirements  (for 
NO2),  which  have  severe  negative  effects  on  health  and 
environment,  are  being  followed  up  by  the  European 
Commission  through  infringement  procedures  in  all  the 
Member States concerned, including Belgium. The aim is 
to  ensure  that  adequate  measures  are  put  in  place  to 
bring all zones into compliance as soon as possible. 

One example of good practice is in the air quality zone of 
Engis, where PM10 limit values had not been met until the 
end  of  2014.  Here,  a  working  group  (bringing  together 
authorities,  main  emitting  plants  and  citizens)  was 

116 Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of aerosol particles (solid and 
liquid) covering a wide range of sizes and chemical compositions. PM10 
(PM2.5) refers to particles with a diameter of 10 (2.5) micrometres or 
less. PM is emitted from many human sources, including combustion. 
117 Low level ozone is produced by photochemical action on pollution. 
118 NOx is emitted during fuel combustion e.g. from industrial facilities 
and the road transport sector. NOx is a group of gases comprising 
nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). 
119 European Environment Agency. Air Quality in Europe — 2018 Report.  
120 2016 NECD data submitted by Member State to the EEA. 
121 EEA, EIONET Central Data Repository. 

21 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

established  in  2015  to  reduce  the  impact  of  the  main 
industrial activities on the ambient air quality, especially 
on the particulate matter concentration (PM10). 

Figure  14:  Air  quality  zones  exceeding  EU  air  quality 
standards in 2017122 

instances  because 

According to a special report from the European Court of 
Auditors (ECA)123 EU action to protect human health from 
air pollution has not delivered its expected impact. There 
is notably a risk that air pollution is being underestimated 
in  some 
it  may  not  always  be 
monitored in the right places. Indeed, Member States are 
required  to  report  both  real-time  and  validated  air 
quality data to the Commission. The report criticises the 
location  of  monitoring  stations 
in  Brussels.  The 
Commission  has  already  started  (legal)  discussions  on 
monitoring  of  NO2  by  Belgium  (Brussels  and  Antwerp 
agglomeration so far).  

A national website on air pollution hosted by the Belgian 
Interregional  Environment  Agency  (IRCEL  —  CELINE)  is 
showing  to  assess  non-compliance124.  In  addition,  a 
mobile application (‘Belair’) with real-time monitoring of 
air  pollution  in  the  country  has  been  developed  by  the 
Belgian Interregional Environment Agency125.  

taken 

Many  measures  have  been 
in  all  sectors 
contributing  to  the  air  pollution  problem.  The  measures 
aim  at  both  reducing  emissions  and  reducing  exposure. 
For  the  latter,  the  main  policy  response  has  been  to 
establish low emission zones (LEZs) with putative fines in 
the  Brussels  Region  (since  1 January  2018)  and  Antwerp 
(since  1 January  2017)  and  to  extend  pedestrianised 
areas.  A  similar  zone  is  planned  for  Ghent  for  2020.  In 
Wallonia  a  legal  framework  allowing  municipalities  to 
propose the creation of LEZs is being prepared. 

The  Brussels  Region  has  also  announced 
further 
tightening of its LEZ for the period post-2025 in order to 

122 EEA, EIONET Central Data Repository. Data reflects the reporting 
situation as of 26 November 2018. 
123 European Court of Auditors, Special report no 23/2018: Air 
pollution: Our health still insufficiently protected, see p.25 and p.27. 
124 CELINE, database. 
125 Belgian Interregional Environment Agency, Belair app.  

further improve air quality and move closer to the WHO 
air  quality  guidelines.  In  this  context,  the  Brussels 
government  announced  in  2018  its  intention  to  ban 
diesel  vehicles  by  2030  and  petrol  vehicles  at  a  later 
stage. To that end, the region started a large consultation 
of stakeholders to help assess the best way to implement 
this ban. The process runs until mid-2019 and includes a 
written  consultation  and  the  organisation  of  thematic 
roundtables with experts and stakeholders. 

Other  relevant  regional  measures  in  2018  mentioned 
elsewhere in this EIR are: (i) fiscal initiatives; (ii) greening 
public transport; (iii) a new NEC plan; (iv) a new energy-
climate  plan;  and  (v)  a  new  mobility  plan.  The  Brussels 
region plans to be in full conformity with EU law between 
2020  and  2025.  In  May  2018,  the  Brussels  regional 
rules  allowing 
government  approved  emergency 
commuters to use public transport free of charge during 
periods of high particulate matter.  

The  Brussels  and  Flemish  regions  are  working  towards 
developing  alternative  fuel  infrastructure,  which  will 
benefit  air  quality  in  the  medium-long  run.  The  two 
regions are part of a Connecting Europe Facility project to 
deploy  a  network  of  charging  stations  for  electric  cars, 
natural  gas  and  hydrogen  refuelling  stations,  as  well  as 
onshore  power  supply  points  for  inland  navigation  in 
Flanders,  Brussels  Capital  region  and  the  Netherlands 
(the BENEFIC project). 

For Flanders, similar measures also detailed elsewhere in 
this  EIR,  plus  a  new  NEC  plan  due  for  the  end  of  2018. 
The region has also implemented a ‘green deal’ to reduce 
emissions from wood burning (with a focus on particulate 
matter)126.  Antwerp  agglomeration  may  only  fully 
comply after 2030.  

traffic  congestion,  air  pollution  and  health 
The 
connection  was  addressed  in  Belgium’s  EIR  dialogue  in 
March 2017. It was concluded that: (i) there is a problem; 
(ii)  a  package  of  measures  is  needed  to  deal  with  all 

126 In Belgium binding measures are absent to deal with the 
environmentally harmful burning of wood burning. 

22 

 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

relevant issues related to transport and air pollution; and 
(iii)  this  package  should  be  put  in  place  at  very  short 
notice127. 

The  below  overview  of  industrial  activities  regulated  by 
the  IED  is  based  on  the  ‘industrial  emissions  policy 
country profiles’ project130. 

received  a 

country-specific 
Furthermore,  Belgium 
recommendation  (CSR)  in  2018  under  the  European 
Semester  to  ‘Tackle  the  growing  mobility  challenges,  in 
particular  through 
in  new  or  existing 
transport infrastructure and reinforcing incentives to use 
collective and low emission transport’. 

investment 

The 2017 EIR detailed health-related external costs from 
air  pollution.  In  the  Brussels  region,  a  project  entitled 
‘ExpAir’  is  calculating  the  exposure  of  individuals  to  air 
in  Brussels128.  A  conference  has  been 
pollution 
organised  by 
the  Federal  Council  on  Sustainable 
Development  on  12 October  2018  to  discuss  the  effects 
of air pollution on health. 

2019 priority actions 

  Take,  in  the  context  of  the  National  Air  Pollution 
towards 
Control  Programme 
reducing the main emission sources - and meet all air 
quality standards. 

(NAPCP),  actions 

  Accelerate  the  reduction  of  nitrogen  oxide  (NOx) 
emissions and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations. 
This  will  require,  for  example,  a  further  reduction  in 
transport  emissions,  particularly  in  urban  areas  (and 
may  require  proportionate  and  targeted  urban 
vehicle access restrictions) and/or fiscal incentives. 
  Upgrade  and  improve  the  air  quality  monitoring 
network,  and  ensure  timely  reporting  of  air  quality 
data. 

Industrial emissions 

The  main objectives of EU policy on industrial emissions 
are to: 
(i) protect air, water and soil; 
(ii) prevent and manage waste; 
(iii) improve energy and resource efficiency; and  
(iv) clean up contaminated sites.  
To  achieve  this,  the  EU  takes  an  integrated  approach  to 
the  prevention  and  control  of  routine  and  accidental 
industrial emissions. The cornerstone of the policy is the 
Industrial Emissions Directive129 (IED). 

In  Belgium,  around  1745  industrial  installations  are 
required  to  have  a  permit  based  on  the  Industrial 
Emissions Directive (IED).The industrial sectors in Belgium 
with  the  most  IED  installations  in  2015  were  intensive 
rearing  of  poultry  and  pigs  (49 %),  chemicals  (14 %)  and 
waste management (9 %)131 (see Figure 15). 

Figure 15: Number of IED industrial activities per sector 
(2015)132 

The breakdown of industrial sectors that place the largest 
burden  on  the  environment  in  Belgium  in  terms  of  air 
emissions can be seen in Figure 16. 

Regarding water emissions, metals, chemicals and ‘other 
activities’  are  the  most  polluting  sectors.  The  metal 
production,  chemicals  and  waste  management  sectors 
to  hazardous  waste 
are 
generation,  whereas  the  ‘other  activities’  and  metal 
production  sectors  are  the  main  contributors  to  non-
hazardous waste generation.  

the  main  contributors 

The  EU  approach  taken  to  enforcement  under  the  IED 
creates  strong  rights  for  citizens  to  have  access  to 
relevant information and to participate in the permitting 
process.  This  empowers  citizens,  and  NGOs,  to  ensure 
that  permits  are  appropriately  granted  and  their 
conditions respected.  

The  development  of  Best  Available  Techniques  (BAT) 
Reference  Documents  (BREFs)  and  BAT  Conclusions 
through  the  exchange  of  information  involving  Member 
States, Industrial associations, NGOs and the Commission 
ensures  a  good  collaboration  with  stakeholders  and 
enables a better implementation of IED. 

127 European Commission, EIR Dialogue Report, 29.3.2018. 
128 ExpAir. 
129 Directive 2010/75/EU covers industrial activities carried out above 
certain thresholds. It covers energy industry, metal production, mineral 
and chemical industry and waste management, as well as a wide range 
of industrial and agricultural sectors (e.g. intensive rearing of pig and 
poultry, pulp and paper production, painting and cleaning). 

130 European Commission, Industrial emissions policy country profile – 
Belgium. 
131 European Commission, Industrial emissions policy country profile 
— Belgium. 
132 European Commission, Industrial emissions policy country profile – 
Belgium. 

23 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

The  Commission  relies  on  and  welcomes  the  efforts  of 
national  competent  authorities  to  implement  the  legally 
binding  BAT  conclusions  and  associated  BAT  emission 
levels in environmental permits, resulting in considerable 
and continuous reduction of pollution.  

Figure 16: Emissions to air from IED sectors and all other 
national total air emissions (2015) 

Noise 

The  Environmental  Noise  Directive135  provides  for  a 
common  approach  to  avoiding,  preventing  and  reducing 
the harmful effects of exposure to environmental noise. 

Excessive noise from aircraft, railways and roads is one of 
the  main  causes  of  environmental  health-related  issues 
in the EU136. 

of 

The 

sleep. 

implementation 

limited  set  of  data137 

from  2011, 
Based  on  a 
environmental  noise  causes  at 
least  around  200 
premature deaths and 1 000 hospital admissions per year 
in  Belgium.  It  also  causes  some  270 000  people  to  have 
disturbed 
the 
Environmental Noise Directive138 is significantly delayed. 
Based  on  the  latest  set  of  information  that  could  be 
analysed,  (2012  for  noise  maps  and  2013  for  action 
plans), the legal obligations have only been fully  met  by 
Flanders.  The  noise  action  plans  for  roads  and  railways 
for  the  Walloon  region  are  still  missing.  As  regards  the 
action  plan  for  the  Brussels  Capital  Region  (which  also 
applies to noise from the Brussels airport) concerns exist 
over  the  lack  of  public  consultation  early  2014  over  the 
review of the 2013 action plan; this is currently on-going 
with  a  view  to  adoption  of  a  new  action  plan  by  the 
Brussels  Government  in  2019139.  These  instruments, 
adopted  after  public  consultation,  should  include  the 
measures to keep noise low or reduce it.  

In  2015,  54 %  of  people  living  in  Brussels,  about  68%  of 
people  in  Liège  and  74%  in  Antwerp  said  they  were 
satisfied  with  the  level  of  noise  in  their  city,140.  Finalist 
in 2015 for the Green Capital Award, the exemplarity of 
Brussels  was  underlined  as  it  ranked  second  for  the 
noise.  An  example  of  good  practice  is  an  inventory  of 
quiet areas in Ghent141. 

2019 priority action 

  Complete  missing  noise  action  plans  for  Wallonia 
and  ensure  proper  review  of  the  action  plan  for 
Brussels agglomeration. 

135 Directive 2002/49/EC. 
136 WHO/JRC, 2011, Burden of disease from environmental noise, 
Fritschi, L., Brown, A.L., Kim, R., Schwela, D., Kephalopoulos, S. (eds), 
World Health Organisation, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, 
Denmark. 
137 N.B. the figures cited here are from a 2017 unpublished fact sheet 
for Belgium from the European Environment Agency. 
138 The Noise Directive requires Member States to prepare and 
publish, every 5 years, noise maps and noise action plans for 
agglomerations with more than 100 000 inhabitants, and for major 
roads, railways and airports. 
139 Brussels Environment 
140 European Commission, 2017, The 7th Report on Economic, Social 
and Territorial Cohesion, p. 120. 
141 European Commission, EGCA 2019 Good Practice Factsheets. 

By  way  of  example,  the  implementation  of  the  recently 
adopted  BAT  associated  emission 
levels  for  Large 
Combustion Plants will -on average and depending on the 
situation of individual plants- reduce emissions of sulphur 
dioxide with 25% to 81%, nitrogen oxide with 8%to 56%, 
dust with 31% to 78% and mercury with 19% to 71%. 

public 

Belgium  is  densely  populated  and  industrial  installations 
are  often  located  close  to  inhabited  areas.  This  causes 
frequent 
subsequent 
complaints 
investigations. This situation may, in some cases, result in 
a  need  to  set  stricter  emission  limit  values  than  what 
would  normally  be  required  applying  the  best  available 
techniques133. 

and 

The  Commission  has  in  particular  welcomed  the  good 
cooperation  with  the  administration  to  efficiently  solve 
issues due to late implementation of the BAT conclusion 
prohibiting  the  use  of  the  mercury  cell  technique  by 
chlor- alkali plants by 11 December 2017 134.  

2019 priority actions 

  Review  of  permits  to  comply  with  new  BAT 

conclusions. 

  Strengthen  control  and  enforcement  to  ensure 

compliance with BAT conclusions. 

133 Under Article 18 of IED, stricter conditions than those achievable by 
the use of the best available techniques should be included in the 
permit if needed to address local environmental issues and/or to 
comply with other regulations (e.g. air or water quality standard). 
134 Under both the Mercury Regulation (EU 2017/852) and the BAT 
conclusions for chlor-alkali sector (Commission Decision 2013/732/EU ). 

24 

 
 
 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

has a long way to go to achieve the good status/potential 
objectives set down in the Water Framework Directive. 

Figure 17: Ecological status or potential of surface water 
bodies in Belgium143 

Water quality and management 

EU  legislation  and  policy  requires  that  the  impact  of 
pressures  on  transitional,  coastal  and  fresh  waters 
(including  surface  and  ground  waters)  be  significantly 
reduced.  Achieving,  maintaining  or  enhancing  a  good 
status  of  water  bodies  as  defined  by  the  Water 
Framework Directive  will  ensure that EU  citizens benefit 
from good quality and safe drinking and bathing water. It 
will  further  ensure  that  the  nutrient  cycle  (nitrogen  and 
phosphorus)  is  managed  in  a  more  sustainable  and 
resource-efficient way. 

The  existing  EU  water  legislation142  puts  in  place  a 
protective  framework  to  ensure  high  standards  for  all 
water  bodies  in  the  EU  and  addresses  specific  pollution 
sources  (for  example,  from  agriculture,  urban  areas  and 
industrial  activities).  It  also  requires  that  the  projected 
into  the 
impacts  of  climate  change  are 
corresponding  planning 
risk 
management  plans  and  river  basin  management  plans, 
including  programme  of  measures  which  include  the 
actions  that  Member  States  plan  to  take  in  order  to 
achieve the environmental objectives. 

instruments  e.g. flood 

integrated 

Water Framework Directive 

reported 

Belgium  has  adopted  and 
the  second 
generation  of  RBMPs  under  the  Water  Framework 
Directive and the European Commission has assessed the 
status  and  the  development  since  the  adoption  of  the 
first RBMPs, including suggested actions in the EIR report 
2017. 

The  most  significant  pressures  on  rivers  in  Belgium  is 
from diffuse agricultural sources, atmospheric deposition 
and point source pressures from urban waste water. For 
groundwater  bodies  the  most  significant  pressure  is 
agriculture and industrial emissions.  

Nutrient pollution was the most significant impact on all 
surface  water  categories  (65%  of  surface  water  bodies) 
and  on  groundwater  (44%  of  groundwater  bodies)  in 
in 
Belgium.  Chemical  pollution  was  also  significant 
surface and groundwaters.  

Overall,  there  appears  to  have  been  a  reduction  in 
surveillance  monitoring  and  an  increase  in  operational 
monitoring  regarding  the  ecological  status  in  surface 
water  bodies.  The  ecological  status/potential  is  still  less 
than good for more than 70% of all classified river water 
bodies as illustrated in Figure 17. This shows that Belgium 

142 This includes the Bathing Waters Directive (2006/7/EC), the Urban 
Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) (on discharges of 
municipal and some industrial wastewaters), the Drinking Water 
Directive (98/83/EC) (on potable water quality), the Water Framework 
Directive (2000/60/EC) (on water resources management), the Nitrates 
Directive (91/676/EEC) and the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC). 

Between  the  first  and  second  RBMPs  there  was  a  large 
decrease in the proportion of surface  water bodies with 
good  chemical  status  from  35%  to  2%  and  a  significant 
increase  in  the  proportion  that  fails  to  achieve  good 
chemical status from 30% to 98% which can be linked to 
the  fact  that  the  proportion  with  unknown  status  was 
reduced  from  35%  to  less  than  1%.  The  monitoring 
situation  of  quantitative  status  of  groundwater  bodies 
has  improved.  The  number  of  monitored  groundwater 
bodies increased and the number of groundwater bodies 
failing good status almost halved from 15 to 8. 

Most  significant  pressures  are  identified  in  the  RBMPs 
and  addressed  by  measures  (key  type  of  measures)  but 
there is no financial commitment for the implementation 
of  Programmes  of  Measures  from  all  relevant  sectors  in 
any  of  the  River  Basin  Districts.  No  gap  analyses  were 
carried  out, except  for a  few diffuse pressures in one of 
the river basin districts, which makes it difficult to judge 
progress or expected progress in achieving the objectives 
of  the  Water  Framework  Directive  and  the  calculation 
and  internalisation  of  environmental  and  resource  costs 
in relation to water pricing varies across Belgium.  

Drinking Water Directive 

As regards drinking water, no new data is available since 
the 2017 EIR144. 

143 EEA, WISE dashboard. 

25 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

Bathing Water Directive 

Figure  18  shows  that  in  2017,  out  of  the  country’s  113 
bodies  of  bathing  water,  86.7 %  were  of  excellent 
quality,  10.64 %  of  good  uality  and  2.7 %  of  sufficient 
quality (compared to 85 %, 12.4 % and 1.8 % respectively 
in 2016). No bathing water was either of poor quality or 
non-compliant145.  Detailed 
information  on  Belgian 
bathing  waters  is  available  on  national  web  portals 146 
and  on  an  interactive  map  viewer  designed  by  the 
European Environment Agency147. 
Figure 18: Bathing water quality 2014-2017 148 

On  waste  water  treatment,  Brussels  agglomeration 
(which  had  been  fined  in  2013  for  non-compliance)  has 
continued  using  EIB  loans  to  further  improve  water 
quality,  rehabilitate  sewers,  renovate  distribution  lines 
and construct storm water ponds150 151. 

An  ongoing  2018  Commission-OECD  study  shows  that  if 
Belgium continues as it does right now (namely follow a 
total 
business  as  usual  or  BAU 
expenditures  for  compliance  with  the  UWWTD  and  the 
proposal for a new drinking water directive and costs for 
reaching  higher  efficiency  levels  are  estimated  to  be 
around EUR 3 billion in 2030.  

scenario), 

the 

Belgium  participates  in  the  ERDF  co-financed  NEREUS 
project  which  aims  to  boost  the  development  of  the 
green  economy  and  the  transformation  of  waste  water 
into a valuable source of water, nutrients (e.g. cellulose, 
nutrients) and energy152. 

Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive  

Belgium has had difficulties with implementing the Urban 
Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) on time and 
infringement  cases  were  opened.  However  since  mid-
2018  the  last  agglomerations  targeted  (in  the  Walloon 
region  and  for  which  Belgium  received  a  Suggested 
Action in the 2017 EIR) reported compliance.  

Close to  98 % of all  waste  water is collected in  Belgium, 
and  96.8 %  of  the  load  collected  undergoes  secondary 
treatment,  with  91.1 %  undergoing  more  stringent 
treatment in 2014149. 

144 Compliance with the Drinking Water Directive microbiological and 
chemical parameters as last reported was very high. 
145 European Environment Agency, 2018. European bathing water 
quality in 2017, p. 21. 
146 Wallonian portal for bathing waters (Wallonia) and Flemish portal 
for bathing waters (Flanders)Wallonian portal for bathing waters 
(Wallonia) and (Flanders)Wallonian portal for bathing waters (Wallonia) 
and (Flanders)Wallonian portal for bathing waters (Wallonia) and 
(Flanders). 
147 viewer Interactive map viewer. 
148 European Environment Agency, 2018. European bathing water 
quality in 2017, p. 21. 
149 European Commission, Ninth Report on the Implementation Status 
and the Programmes for Implementation of the Urban Waste Water 
Treatment Directive (COM(2017) 749) and Commission Staff Working 
Document accompanying the report (SWD(2017) 445). 

Nitrates Directive 

The  Nitrates  Directive  is  implemented  at  regional  level. 
There  are  challenges  to  the  agricultural  use  of  nutrients 
throughout  the  Belgian  territory,  except  for  in  the 
Brussels  Capital  Region  where  conventional  agricultural 
activities are rather marginal. 

The  improvement  in  nitrates  concentration  observed  in 
the  past  continued  in  the  2012-2015  period.  However, 
agricultural  pressures  on  water  in  Flanders  remain  high, 
with  eutrophication  affecting  most  waters.  The  region 
has  therefore  decided  to  apply  the  measures  of  its 
nitrates action programme to the whole territory, adding 
measures in targeted areas  where the water quality has 
not improved sufficiently. Flanders has a derogation from 
the  Nitrates  Directive153  relating  to  the  maximum 

150 EIB, SBGE — Brussels South waste water treatment plant, 2014. 
151 EIB, Brussels Capital sewerage system, 2010. 
152 NEREUS project. 
153 Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1499 of 
3 September 2015 granting a derogation requested by Belgium with 
regard to the region of Flanders pursuant to Council Directive 
91/676/EEC concerning the protection of waters against pollution 

26 

 
                                                                                                        
 
                                                                 
 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

amount  of  nitrogen  from  livestock  manure  that  can  be 
applied on land until 31 December 2018. 

In  Wallonia,  the  concentration  of  nitrates  in  water  was 
stable  during  the  2012-2015  period.  However,  water 
quality  is  still  a  challenge  in  some  areas  of  the  region. 
Around  69 %  of  the  agricultural  area  in  use  has  been 
designated  a  ‘nitrate  vulnerable  zone’  and  concerns 
persist  on  whether  the  nitrates  action  programme  is 
enough to further lower harmful concentrations in water. 

In  2017,  the  Commission  emphasised  to  Member  States 
that  water  and  agriculture  legislation  must  ensure  the 
long-term  goal  of  making  European  agriculture 
sustainable  while  securing  the  good  status  of  water 
bodies as defined by the Water Framework Directive154. 

In  Flanders,  researchers  have  developed  the  ‘AquaCrop-
Hydro’  model  which  shows  how  agricultural  practices 
impact  on  water  availability  in  the  Plankbeek  stream 
catchment155.  The  model  found  that  about  two  thirds 
of rainfall in the Plankbeek catchment evaporated or was 
used  by  crops,  while  27 %  reached  the  groundwater  or 
river. Surface run-off accounted for 7.5 % and 0.2 % was 
stored in the soil. 

Floods Directive 

Floods do appear to be a significant risk in Belgium with 
24%  (16%  in  Wallonia)  of  the  population  affected,  and 
the value of assets at risk over 3 times156. A specific risk 
in Belgium is due to flooding of enclosed water courses in 
urban  areas  (e.g.  Senne  River  in  Brussels).  Efforts  to 
restore natural hydromorphology should help to mitigate 
such risks. Climate change is seen as a significant factor in 
cauing flooding in Belgium in terms of expected damage 
to urban assets, people affected and GDP 157. 

The  Floods  Directive  established  a  framework  for  the 
assessment and management of flood risks, aiming at the 
reduction  of  the  adverse  consequences  associated  with 
significant  floods.  Belgium  has  adopted  and  reported  its 
first  FRMPs  under  the  Directive  and  the  European 
Commission conducted an assessment. 

The  Commission’s  assessment  found  that  good  efforts 
were made with positive results in setting objectives and 
devising  measures  focusing  on  prevention,  protection 
and  preparedness.  The  assessment  also  showed  that,  as 

caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (notified under document 
C(2015) 6058). 
154 European Commission 2017, Staff Working Document, p. 3. 
155 Willems, P. (2014) Parsimonious rainfall–runoff model construction 
supported by time series processing and validation of hydrological 
extremes — Part 1: step-wise model-structure identification and 
calibration approach. Journal of Hydrology, 510: 578-590. 
156  Secondary  date  synthesised 
in,  European  Commission-OECD, 
Belgian fiche, Assessing member states’ investment needs and financing 
capacities for water supply, sanitation and flood protection, 2018. 
157 Powerpoint presentation, slide 66, Workshop 18.05.2018. 

was the case for other Member States, Belgium’s FRMPs 
do not yet include an as complete as possible estimation 
of  the  cost  of  measures  with  identification  of  specific 
sources  of  funding.  In  addition,  there  is  scope  for 
expanding  the  use  of  cost-benefit  analysis  for  the 
prioritisation of measures that lend themselves to this.  

The  Flemish  Knowledge  Water  Centre  has  established  a 
project  on  rational  water  maangement  in  cities  and 
muncipalities  to  save  water  in  buildings.  Indeed,  the 
leakage rate in Belgium is high (50 % or 17,9% in Flanders 
in 2016)158. A survey that was conducted in spring 2018 
as  part  of  the  project,  showed  among  other  things  that 
97 %  of  respondents  are  prepared  to  minimise  water 
consumption  during  a  long-term  drought  and  90 %  are 
prepared to keep rain water on their own property rather 
than direct it to the sewage system159.  

The SIGMA II plan for the Scheldt estuary is a particularly 
good  example  of  using  green  infrastructure  for  flood 
protection  and  nature  restoration.  Another  project 
entitled ‘IRMA’, co-financed by the EDRF, helped Belgium 
and neighbouring countries deal with the flooding of the 
Meuse-Maas river. 

2019 priority actions 

  Ensure  that  water  pollution  by  agriculture,  among 
other sectors, is addressed effectively both under the 
Nitrates and the Water Framework Directives. 

  Take steps to tackle chemical pollution, by developing 
a  more  substance-specific  approach  both  in  surface 
and 
focus  on  Priority 
Substances,  river-specific  and  groundwater-specific 
pollutants. 

in  groundwater,  with 

  Take steps to expand the use of cost-benefit analysis 
for 
lend 
themselves  to  this,  in  relation  to  the  Floods  Risk 
Management Plans. 

the  prioritisation  of  measures 

that 

Chemicals 

The  EU  seeks  to  ensure  that  by  2020  chemicals  are 
produced and used in ways that minimise any significant 
adverse  effects  on  human  health  and  the  environment. 
An  EU  strategy  for  a  non-toxic  environment  that  is 
conducive  to  innovation  and  to  developing  sustainable 
substitutes,  including  non-chemical  options,  is  being 
prepared. 

158  European  Commission-OECD,  Belgian  fiche,  Assessing  member 
states’  investment  needs  and  financing  capacities  for  water  supply, 
sanitation and flood protection, 2018. 
159 Vlakwa, Waterenquête 2018 bij burgers. 

27 

                                                                                                        
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

legislation160  provides  baseline 
The  EU’s  chemicals 
protection for human health and the environment. It also 
ensures  stability  and  predictability 
for  businesses 
operating within the internal market. 

The  2016  European  Chemicals  Agency  (ECHA)  report  on 
the  operation  of  REACH  and  CLP161  showed  that 
enforcement activities are still evolving. In the Forum for 
Exchange  of  Information  on  Enforcement,  coordinated 
enforcement  projects162  have 
the 
effectiveness  of  the  enforcement  activities  can  still  be 
improved, in particular regarding registration obligations 
and  Safety  Data  Sheets  where  a  relatively  high  level  of 
non-compliance has been found.  

shown 

that 

as 

national 

activities 

enforcement 

Whilst improving, there is room for further improvement 
of 
regards 
harmonisation  throughout  the  Union,  including  controls 
on  imported  goods.  It  is  also  clear  that  enforcement  is 
still  weak  in  some  Member  States  in  particular  with 
respect 
imports  and  supply  chain 
obligations. The architecture  of enforcement capabilities 
continues  to  be  complex  in  most  EU  countries.  The 
enforcement  projects  also  revealed  some  differences 
among Member States (e.g. some tend to systematically 
report higher compliance than the EU average and others 
lower). 

to  control  of 

A  2015  Commission  study  highlighted  already  the 
importance  of  harmonisation  in  the  implementation  of 
REACH  at  Member  State  level,  in  terms  of  market 
surveillance and enforcement, as a critical success factor 
in the operation of a harmonised single market163.  

In March 2018, the Commission published an evaluation 
of  REACH164.  The  evaluation  concludes  that  REACH 
delivers  on  its  objectives,  but  that  progress  made  is 
slower  than  anticipated.  In  addition,  the  registration 
dossiers often are incomplete. The evaluation underlines 
the need to enhance enforcement by all actors, including 
registrants,  downstream  users  and 
in  particular  for 
importers,  to  ensure  a  level  playing  field,  meet  the 
objectives  of  REACH  and  ensure  consistency  with  the 
actions envisaged to improve environmental compliance 
and  governance.  Consistent  reporting  of  Member  State 
enforcement activities  was considered  important  in that 
respect. 

160 Principally for chemicals: REACH (OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p.1.); for 
Classification, Labelling and Packaging, the CLP Regulation (: OJ L 252, 
31.12.2006, p.1.), together with legislation on biocidal products and 
plant protection products. 
161 European Chemicals Agency, Report on the Operation of REACH 
and CLP 2016. 
162 ECHA, on the basis of the projects REF-1, REF-2 and REF-3. 
163 European Commission, Monitoring the Impacts of REACH on 
Innovation, Competitiveness and SMEs, Final Report, 2015.  
164 COM(2018) 116. 

regulation  a 

cooperation  agreement 

Belgium  put  in  place  for  the  implementation  of  the 
REACH 
(21 
December  2012)  between  the  federal  and  regional 
authorities165.  This  agreement  put 
in  place  three 
committees involved in the REACH tasks (Belgium REACH 
committee,  scientific  committee  and  national  forum, 
and;  an  enforcement  committee).  This  enforcement 
structure  is  composed  of  several  federal  and  regional 
authorities  acting  on  their  own  competency.  Direct 
surveillance  of  compliance  and 
is 
executed  by  inspection  services  and  legal  authorities 
while indirect enforcement of compliance is executed by 
authorities, 
permitting 
including  Customs, 
liaise  via  a  national  forum  to 
maximize  the  useful  effect  of  enforcement  initiatives 
while  minimizing  the  efforts  required  from  public 
authorities and from legal persons.166 

law  enforcement 

Enforcement 

authorities. 

Belgium  has  established,  among  others,  an  annual 
National Control Policy Plan drafted by the inspectorates 
and  adopted  by  the  policy  makers.  Awareness  raising 
activities  include  leaflets  and  newsletters,  articles  in 
industry  magazines,  and  information  via  website  and 
social media. The Belgian authorities are working actively 
with  ECHA  to 
legislation  on  the 
authorisation,  evaluation  and  restriction  processes. 
Belgium already evaluated more than 10 substances with 
endocrine disruptors or PBT/vPvB concerns. 

implement  the 

The chemicals cluster in  Flanders is mentioned earlier in 
this  report.  The  port  of  Antwerp  is  home  to  Europe’s 
largest  —  and 
largest  — 
petrochemical cluster. It is said to be the first port in the 
EU  joining  the  ‘zero-pellet  loss’  initiative  which  aims  to 
reduce the leakage of plastic into the environment167. 

the  world’s 

second 

has 

improved 

cooperation 

Belgium 
between 
enforcement  authorities  and  customs  and  inspection 
services  to  make  implementation  more  effective.  A 
system  of  sanctions  is  in  place  for  infringements  of 
REACH  and  CLP.  There  are  regular  controls  and  routine 
inspections  of  CLP,  but  it  is  considered  unrealistic  to 
monitor  all  substances  covered  by  REACH.  As  with  most 
EU  countries,  Belgium  has  a  national  helpdesk  to  help 
SMEs, in particular, receive quick and helpful answers to 
their REACH-related enquiries.  

Finally,  LIFE  projects  have  been  used  to  investigate 
chemical issues, including in the port of Antwerp168. 

165 Belgian Cooperation Agreement on REACH  
166ECHA  
167 Essenscia, p. 57. 
168 For example, LIFERECYSITE & Purifying fertiliser rich water through 
complete recycling of all components. 

28 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

to 

promote 

sustainable 

Belgian  cities  are  also  involved  in  22  URBACT  thematic 
networks 
urban 
development177.  Within  URBACT,  Antwerp  is  a  lead 
partner of the ‘Sub>urban’ network which aims to make 
the existing 20th century urban fabric attractive and rich 
in quality again. The Brussels region is part of the ‘Freight 
TAILS’  initiative  dedicated  to  sustainable  urban  logistics. 
Ghent  leads  two  networks:  ‘REFILL’,  a  concept  for  the 
temporary  use  of  vacant  buildings  and  land;  and  ‘Stay 
tuned’, targeting the high rates of early school leaving in 
cities and towns. Belgian cities are involved in various EU-
supported  initiatives  related  to  smart  cities,  especially 
ones on energy178. 

Making cities more sustainable 

The  EU  policy  on  the  urban  environment  encourages 
cities  to  put  policies  in  place  for  sustainable  urban 
planning  and  design.  These  should  include  innovative 
approaches  for  urban  public  transport  and  mobility, 
sustainable  buildings,  energy  efficiency  and  urban 
biodiversity conservation. 

Europe  can  be  seen  as  a  union  of  cities  and  towns. 
Around 75 % of the EU population live in urban areas169 
and that is projected to rise to just over 80% by 2050170. 
the 
Urban  areas  pose  particular  challenges 
environment  and  human  health,  but  they  also  provide 
opportunities  for  using  resources  more  efficiently.  The 
EU encourages municipalities to become greener through 
initiatives such as the Green Capital Award171, the Green 
Leaf Award172 and the Green City Tool173. 

for 

Financing greener cities 

ERDF 

Belgium  has  directed  EUR 141.9  million  or  15 %  of  its 
available 
urban 
development.  The  OP  for  Brussels  is  entirely  included  in 
this  amount,  while  the  OPs  for  Flanders  and  Wallonia 
contain urban axes. 

sustainable 

funding 

to 

Belgium  participates 
Network174. 

in 

the  Urban  Development 

The ERDF supports urban innovative actions (UIA) for the 
2014-2020 period to test new and unproven solutions to 
address  urban  challenges.  The  UIA  has  a  total  ERDF 
budget  of  EUR 372  million  for  this  period  and  Belgium 
has obtained actions in the first  two calls for projects  in 
Ghent and Antwerp175. 

Participation in EU urban initiatives and networks 

jointly 
The  2018  European  Green  Leaf  Award  was 
awarded  to  the  Belgian  city  of  Leuven  and  the  Swedish 
city  of  Växjö.  In  2011,  Leuven  set  the  ambitious  goal  to 
become  a  climate  neutral  city  by  2030,  and  in  2013,  it 
was nominated for the ‘most sustainable municipality’ in 
Belgium176.  Two  other  Belgian  cities  were  unsuccessful 
candidates  for  European  awards:  Mechelen  for  the 
European  Green  Leaf  2019  and  Ghent  for  the  European 
Green  Capital  2020.  Leuven  is  also  one  of  the  finalists 
European innovation capital 2018. 

In Flanders, projects to increase innovation by companies 
also aim to create more biodiversity on industrial estates 
through  a  ‘green  in  construction’  knowledge  centre  and 
to  promote  use  of  a  care  system179.  Flanders  has  also 
championed  the  ‘BetonStop’  approach  for  reducing  the 
amount  of  grey  (concrete)  infrastructure180  prohibiting 
all  kind  of  urbanisation  of  open  spaces  by  2040 
('Betonstop').  By  2025,  there  will  only  be  3  hectares  of 
open  space  per  day  sacrificed  to  buildings.  In  2040,  this 
figure must drop to zero. Ghent is transforming its canal 
banks 
improving  water 
management  in  its  dock  areas181.  The  city  has  also 
created a scorecard of its natural capital182.Belgian cities 
are also actively involved in  initiatives such as Eurocities 
and the EU Covenant of Mayors (the latter is mentioned 
earlier in this report). 

into  green  walkways  and 

These  efforts  are  worth  encouraging,  as  in  2017  slightly 
more  than  22.7  %  of  people  in  Belgian  cities  said  that 
their  area  was  affected  by  pollution,  grime  or  other 
environmental problems (EU average 20 %)183. 

169 European Commission, Urban Europe, 2016. 
170 European Commission, Eurostat, Urban Europe, 2016, p.9. 
171 European Commission, European Green Capital  
172 European Commission, European Green Leaf Award.  
173 European Commission, Green City Tool.  
174 European Commission, The Urban Development Network. 
175 UIA Initiative. 
176 European Commission, Good Practice Report European Green Leaf 
2017, 2016, p. 12. 

177 URBACT. 
178 EU Smart Cities Information System. 
179 Departement Omgeving. 
180 decision of the Flemish government of 27.07.2018 
181 181 European Commission, Good Practice Report European Green 
Capital 2018, p. 31, p. 56. 
182 European Commission, EGCA 2019 Good Practice Factsheets. 
183 European Commission, Eurostat, Pollution, grime or other 
environmental problems by degree of urbanisation. 

29 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

The EU funded PASTA project compared citizen concerns 
about  air  pollution  in  7  European  cities.  The  results 
revealed  that,  on  average,  58%  of  participants  were 
worried about the health effects of air pollution with the 
figure for Antwerp being 78%184. 

Nature and cities 

More  than  20 %  of  Belgium’s  Natura  2000  network  is  in 
urban  areas  (EU  average  15 %185)  (see  Figure  19). 
Wallonia  reported  that  101  out  of  262  municipalities 
have  launched  municipal  plans  for  nature  development 
(PCDN) 186  which  included  the  mapping  of  their  local 
ecological  network.  A  noteworthy  example  of  green 
infrastructure in the country is the LIFE Belini project for 
the  rivers  in  the  Scheldt  basin  district  2017-2024.  In  the 
Walloon  section  alone,  10  temporary  immersion  zones 
will be created, and three existing ones will be returned 
to  nature,  with  a  focus  on  biodiversity  and  ecosystem 
services.  The  entire  Charleroi-Brussels  canal  is  also  part 
of  the  LIFE  project187.  In  Brussels  the  Senne  will  be 
daylighted  in  a  specific  urban  area  and  a  temporary 
immersion zone is planned. In Flanders, similar measures 
are  being  taken  in  Sint-Pieters-Leeuw  and  Leuven  zones 
plus the construction of a fish ladder on the Dyle. 

Figure  19:  Proportion  of  Natura  2000  network 
Functional Urban Areas (FUA)188 

in 

For  the  Brussels  region,  its  2016-2020  nature  plan  is 
directly  linked  to  its  regional  soil  plan189,  and  aims  to 
reinforce nature in public spaces and the implementation 
of the Brussels ecological network (REB)190, in particular, 
to protect sites of high natural value. 

184 Dons, E., Laeremans, M., AnayaBoig, E. et al. (2018). Concern over 
health effects of air pollution is associated to NO2 in seven European 
cities. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health 11(5), 591-599. 
185 European Commission, 2017, The 7th Report on Economic, Social 
and Territorial Cohesion, p. 121. 
186 Plans Communaux de la Nature. 
187 LIFE Belini. 
188 European Commission, Definition of Functional Urban Areas. 
189 Plan Régional d’Affectation des Sols. 
190 Réseau écologique bruxellois. 

30 

Urban sprawl 

In  2009,  Belgium  had  the  highest  weighted  urban 
proliferation  with  6.59  UPU/m2 191  compared  to  an  EU 
average  (EU28+EEA4)  of  1.64  UPU/m2,  with  an  increase 
of 1.7 % from 2006 to 2009192. 

As an example of good practice, Ghent is encouraging — 
through  the  use  of  subsidies  —  the  temporary  use  of 
disused  sites  for  economic,  cultural  and  participative 
activities through land-use planning193. 

Traffic congestion and urban mobility 

The  average  number  of  hours  per  year  spent  in  traffic 
jams,  rose  from  35.84  in  2014  to  38.82  in  2016,  making 
Belgium one of the worst performers in the EU194, with 
Brussels  coming  top  in  Belgium  with  39  hours195.  The 
cost  of  traffic  congestion  is  spelled  out  in  the  Belgian 
2017-2020  stability  programme;  assessments  by  the 
Commission, the OECD and the IMF put the likely costs at 
1-2 % of GDP or EUR 4.3-8.6 billion (2017)196. 

Turning  to  car  ownership,  in  2016  Belgium  had  503 
passenger cars per thousand inhabitants, more or less in 
line with the EU average (505 passenger cars197). In the 
same year, 78.5 % of transport in Belgium was by private 
car198 and 64 million vehicles  crossed the River Scheldt 
in  Antwerp  —  65 %  more  than  the  current  capacity199. 
In Wallonia, 95 % of land transport of people in 2009 was 
by  road,  of  which  81 %  was  by  private  car200.  In 
Flanders, 75 % of commuters still use a private car201. 

In Brussels, around 350 000 commuters travel within the 
city  by  car  every  day.  However,  mobility  trends  are 
changing in the capital. Trips by car within Brussels fell to 
32 % in 2010 (compared with 49.6 % in 1999) and the use 
of public transport increased to 25.9 % in the same year 
(from  14.7 %  in  1999)202.  Metro  use  increased  by  69 % 
between  2000-2012  and  there  are  currently  130  million 
users per year203 204. Bike lanes in Brussels increased by 

191 Urban Permeation Units measure the size of the built-up area as 
well as its degree of dispersion throughout the region. 
192 EEA, Urban Sprawl in Europe, Annex I, pp.4-5. 
193 European Commission, Good Practice Report European Green 
Capital 2018, p. 28. 
194 European Commission, Hours spent in road congestion annually. 
195 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, p. 13 p. 17. 
196 Het stabiliteitsprogramma van België — Le Programme de Stabilité 
de la Belgique, 2017-2020, p. 48. 
197 Eurostat, Passenger cars per 1 000 inhabitants, 2018. 
198 FBP, 2016. Progrès vers les objectifs de développement durable de 
l’ONU. 
199 Stability Programme for Belgium, 2018-2021, p. 47. 
200 Wallonia region. Etat de l’Environnement, p. 83. 
201 European Commission, OP Flanders ERDF 2014-2020, p. 5-6. 
202 Pers. Comm. Céline Brandeleer. Université Saint Louis Bruxelles. 
29.11.2017. 
203 BCR, Mobilite et transports. 
204 Stability Programme for Belgium, 2018-2021, p. 52. 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

65 %  between  2005  and  2014  and  in  2014,  pavements 
and footpaths covered 36.9 % of total street surface205. 

At national level, 48 % of people living in cities walk every 
day (EU average 68 %), and 57 % use a car every day (EU 
average 50 %). Use of public transport is in line with the 
EU  average,  with  16 %  of  urban  Belgians  using  it  daily. 
However, in 2012, 50.1 % of the population in rural areas, 
in  cities 
in  towns  and  suburbs  and  5.2 % 
15.9 % 
considered  it  difficult  or  very  difficult  to  access  public 
transport206.  

Regarding travel by bicycle, 15 % of people in Belgium say 
they  cycle  at  least  once  a  day  (EU  average  12 % 207). 
Between  2009  and  2015,  travelling  to  work  by  bicycle 
increased from 3.9 % to 6 % in Brussels and from 28.5 % 
to 39 % in Antwerp. In Liège, however, it fell from 6.1 % 
to  5 % 208.  The  proportion  of  people  walking  to  work 
rose sharply in Belgium’s three main cities: from 8.9 % to 
38 %  in  Brussels;  from  3.1 %  to  33 %  in  Antwerp;  and 
from 7.5 % to 40 % in Liège209. 

Belgium has responded to the Commission’s call to make 
sustainable  urban  mobility  plans  (SUMPs)  in  2013.  For 
example, the Brussels region developed a plan for freight 
transport which won it the award for SUMPs in European 
Mobility  Week  2016210.  The  current  mobility  plan  is 
IRIS2. The plan is about to be revised, with new measures 
giving  a  central  role  to  active  transport  modes  (walking, 
cycling)  and  public  transport.  The  revision  includes  a 
large consultation of stakeholders and will cover  set  out 
the  targets  until  2030.  This  participatory  process  has 
been  called 
‘Good  Move’  and  has  already  been 
launched211. 

launched 

the  Flemish  government 

In  2017, 
the 
‘multimodaal.vlaanderen’ initiative to promote a mobility 
shift. Flanders is also rolling out its new concept of basic 
mobility, aiming to tackle personal mobility issues at the 
level  of  ‘mobility  regions’  which  consist  of  a  number  of 
cities  and  communities.  Flanders  is  preparing  to  build  a 
light  rail  network  (Brabantnet)  in  the  region.  There  has 
also been an increase in car sharing212, Leuven being the 
number  one  car  sharing  city  in  Belgium  with  1.5  cars 
introduced 
shared  per  100 
logistics 
alternatively‐fuelled  cars  and  developed  a 

inhabitants.  Ghent  has 

205 Pers. Comm. Céline Brandeleer. Université Saint Louis Bruxelles. 
29.11.2017. 
206 Eurostat, Difficulty in accessing public transport by level of difficulty 
and degree of urbanisation. 
207 European Commission, Special Eurobarometer 406, Attitudes of 
Europeans towards urban mobility, pp.7-10. 
208 Eurostat, Perception survey results, 2018. 
209 Eurostat, Perception survey results, 2018. 
210 European Mobility Week 2016, SUMP Award. 
211 Good Move, website.  
212Flemish government, Autodelen. 

31 

platform that distributes freight sustainably213. Antwerp 
has  been  using  an  ‘urban  data  scan’  including  air  and 
noise  data214  to  invest  in  its  smart  city  strategy  which 
aims  to  make  it  a  walkable  city  with  healthy,  liveable 
neighbourhoods.  The  Commission’s  Structural  Reform 
Support  Service  is  also  investing  in  the  improvement  of 
logistics 
at  Antwerp’s  port,  which  will  have 
environmental  benefits215.  The  ‘smart  cities’  initiatives 
are mentioned earlier in this report. 

for 

car 

The Walloon investment  plan for 2019-2024, adopted in 
January  2018,  plans  investment  in  mobility  (EUR 600 
and  pedestrian 
sharing,  bike 
million 
infrastructures,  public  transport  and  an 
intelligent 
transport system and EUR 530 million for multimodality). 
The Walloon government also adopted its ‘FAST vision — 
in  November  2017.  There  are  also 
mobility  2030’ 
commune-level  mobility  plans,  which  include  measures 
to  reduce  pressure  from  too  many  cars.  An  EIB  loan 
should enable Liège to create an electric tram line, which 
will  replace  around  80  buses  and  reduce  the  number  of 
cars  travelling  to  the  city  centre  by  2022216.  Another 
initiative is the ‘Cycling Wallonia 1.0 Plan’217. 

At national level, the waterway network has a significant 
role  in  the  shift  away  from  road  haulage  and  reducing 
congestion.  The  work  on  the  Seine-Scheldt  link  in  both 
Flanders  and  Wallonia  will  be  completed  in  2025  and 
other  projects  are  ongoing  on  the  country’s  inland 
waterway  network  and  on  several  sea  and  inland  locks, 
supported by the Connecting Europe Facility. 

Liège,  Charleroi) 

In  its  railway  investment  plan,  Belgium  will  give  priority 
to the completion of the Regional ExpressNet (GEN/RER) 
around  Brussels  and  the  improvement  of  the  AnGeLiC 
(Antwerp,  Ghent, 
service.  The 
Oosterweel  project  around  Antwerp  is  necessary  to 
alleviate  road  congestion.  In  Brussels,  a  third  metro  line 
(North-South)  will  be  completed  by  2025  and  will  be 
combined  with  improvements  to  tunnels,  bridges  and 
viaducts.  Furthermore, 
the  Brussels  Chamber  of 
Commerce  published  22  mobility  solutions218  and  the 
15 
Enterprise 
Belgian 
recommendations219.  

Federation 

made 

Co-ordination  of  transport  policy  occurs  between  the 
different 
levels  of  government  with  the  Executive 
Committee  of  Ministers  for  Mobility  (ECMM)  currently 
devising  an  inter-federal  transport  strategy  and  through 
specific cooperation agreements.  

213 European Commission, Expert Panel Technical Assessment Synopsis 
Report European Green Capital Award 2020 , 2018, p. 14. 
214 European Territorial Cooperation programme URBACT. 
215 European Commission, SRSS. 
216 EIB, Tram de Liège. 
217 Wallonie mobilité. 
218 Chamber of Commerce of Brussels, Mémorandumbeci Mobilité. 
219 FEB/VBO. 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Report 2019 – Belgium 

Part II: Enabling framework: implementation tools 

4. Green taxation, green public procurement, environmental 

funding and investments 

Green taxation and environmentally harmful 
subsidies 

Financial 
incentives,  taxation  and  other  economic 
instruments  are  effective  and  efficient  ways  to  meet 
environmental policy objectives. The circular  economy 
action  plan  encourages  their  use.  Environmentally 
harmful  subsidies  are  monitored  in  the  context  of  the 
European  Semester  and  the  energy  union  governance 
process. 

Belgium’s  revenue  from  environment-related  taxes 
remains  among  the  lowest  in  the  EU.  Environmental 
taxes  accounted  for  2.24 %  of  the  country’s  GDP  in 
2017  (EU  average  2.4 %)  (see  Figure  20)  and  energy 
taxes  for  1.45 %  of  GDP  (EU  average  1.84 %).  In  the 
same  year,  environmental  tax  revenues  accounted  for 
4.74 % of total revenues from taxes and social security 
contributions (EU average 5.97 %). 

The tax  structure in Belgium  results in a  high share of 
revenues  from  labour  tax  in  the  total  tax  income.  At 
51.9 % this was the seventh highest  in the EU in 2016 
and  at  43.6 %,  the  implicit  tax  burden  on  labour 
(42.4 %)  was  the  second  highest220.  Consumption 
taxes  remained  relatively  low,  showing  that  there  is 
considerable potential for shifting taxes from labour to 
consumption,  particularly  for  environmental  taxes. 
Indexation  of  excise  duties  on  energy  products  came 
into force on 1 January 2018221. 

Since  2015,  Belgium  has  made  some  progress  in 
reforming its tax system, notably by shifting taxes from 
labour to other tax bases. With a relatively low share of 
consumption  and  environmental  taxes  in  total  tax 
revenues,  there  is  considerable  potential  for  a  ‘green’ 
tax  shift.  This  has  been  raised  repeatedly  in  the 
European Semester process, including in the 2017 and 
2018 country-specific recommendations. 

The  most  significant  improvements  to  date  are  the 
introduction of a charge per kilometre for lorries in all 
Belgian regions and changes  to vehicle circulation and 

road taxes, reflecting environmental considerations, in 
Flanders.  The  Walloon  and  the  Flemish  regions  have 
increased the  share of their road network for which  a 
toll  has  to  be  paid.  All  three  regions  have  measures 
planned  or  already  in  place  to  dissuade  people  from 
buying the most polluting cars. The Flemish region has 
extended the system of the ‘eco boni and mali’ to light 
commercial vehicles that are not leased.  

Figure  20:  Environmental  tax  revenues  as  %  of  GDP 
(2017)222  

The Brussels Capital Region is ‘greening’ its road tax by 
placing  a  higher  tax  on  diesel-powered  vehicles  and 
encouraging  electric  vehicles  from  June  2018.  The 
region is also revising its car scrappage subsidy scheme. 
The  Walloon  region  is  planning  to  amend  its  motor 
vehicle 
into 
to 
federal  government 
account223.  Meanwhile,  the 

take  environmental  criteria 

tax 

220 European Commission, 2017, Taxation Trends Report. 
221 European Commission, Taxation Trends in the European Union, 
2018, p.59. 

222 Eurostat, Environmental tax revenues, 2018. 
223 National Reform Programme 2018, p. 3. 

32 

 
 
 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

grants  a  tax  credit  of  30 %  for  the  purchase  of  an 
electric vehicle. 

scheme  on  congestion  and  pollution  remains  to  be 
seen. 

Meanwhile, fossil fuel subsidies have not decreased in 
the past decade and have even risen slightly in the last 
year224.  In  December  2018,  the  Belgian  government 
decided  not  to  indexate  petrol  and  diesel  prices  in 
January 2019. 

 The use of alternative fuels in new passenger cars sold 
in  Belgium  has  increased  over  the  past  few  years. 
However, it is still relatively low, with only 2.1 % of the 
market  share  in  2016.  At  just  under  4 %  in  2015225, 
Belgium  is  still  far  from  reaching  the  2020  goal  for 
renewable energy share in transport (10 %).  

The  Flemish  region  is  studying  the  effectiveness  of 
introducing  a  smart  kilometre  charge  (tax  or  fee)  for 
light  vehicles  and  of  introducing  a  road  charging 
instrument226 to shift the burden from labour to the 
environment.  

The  favourable  tax  rate  for  company  cars  comes  at  a 
high budgetary cost. This policy causes Belgium to lose 
around  EUR 3.75  billion  in  revenue  (accounting  for 
0.9 %  of  GDP  in  2016)  every  year227.  One  report 
indicates  that  company  cars  in  Belgium  are  driven  an 
extra  6 000  km  a  year  compared  to  privately  owned 
cars  and  that  the  corresponding  loss  in  income  is 
EUR 905 million or 0.23 % of GNP228. In March 2018, 
the 
introduced  a  mobility 
allowance (known as the ‘cash for car’ allowance) and a 
parallel mobility budget, back-dated to 1 January 2018.  

federal  government 

Progress  has  also  been  made  on  reducing  the  ‘diesel 
differential’. Parity was reached in July 2018, ahead of 
the Belgian government’s target to reach it by the end 
of  2018229,230.  In  2018,  new  car  sales  of  diesel  cars 
dropped to 35 % of total sales, from 46 % in 2017231. 

Its overall objective is to create (voluntary) alternatives 
to company cars. In the meantime, the policy that gives 
businesses  strong  tax  incentives  to  provide  company 
cars  remains  in  place  and  the  impact  of  the  new 

224 OECD, 2015 Inventory of Support Measures for Fossil Fuels. 
225 European Commission, ‘Transport in the European Union 
Current Trends and Issues, 2018’, pp.27-28. 
226 National Reform Programme 2018, p. 64, results due spring 
2019. 
227 European Commission, Directorate-General for Economic and 
Financial Affairs, ‘Taxation of Company Cars in Belgium- Room to 
Reduce their Favourable Treatment’, by Savina Princen. 
228 Bureau fédéral du Plan, L’avantage fiscal sur les voitures de 
société influence significativement les comportements de mobilité, 
avec des coûts sociétaux considérables, 2016. 
229 European Environment Agency 2016, Environmental taxation 
and EU environmental policies, p. 27. 
230 European Commission, Taxation Trends in the European Union, 
2018, p.59. 
231 FleetEurope and FEBIAC, Press release. 

A  study  published  at  the  end  of  2017,  based  on  a 
survey  in  Flanders,  looked  into  public  support  for 
environmental taxation, both in theory and in practice. 
It  showed  that  people  tend  to  support  tax  on  broad 
categories  such  as  education, 
the 
environment,  over  specific  ‘niche’  categories.  The 
study  further  set  out  a  ‘ladder  of  acceptability  of 
revenue 
that 
environmental spending receives the most support232. 

recycling  options’,  which  showed 

income  and 

The third and final phase of the tax shift in 2019-2020 
is  an  opportunity  to  ‘green’  the  system  further. 
Implementing  a  carbon  price  in  the  Belgian  non-ETS 
sector  would  be  a  powerful  tool  to  support  the  low-
carbon transition in Belgium and be the cornerstone of 
a ‘green tax shift’. . Furthermore, the Higher Council of 
Finance  is  expected  to  report  back  in  early  2019  on 
options  for  environmental  taxation  and  removal  of 
environmentally-harmful subsidies. 

Green public procurement 

The  EU  green  public  procurement  policies  encourage 
Member  States  to  take  further  steps  to  apply  green 
procurement criteria to at least 50 % of public tenders. 
The  European  Commission  is  helping  to  increase  the 
use  of  public  procurement  as  a  strategic  tool  to 
support environmental protection. 

The purchasing power of public procurement amounts 
to around EUR 1.8 trillion in the EU (approximately 14% 
of GDP). A substantial proportion of this money goes to 
sectors  with  a  high  environmental  impact  such  as 
construction  or  transport.  Therefore,  green  public 
procurement  (GPP)  can  help  to  significantly  lower  the 
negative impact of public spending on the environment 
and 
innovative 
businesses.  The  Commission  has  proposed  EU  GPP 
criteria233. 

sustainable 

can  help 

support 

is 

(SPP) 

in  place 

In  Belgium,  a  detailed  strategy  on  sustainable  public 
procurement 
federal 
departments  since  2014,  combining  green  and  social 
aspects  of  public  procurement.  Specific  regulations  in 
the  context  of  SPP  were  adopted  for  wood  (2005), 
vehicles  (2009  &  2010)  and  energy  efficiency  (2013), 

for  the 

232 Kris Bachus, 2017, The use of taxation as a regulatory policy 
instrument. 
233 In the Communication ‘Public procurement for a better 
environment’ (COM (2008) 400) the Commission recommended the 
creation of a process for setting common GPP criteria. The basic 
concept of GPP relies on having clear, verifiable, justifiable and 
ambitious environmental criteria for products and services, based on 
a life-cycle approach and scientific evidence base. 

33 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

with  specific  policy  documents  in  the  country’s  three 
regions234 and at federal level. 

level 

thanks 

initiatives  by 

GPP  criteria  have  been  developed  by  Flanders  and  at 
several 
to 
federal 
departments. In  most cases,  the EU  GPP criteria235 is 
the  basis 
for  national-level  discussions  with 
stakeholders. To date, federal GPP/sustainable criteria 
have been developed for about 70 product and service 
groups236. 

The  Flemish  region  has  set  itself  a  target  of  reaching 
100 %  SPP  by  2020.  It  has  also  set  itself  targets  of 
procuring  100 %  green  electricity  for  the  Flemish 
regions’ buildings and of increasing the environmental 
performance  of 
including  electric/low 
emission cars. The government of Flanders has won the 
award  of  Sustainable  Procurement  of  the  Year  at  the 
2018  Ecoprocura  conference237 
the 
outstanding  environmental,  social  and  economic 
impacts of the procurement. 

recognising 

vehicles, 

The  Brussels  Capital  Region  has  a  framework  with 
three  levels:  development  of  references  e.g.  for  clean 
vehicles  and  sustainable  buildings  construction  and 
renovation;  providing  information,  training  sessions 
and  helpdesk  advice;  establishing  a  mandatory 
framework for the public authorities dependent on the 
Brussels 
the  Walloon 
government  adopted  its  action  plan  on  responsible 
public buying (2017–2019).  

In February  2017, 

region. 

Belgium has stepped up international cooperation and 
has  had  close  exchanges  with  the  Netherlands  and 
France on circular procurement. 

The  government  of  Flanders  has  established  a  public-
private  network  to  facilitate  circular  procurement 
projects. Participants will develop, share and distribute 
knowledge  about  circular  procurement  and  boost  the 
circular  economy  through  their  procurement  policies. 
As  of  October  2018,  more  than  150  organisations  had 
signed commitments in this respect. Since the  start  of 
the initiative more than 100 circular procurement pilot 
projects  have  started,  half  of  which  by  government 
organizations238.  Both 
federal 
governments  are  setting  up  monitoring  systems  to 
provide a clearer picture on the uptake of GPP in 2018. 

the  Flemish  and 

234 European Commission, Documentation on National GPP Action 
Plans, 2017. 
235 Eurostat, Perception survey results, 2018. 
236 European Commission, Documentation on National GPP Action 
Plans, 2017. 
237 Procura.  
238 Flemish Green Deal circular. 

Finally, a study by the European Parliament has shown 
Belgium  to  be  a  frontrunner in  the  implementation  of 
its national action plan239. 

Environmental funding and investments 

European  Structural  and  Investment  Fund  (ESIF)  rules 
oblige  Member  States  to  promote  environment  and 
climate in their funding strategies and programmes for 
economic,  social  and 
rural 
development and maritime policy. 

territorial  cohesion, 

Achieving  sustainability  involves  mobilising  public  and 
private  financing  sources240.  Use  of  the  European 
Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs)241 is essential if 
countries are to achieve their environmental goals and 
into  other  policy  areas.  Other 
integrate 
instruments 
LIFE 
such  as  Horizon  2020, 
programme242  and  the  European  Fund  for  Strategic 
(EFSI)243  may 
Investments 
the 
implementation and spread of good practices. 

support 

these 

also 

the 

to 

the 

According 
on 
latest 
Ebvironmental  attitudes,  92 %  of  Belgians  support 
greater EU investment to protect the environment (EU 
average 85 %). 

Eurobarometer 

European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 

Through  10  regional  programmes,  Belgium  has  been 
allocated  EUR 2.741  billion  from  ESIF  funds  for  the 
period  2014-2020  (see  Figure  21).  This  means  that 
together  with  its  national  contribution  of  EUR 3.347 
billion, Belgium has a total budget of EUR 6.09 billion.  

Europe 

Other  funding  sources  such  as  the  Horizon  2020,  the 
Connecting 
LIFE 
Facility 
programme244,  EIB  loans  and  the  EFSI245  may  also 
support  environmental 
the 
spreading of best practices. 

implementation  and 

(CEF), 

the 

Cohesion policy 

Belgium  receives  just  over  EUR 2  billion  from  EU 
sources  in  total  cohesion  policy246  funding  for  the 

239 European Parliament, Green Public Procurement and the Action 
Plan for the Circular Economy, 2017, pp. 79-80. 
240 See, for example, Action plan on financing sustainable growth 
(COM(2018) 97).  
241 i.e. the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the 
Cohesion Fund (CF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European 
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European 
Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The ERDF, the CF and the ESF 
are referred to as the ‘cohesion policy funds’. 
242 European Commission, LIFE programme. 
243 European Investment Bank, European Fund for Strategic 
Investments, 2016. 
244 European Commission, LIFE Belgium Sheet, 2017. 
245 European Investment Bank, European Fund for Strategic 
Investments, 2016. 
246 European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund. 

34 

                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

2014-2020  period  (current  prices,  including  European 
territorial  cooperation  funding  and  the  allocation  for 
the  Youth  Employment  Initiative  (YEI));  this  is  around 
0.57% of the total EU cohesion policy 2014-2020.  

Belgium is one of only two EU countries that uses the 
YEI for environmental purposes. The cohesion policy is 
fully  devolved to the Belgian regions. The co-financing 
rate  is  40 %  across  the  territory,  except  for  in  the 
Brussels  region  where 
is  50 %.  Environmental 
it 
infrastructure  (water,  waste)  is  not  a  priority  for  the 
ERDF  in  Belgium  as  it  is  a  relatively  rich  country. 
However, EIB loans can be used for such purposes. 

In  Wallonia,  the  ERDF  is  being  used  to  encourage  an 
industrial  transition  towards  green  growth,  eco-
environmental 
innovation, 
improvement, 
performance,  urban  environmental 
reducing  air  and  noise  pollution, 
rehabilitating 
contaminated land and reducing soil sealing. 

management 

of 

landfills  (known  as  ‘enhanced 

In Flanders, the ERDF is being used for reducing air and 
noise  pollution,  rehabilitating  contaminated  land  and 
reusing  old 
landfill 
mining’).  In  addition  there  is  an  overarching  objective 
to make a better use of space by using land in a multi-
functional way and rehabilitating underused land. Eco-
innovation, including circular economy, is also covered. 

Figure 21: ESIF 2014-2020 – EU allocation by theme, 
Belgium (EUR billion)247 

key focus throughout the country. Indeed, there was a 
15 %  reallocation  towards  land  rehabilitation  in  the 
2007-2013 period. The private sector also played a key 
role  in  financing  land  rehabilitation  offering  75 %  co-
financing  in  Flanders  and  25%  from  the  ERDF.  An 
example  is  the  2010  REGIOSTARS  winning  ‘C-mine’ 
project  in  Genk,  which  received  EUR 3.2 million  in 
2000-2006 and 2007-2013248. 

In  terms  of  the  overall  ERDF  allocation  to  direct 
environmental priorities, there was an increase of 16% 
between  2008  and  2016  in  the  Belgian  2007-13  OPs, 
from  EUR  61.48  million  to  EUR  71.47  million249. 
Current  data  suggest  that  the  EU  funds  for  the  2007-
2013  period  were  almost  fully  spent  (94.32 %)250.  In 
the  2014-2020  period,  an  ERDF  contribution  of 
EUR 43.5  million  is  planned  for  direct  environmental 
priorities,  with  around  EUR 390  million  planned  from 
ERDF and ESF for indirect environmental priorities. 

For  the  ERDF  programmes,  the  project  selection 
criteria  in  Flanders  include  sustainable  development, 
while  Wallonia 
sustainable 
development  vade  mecum.  There  is  also  an  elaborate 
environmental  monitoring  system  for  the  Belgium-
France ERDF cooperation programme. 

prepared 

has 

a 

Rural development 

Belgium  receives  EUR 648  million  from  the  European 
Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD)  for 
rural development for the 2014-2020 period. Belgium’s 
rural  areas  face  environmental  pressures  from  water, 
air,  biodiversity  and  soil.  The  two  rural  development 
programmes  contribute  to  covering  a  wide  range  of 
environmental  pressures.  Around  EUR 173  million 
supports 
and 
organic  farming.  Belgium  is  strongly  committed  to  its 
the  areas  of  agri-
Natura  2000  obligations 
environment  and  climate.  For  instance,  Wallonia  has 
allocated  EUR  40  million  including  EUR  15  million 
EAFRD grants to implement them251.  

agro-environmental 

commitments 

in 

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 

Belgium  receives  just  below  EUR 42  million  from  EU 
and  national  sources  under  the  fisheries  and  the 
maritime  fund,  which  includes  around  EUR 26  million 
for the environment. Various projects that benefit the 

In the Brussels region, the ERDF is used to help develop 
a  circular  economy  and  ensure  the  wise  use  of 
the  development  of 
resources, 
renewable  energy,  to  rehabilitate  contaminated  land 
and to improve the energy performance of buildings. In 
terms of past spending, land rehabilitation has been a 

to  encourage 

247 European Commission, European Structural and Investment Funds 
Data By Country. 

248 COWI-MILIEU, Study on the integration of environmental 
concerns in the Cohesion Policy funds (ERDF, ESF, CF), 2017, p. 105; 
p. 107; p. 109; European Commission, Reusing Brownfield Sites and 
Buildings, 2010, p. 16. 
249 COWI-MILIEU, Study on the integration of environmental 
concerns in the Cohesion Policy funds (ERDF, ESF, CF), 2017, p.242. 
250 European Commission, SF 2007-2013 Absorption Rate, 2018. 
251 European Commission, cohesion policy database. 

35 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

environment have received financing, such as ones on 
engine replacement and new ﬁshing gear252. 

The Connecting Europe facility 

The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  (CEF)  has  provided 
EUR 482  million  for  projects  to  promote  sustainable 
transport  (for  examples  see  the  urban  section). 
Projects in the field of energy have aimed to promote 
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)253. 

Horizon 2020 

Belgium has benefited from Horizon 2020 funding since 
the  programme  started  in  2014.  As  of  January  2019, 
1 662  participants  have  been  granted  a  maximum 
amount  of  EUR 473.2  million  for  projects  from  the 
Societal  Challenges  work  programmes  dealing  with 
environmental issues 254 255.  

In addition to the abovementioned work programmes, 
climate  and  biodiversity  expenditure  is  present  across 
the entire Horizon 2020. In Belgium, projects accepted 
for  funding  in  all  Horizon  2020  working  programmes 
until  December  2018 
included  EUR  474  million 
destined to climate action (25.8 % of the total Horizon 
2020  contribution  to  the  country)  and  EUR  49  million 
for  biodiversity-related  actions  (2.7 %  of  the  Horizon 
2020 contribution to the country)256. 

LIFE programme 

(1992-2017), 

the  LIFE 
Over  a  25-year  period 
programme has spent a total of EUR 640 million, which 
includes an EU contribution of EUR 281 million. For the 
period 2014-2017 EUR 24 million has been allocated to 
Belgian projects by the EU257.  

Notable  Belgian  LIFE  projects  (which  are  mentioned 
throughout this report) are the LIFE integrated projects 
Belini  for  improving  water  quality  in  the  Scheldt  river 
basin  and  BNIP258  for  Natura  2000.  Another  in  terms 
of  size  is  the  LIFE  NARD-US  project  which  favours  the 
restoration  and  conservation  of  semi-natural  and 
natural habitats in eastern Ardennes (Belgium), with a 
EU  requested  contribution  of  more  than  EUR 3 

252 European Commission, Belgian EMFF Fact Sheet. 
253 European Commission, Connecting Europe Facility. 
254 European Commission own calculations based on CORDA 
(COmmon Research DAta Warehouse). A maximum grant amount is 
the maximum grant amount decided by the Commission. It normally 
corresponds to the requested grant, but it may be lower. 
255 i.e. (ii) Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine 
and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy; (iii) 
Secure, clean and efficient energy; (iv) Smart, green and integrated 
transport; and (v) Climate action, environment, resource efficiency 
and raw materials. 
256 European Commission own calculations based on CORDA 
(COmmon Research DAta Warehouse). 
257 Commission services based on data provided by EASME.  
258 Belgian Nature Integrated Project. 

millon259.  Furthermore,  the  new  LIFE  Climate  project 
SPARC - Space for Adapting the River Scheldt to Climate 
Change for development of natural flooding areas and 
giving  more  space  to  the  river  by  integrating  climate 
adaptation  and  nature  objectives,  has  received  an  EU 
contribution of more than EUR 4 million260.  

European Investment Bank 

In 2018 alone, the EIB group (the European Investment 
Bank  and  the  European  Investment  Fund)  invested 
EUR 1.73 billion in the Belgian economy. Of this, 27.9 % 
went to environmental projects, 12.4 % was invested in 
innovation  and  skills,  24.4 %  in  Belgian  SMEs  and 
35.2 % in infrastructure (see Figure 22). 

European Fund for Strategic Investments 

The EFSI aims to bridge the current  investment  gap in 
the EU and support economic growth. Under the EFSI, 
the  amount  of  financing  approved  for  Belgium  has 
reached  EUR 1.8  billion  until  January  2019  for  39 
projects261.  Secondary  investments  triggered  by  the 
EFSI  account  for  more  than  EUR  8  billion262.  EFSI 
investments  in  the  environmental  sector  have  notably 
gone  towards  brownfield  development,  as  mentioned 
earlier  in  this  report263.  The  fund  also  encourages 
projects by SMEs for the circular economy, for example 
by  granting  a  2018  midcaps  loan  to  ‘De  Lage  Landen 
Circularity’ (Netherlands-Belgium). 

Figure 22: EIB loans to Belgium in 2018264 

National environmental financing 

In  addition  to  co-financing  EU  projects,  Belgium’s 
environmental  protection  spending  (for  2013)  was 
EUR 6 784  million265.  This  is  made  up  of  EUR 3 219 

259 European Commission, LIFE Nardus. 
260LIFE project SPARC.  
261 European Commission, European Semester Country Report 2018 
Belgium, p. 35. 
262 European Investment Bank, EFSI project map. 
263 EFSI. 
264 EIB, Belgium and the EIB, 2018. 
265 Eurostat, Environmental Expenditure. 

36 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

for  corporations,  EUR 1 597  million 

for 
million 
government  and  EUR 1 967  million  for  households.  In 
terms  of  green  jobs,  there  were  81 649  full-time 
equivalent jobs in 2015266. 

There is no central data hub with information on funds 
available  for  environmental  investment  in  Belgium, 
apart  from  a  mention  of  green  economy  support 
activities  on  the  ‘Invest  in  Belgium’  website267.  The 
role  of  national  bodies  for  environmental  investments 
in the water and waste sectors is to guarantee EIB and 
other 
in  Wallonia  and 
for  SBGE 
Hydrobru268).  Environmental  infrastructure  is  not  a 
category  of  expenditure  within  the  National  Pact  and 
Wallonia  Plan 
financing  and 
absorption of funds’ section). 

(see  the 

‘enabling 

loans 

(e.g. 

coupon  of  1.25 %.  Barclays,  BNP  Paribas  Fortis,  Credit 
Agricole,  ING  Groep  NV  and  JPMorgan  Chase  &  Co 
were  hired  as  joint  book  running  managers  of  the 
transaction. In terms of sustainable financing, another 
initiative is the labelling of products by Febelfin271 and 
Beama272. 

Overall environmental financing 

In  Belgium  the  annual  total  public  environmental 
expenditure  as  a  percentage  of  GDP  is  estimated  at 
around 1.1%273. 

Water  investments  are  financed  through  tariffs  which 
aim  to  recover  the  costs  in  full269.  Belgium  has  a 
higher  proportion  of  debt 
financing  than  other 
Member States. 

its 

The National Pact for Strategic Investment will be used 
to promote structural reform and address the deficit in 
public  investment  (transport,  energy,  etc.)  with  EUR 
150  billion  earmarked  by  2030.  Wallonia  has  also 
investment  plan,  earmarking 
recently  adopted 
EUR 1 450  million  for  2019-2021  for  that  process. 
Environment  is  not  explicitly  included  in  either  the 
National  Pact  or  Wallonia’s  plan.  An 
interfederal 
taskforce  has  been  established  to  strengthen  the 
relation  between  the  National  Pact  for  Strategic 
Investment  and  circular  economy  programmes.  Cross-
cutting  conditions,  mainly  through  regulation  are 
possible  such  as  inverse  logistics  for  the  return  of 
recyclable  waste.  Public-private  partnerships  have 
been successful in Belgium but mainly in the transport 
field (e.g. the Diablo airport link to Brussels airport). 

Green bonds 

to  help 

In  February  2018,  Belgium  issued  its  first  sovereign 
green  bond  worth  EUR 4.5  billion, 
it 
finance environmental  and  clean energy  initiatives270. 
EUR  4.5  billion  was  allocated  (which  is  the  maximum 
possible  issuance  size,  given  the  identified  covered 
pool  of  Green  Eligible  Expenditures  for  the  Belgian 
Federal  State).  The  Belgian  Debt  Agency  will  raise  the 
size of the bond in the coming years to reach 12 billion. 
The bonds mature in 15 years (April 2033) and carry a 

266 Eurostat, Employment in the environmental goods and services 
sector . 
267 Investir en Belgique, économie verte. 
268 Stability Programme for Belgium, 2018-2021, p. 34. 
269 European Commission-OECD, Belgian fiche, ‘Assessing member 
states’ investment needs and financing capacities for water supply, 
sanitation and flood protection, 2018’. 
270 Belgian Debt Agency, 2017 Green Olo Framework. 

271 Belgian Financial Sector Federation. 
272 Belgian Asset Managers Association. 
273 EC annualized estimate based on ESIF, H2020, EIB and EFSI loans, 
LIFE and national public environmental expenditures 2014-2020. 

37 

                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

5. Strengthening environmental governance 

Information, public participation and access to 
justice 

Citizens  can  more  effectively  protect  the  environment  if 
they  can  rely  on  the  three  ‘pillars’  of  the  Aarhus 
Convention:  
(i) access to information;  
(ii) public participation in decision making; and  
(iii) access to justice in environmental matters.  

It is of crucial importance to public authorities, the public 
and  business  that  environmental  information  is  shared 
efficiently  and  effectively274.  Public  participation  allows 
authorities  to  make  decisions  that  take  public  concerns 
into account. Access to justice is a set of guarantees that 
allows  citizens  and  NGOs  to  use  national  courts  to 
protect the environment275. It includes the right to bring 
legal challenges (‘legal standing’)276. 

Environmental information 

For the dissemination of environmental data, each of the 
three regions as well as the federal government has put 
in place an Environmental Information System.277 Other 
national  portals  also  exist 
independently.  For  most 
environmental data the federal site refers to the regional 
sites. 

and 

basis 

reports. 

In  addition, 

environmental 

The  three  regions  and  the  federal  level  publish  on  a 
regular 
sustainable 
to 
development 
environmental  information  is  also  organised  at  regional 
level.  Checking  the  accessibility  of  online  information  in 
diverse  policy  domains  there  seem  to  be  some 
in  the  chemicals  and  waste  sector, 
improvements 
whereas the best performing domains are water and air. 

the  access 

Belgium's  performance  on  the  implementation  of  the 
INSPIRE  Directive  leaves  room  for  improvement.  The 
performance  has  been  reviewed  based  on  their  2016 
recent 
implementation 

report278  and 

their  most 

274 The Aarhus Convention, the Access to Environmental Information 
Directive, 2003/4/EC and the INSPIRE Directive, 2007/2 together create 
a legal foundation for the sharing of environmental information 
between public authorities and with the public. This EIR focuses on 
INSPIRE. 
275 The guarantees are explained in Commission Notice on access to 
justice in environmental matters, OJL 275, 18.8.2017 and a related 
Citizen’s Guide. 
276 This EIR looks at how well Member States explain access to justice 
rights to the public, and at legal standing and other major barriers to 
bringing cases on nature and air pollution. 
277 The main federal portal for this purpose is: Ministry of Health, Food 
Chain Safety and Environment. 
278 INSPIRE BE country sheet 2017. 

levels  exist 

monitoring  data  from  2017279.  Good  progress  and 
implementation 
for  coordination,  data 
policies,  dataset  identification  and  documentation  of 
data.  Additional  efforts  are  needed  for  making  the  data 
accessible  through  services,  improve  the  conditions  for 
data  reuse  and  prioritise  environmental  datasets  in  the 
implementation  in  particular  those  identified  as  high-
value  spatial  data  sets  for  the 
implementation  of 
environmental  legislation280.  There  are  currently  182 
conditions applying to the access and use of data and 39 
limitations  on  public  access  documented  in  metadata 
published  by  Belgium.  An  initial  evaluation  in  May  2018 
of  the  online  availability  of  high-value  environmental 
data  sets  in  Belgium  shows  some  progress  (213  high-
value  data 
identified,  of  which  146  are 
downloadable). Figure 23 shows access to spatial data. 

sets 

Figure  23:  Access  to  spatial  data  through  view  and 
download services in Belgium (2017) 

Public participation 

Belgian  authorities  have  transposed  their  obligations 
including  obligations 
under  the  Aarhus  Convention, 
under 
the  EIA  and  SEA  directives,  and  provide 
opportunities for participation in the drafting of policies. 
The  Belgium  website  for  the  implementation  of  the 
Aarhus  convention281  provides  a  one-stop  platform 
describing  how  public  engagement  is  organised  across 
the 
public 
consultations on plans or programmes that are organised 
at  federal  and/or  regional  level..  However,  in  practice 
Belgian  authorities  in  particular  at  federal  level  fail  to 
obtain  sufficient  response  rates.  The  Brussels  Capital 

information 

including 

country, 

on 

279 INSPIRE monitoring dashboard. 
280 European Commission, List of high value spatial data sets. 
281 Ministry of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Aarhus 
Implementation.  

38 

 
                                                                 
 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

Region and Wallonia could further facilitate participation 
by 
participation 
better 
opportunities  with 
their  citizens  and  stakeholder 
organisations.  

communicating 

public 

The  Eurobarometer  figures  from  2017  show  that  in 
Belgium,  there  is  a  relatively  strong  agreement  (80%  of 
respondents)  that  an 
in 
protecting  the  environment.  This  is  an  improvement 
compared  to  2014  Eurobarometer  results.  A  good 
practice  is  the  single  Aarhus  and  public  participation 
portal. 

individual  can  play  a  role 

Access to justice 

A  Belgian  national  portal  provides  some  information  on 
access to justice in environmental matters as  well as on 
the 
how  challenges  can  be  brought.  However, 
information is quite limited, as is the online information 
provided at the regional level.  

level 

NGOs  are  active  at  national  and  regional 
in 
challenging  non-compliance  with  EU  environmental  law. 
With  regard  to  air  quality  litigation,  in  2018  a  Belgian 
court  submitted  important  preliminary  reference  to  the 
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) concerning 
the  rights  of  the  public  to  challenge  the  location  of  air 
pollution monitoring stations in Brussels. On 10 October 
2018, a national court ordered the Flemish authorities to 
send  additional  information  on  air  quality  monitoring  to 
the Commission. A  similar  case is pending regarding the 
Walloon  region  on  air  quality  monitoring.  As  for  nature 
conservation,  the  Flemish  Council  on  Permit  Disputes 
accepted  an  NGO  claim  and  annulled  a  decision  by  the 
Flemish  authorities  to  approve  a  development  in  a 
Natura 2000 site. 

A  good  practice  is  the  willingness  of  Belgian  courts  to 
seek guidance from, and uphold case-law of, the CJEU on 
legal standing in air pollution and nature cases. 

2019 priority actions 

 

Improve access to spatial data and services by making 
INSPIRE 
linkages  between  the  Federal 
stronger 
website and regional portals , identify and document 
all  spatial  datasets  required  for  the  implementation 
of  environmental  law282,  and  make  the  data  and 
documentation  at  least  accessible  'as  is'  to  other 
public  authorities  and  the  public  through  the  digital 
services foreseen in the INSPIRE Directive. 

  Facilitate  public  participation  in  the  implementation 

of EU environmental law. 

  Better inform the public about their access to justice 
rights,  especially  in  relation  to  air  pollution  and 
nature. 

282 European Commission, MIG. 

39 

Compliance assurance  

to  ensure 

Environmental compliance assurance covers all the work 
undertaken  by  public  authorities 
that 
industries,  farmers  and  others  fulfil  their  obligations  to 
protect  water,  air  and  nature,  and  manage  waste283.  It 
includes  support  measures  provided  by  the  authorities, 
such as:  
(i) compliance promotion284;  
(ii) inspections and other checks that they carry out, i.e. 
compliance monitoring285; and  
(iii)  the  steps  that  they  take  to  stop  breaches,  impose 
sanctions  and  require  damage  to  be  remedied,  i.e. 
enforcement286.  
Citizen  science  and  complaints  enable  authorities  to 
focus  their  efforts  better.  Environmental  liability287 
ensures that the polluter pays to remedy any damage. 

Compliance promotion and monitoring  

The  quality  of  online  information  to  farmers  on  how  to 
comply  with  obligations  on  nitrates  and  nature  is  an 
indicator of how actively authorities promote compliance 
in  subject-areas  with  serious 
implementation  gaps. 
Wallonia and Flanders have made a significant effort288. 

Major  industrial  installations  present  serious  pollution 
risks.  Public  authorities  are  required  to  have  plans  to 
inspect  them  and  to  make  individual  inspection  reports 
available to the public289. However, it is not possible to 
access  these  directly  from  official  websites  in  Flanders 
and  Wallonia.  For 
the  Brussels  Capital  Region, 
information  about  the  annual  inspection  programme  is 
available on the website, as well as the inspection reports 
of the IED establishments290.  

Citizen science and complaint handling 

Engagement of citizens, including through citizen science, 
can deepen knowledge about the environment and help 
the authorities in their work. Flanders uses 20,000 citizen 
science volunteers to collect information on air pollution, 
the Brussels Region has got almost 300 citizens to collect 
information  on  black  carbon  (air  pollution  –  ExpAIR 
project) as mentioned earlier in this Report, and Wallonia 

283 The concept is explained in detail in the Communication on ‘EU 
actions to improve environmental compliance and governance’ 
COM(2018)10 and the related Commission Staff Working Document, 
SWD(2018)10. 
284 This EIR focuses on the help given to farmers to comply with nature 
and nitrates legislation. 
285 This EIR focuses on inspections of major industrial installations. 
286This EIR focuses on the availability of enforcement data and co-
ordination between authorities to tackle environmental crime. 
287 The Environmental Liability Directive 2004/35/EC, creates the 
framework. 
288 Websites ‘PROTECT'eau’ and of Natagriwal. 
289 Article 23, Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU. 
290Brussels Capital Region, Annual Inspection Plans & IED Inspections.  

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

The 

availability  of 

has  got  1000  citizens  to  commit  to  gardening  pesticide-
free  and  planting  wild  flowers  to  help  bees  and  other 
pollinators291. 
clear  online 
information  about  how  to  make  a  complaint  is  an 
indicator of how responsive authorities are to complaints 
from the public. Flanders and Wallonia perform well, but 
there 
in  Brussels. 
Although  there  is  still  some  room  for  improvement  in 
Brussels, the “Noise” Portal makes it easier to introduce a 
complaint about noise pollution (+- 70% of complaints). 

is  some  room  for 

improvement 

Enforcement 

identifies  problems,  a  range  of 
When  monitoring 
responses may be appropriate. Flanders publishes annual 
reports292 but published information is generally missing 
for  Wallonia  and  Brussels  on 
issue  of  warnings, 
application  of  sanctions  and achievement  of  compliance 
after  follow-up  measures  and  enforcement  action  has 
been  taken.  And  information  on  responses  to  cross-
compliance  breaches  on  nitrates  and  nature  are  lacking 
for all of Belgium. 

Tackling  waste,  wildlife  and  other  environmental  crimes 
is  especially  challenging  and  requires  close  co-operation 
and  co-ordination  arrangements  between  inspectors, 
customs  authorities,  police  and  prosecutors.  The 
Environment  Cell  of  the  Federal  Judicial  Police  has  a 
specialist  capacity  and  is  part  of  a  broad  network  of 
individuals and organisations dealing with environmental 
includes 
crime.  However, 
prosecutors. 

is  not  clear  that  this 

it 

Environmental liability 

The  Environmental  Liability  Directive  (ELD)  establishes  a 
framework  based  on  the  ‘polluter  pays’  principle  to 
prevent  and  remedy  environmental  damage.  The  2017 
EIR  focused  on  better  information  on  environmental 
damage, financial security and guidance. The Commission 
is still collecting evidence on the progress made.  

2019 priority actions 

  Better 

inform 

the  public  about 

compliance 
promotion, monitoring and enforcement by, at least 
ensuring availability of online information to farmers 
in Flanders about how to comply with obligations on 
nitrates  and  nature,  and  providing  more  online 
information  on  inspection  plans  and  reports  on 
industrial inspections in all three Belgian regions. 
Publish  information  on  outcomes  of  enforcement 
action in Wallonia and Brussels and of the follow-up 
to  detected  cross-compliance  breaches  on  nitrates 
and nature in all of Belgium; 

 

291 Walloon government, Biodiversity in Wallonia. 
292 Flemish government, 2016 annual enforcement report.  

40 

 

 

information  on  how  professionals 

Ensure  more 
dealing with environmental crime work together; 
Improve  financial  security  for  liabilities  and  ELD-
guidance and publish information on environmental 
damage. 

Effectiveness of environmental 
administrations 

in 

involved 

implementing 

Those 
environmental 
legislation at EU, national, regional and local levels need 
to have the knowledge, tools and capacity to ensure that 
the  legislation  and  the  governance  of  the  enforcement 
process bring about the intended benefits. 

Administrative capacity and quality 

Belgium  has  a  well-developed  institutional  and  legal 
system 
in  place  to  protect  the  environment,  and 
environmental  governance  is  increasingly  embedded  in 
spatial planning policy. 

The  country’s  administrative  capacity  has  been  reduced 
since the 2008 financial crisis due to recruitment freezes. 
This  was  visible 
insufficient 
for  example 
management of the Timber Regulation system, although 
this has improved over the last 2 years. 

the 

in 

Overlapping  responsibilities  in  environmental  matters 
should not affect Belgium’s governance in theory, but in 
practice ‘it is difficult to avoid interference of policies of 
one government on the other293’. 

The  lack  of  a  hierarchy  of  legislative  acts  reduces  the 
effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  environmental  policy 
making in Belgium. For instance, a recent study suggests 
that ‘there is no national Belgian climate change policy’, 
despite  the  adoption  of  a  national  plan  in  this  field; 
instead ‘there are three regional policies and one federal 
policy’. According to the authors of the study, the inter-
governmental  relationships  are  generally  ‘heavy  and 
time-consuming’.  Even 
international 
representation,  the  need  for  unanimity  makes  reaching 
decisions  difficult294.The  need  to  improve  coherence 
and  integration  of  climate  policy  in  Belgium  has  been 
highlighted  in  several  reports  or  advice  from  different 
bodies295. Political calls for reconsidering the attribution 
level  are  regularly 
of  competences  to  the  federal 
reported  on  by  the  national  media.  In  order  to  further 

in  the  case  of 

293 Von Dooren, W. et al., Public administration characteristics in 
Belgium (EU PACK project), 2017. 
294 Misonne,D., Hannon, E., Gouvernance Energie-Climat: où va la 
Belgique?, 24.4.2017. 
295 For example, the 2016 Senate Information Report on Belgian 
policy-making processes regards the ‘burden-sharing agreement’, the 
2018 Resolution on Belgian climate policy agreed by federal and 
regional parliaments in the context of the “inter-parliamentary dialogue 
on climate”, Advice on governance as regards climate policy by the 
Federal Council on Sustainable Development. 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

is  done  through  the 

contribute  to  reflections  on  the  issues,  Université  Saint-
Louis – Bruxelles (USLB) organised in the course of 2018 a 
series  of  academic  seminars  on  climate  governance  in 
Belgium,  with  the  support  of  the  Federal  Public  Service 
Health, Food Chain Safety & Environment. The results of 
these seminars were presented at a ‘national debate’ on 
27  November  2018.As  mentioned 
in  the  EIR  2017, 
coordination  of  policy  making  between  the  federal  and 
‘Inter-
regional  governments 
Ministerial  Conference’ 
the  Environment,  a 
for 
committee composed of representatives of regional and 
federal 
the 
international  dimension  of  Belgium’s  environmental 
policy,  the  federal  government  and  the  three  regions 
entered  into  a  separate  cooperation  agreement  in May 
1995.  The  agreement 
into  action  by  the 
is  put 
Coordination Committee for International Environmental 
Policy  (CCIEP),  which  ensures  that  Belgium  ‘speaks  with 
one  voice  in  the  international  arena 296‘.  Other  specific 
coordination structures include the Belgian Interregional 
Environmental  Agency  (CELINE  —  IRCEL),  the  National 
Climate  Commission  and  the  Interregional  Packaging 
Commission. 

environment  ministers. 

Regarding 

The regions’ powers in environmental matters have been 
increasing  since  the  1980s  (reinforcing  the  bottom-up 
nature  of  environmental  governance  in  Belgium).  In 
parallel,  the  country’s  environmental  governance  has 
been  shaped  by  EU  environmental  law  and  policy  (top-
down  processes).  Overall,  environmental  governance  in 
Belgium  has  been  under  the  influence  of  two  parallel 
processes — regionalisation and Europeanisation297. 

Collaboration  between  the  regions  and  municipalities  is 
investment. 
to  achieve  environmental 
necessary 
for 
Furthermore, 
exist 
entities 
intercommunale 
environment,  water  and  waste  services  to 
improve 
economies  of  scale.  The  rate  of  self-financing  of 
investments is higher for waste than water298 

On  1 April  2017,  the  Flemish  departments  of  the 
Environment, Nature and Energy and of Spatial Planning 
merged  into  one  Department  of  Environment  &  Spatial 
Development  to  better  integrate  spatial  planning  and 
environmental policy299. 

EU  policy  and  the  country’s  international  environment 
commitment  seem  to  be  the  main  drivers  of  Belgium’s 
environmental  policy.  Conflicts  between  governments 

296 Federal Public Service Health food chain and environment. 
297 Vanhaeren, S. et autres (2013), La gestion de la qualité de l’air en 
Belgique: une gouvernance multiniveau entre incertitudes politiques et 
techniques, Télescope, vol. 19, No 1, p. 115-134. 
298 Investissements et répartition des résultats des intercommunales 
belges, 2017, BelfiusResearch, p.5 onwards. 
299 Departement Omgeving (2017). Departement Omgeving binnen het 
domein Omgeving. Opdrachten basis voro de organisatiestructuur. 

usually 

are 
configurations’ in sensitive sectors such as transport. 

‘asymmetric 

sparked 

by 

political 

Belgium  scored  80.15 
Performance Index300. 

in  the  2016  Environmental 

The  2017  European  Quality  of  Government  Index  gave 
Belgium  an  overall  ranking  of  0.614  (EU28  benchmark  = 
0),  with  Flanders  at  1.014,  Wallonia  at  0.167  and  the 
Brussels region at 0.201301. 

Cities  and  municipalities  are  often  associated  in  ‘unions 
of  cities  and  municipalities’  such  as  the  Union  des  Villes 
et Communes de Wallonie, Brulocalis and the Vereniging 
voor  Vlaamse  Steden  en  Gemeenten.  One  of  the 
objectives of these associations is to promote sustainable 
development,  for  example  Brulocalis  (association  of  the 
city and municipalities of Brussels) organises a forum for 
sustainable development. 

To  ensure  effective  environmental  governance,  staff 
working  in  environmental  authorities  need  to  have  the 
appropriate administrative and technical knowledge and 
skills. With the EIR 2017, the Commission introduced the 
learning 
TAIEX-EIR  PEER  2  PEER  tool  to  help  peer 
between  experts  from  environmental  authorities 
in 
different  Member  States.  Belgium  has  already  used  this 
tool to explore the topic of tropical timber (see below). 

Environmental  NGOs  seem  to  be  well  represented  in 
stakeholder meetings organised both at federal level (the 
stakeholder dialogues) and at regional level. 

Coordination and integration  

As  mentioned  in  the  2017  EIR,  the  transposition  of  the 
revised  EIA  Directive302  provides  an  opportunity  to 
streamline  the  regulatory  framework  on  environmental 
assessments.  

in  order 

The  Commission  encourages  the  streamlining  of  the 
environmental  assessments 
reduce 
duplication  and  avoid  overlaps 
in  environmental 
assessments 
projects.  Moreover, 
streamlining  helps  reducing  unnecessary  administrative 
burden  and  accelerates  decision-making,  without 
compromising 
the  environmental 
assessment  procedure.303  Belgium  is  a  federal  state.  For 

the  quality  of 

applicable 

to 

to 

300 YCELP, Global Metrics for the environment, The Environmental 
Performance Index ranks countries’ performance on high-priority 
environmental issues, 2016, p. 18. 
301 European Commission, The 7th Report on Economic, Social and 
Territorial Cohesion, 2017, p. 140. 
302 Directive 2014/52/EU. 
303 The Commission issued a guidance document in 2016 regarding the 
setting up of coordinated and/or joint procedures that are 
simultaneously subject to assessments under the EIA Directive, Habitats 
Directive, Water Framework Directive, and the Industrial Emissions 
Directive, OJ C 273, 27.7.2016, p. 1. 

41 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

the Flanders region, the procedure is streamlined for EIA, 
Habitats Directive and Industrial Emissions Directive.  

2018,  Belgium  had  a  score  of  59  out  of  100  on  digital 
public services, similar to the EU average of 58307. 

Within Flanders, the need for a  multimodal approach to 
transport  is  studied  in  the  preparatory  phase  of  the 
major  infrastructure  projects  on  the  basis  of  Strategic 
Environmental  Assessment  (SEA),  EIA  and  Cost  Benefit 
Analysis (CBA). SEA,  EIA and  CBA  examine the effects of 
the proposed measures compared to a business as usual 
scenario.  Two  examples  are  R0-project  and  Brabantnet, 
and the Oosterweel project in Antwerp. EIA is integrated 
in  spatial  planning  legislation  and  all  projects  with 
possible impact are subject to an EIA.  

the  websites  of 

EIA  in  Flanders  Region  is  integrated  in  the  licensing 
procedure.  The  public  consultation  is  communicated  by 
means  of  publication  on 
the 
municipalities, of the project promoter, by posting at the 
town  hall  and  by  a  publication  in  at  least  one  regional 
newspaper.  Moreover  an 
is 
organised  during  the  public  participation.  The  latest 
revision to the Flemish legislation includes some changes 
to  participation  procedures 
it 
impossible for citizens/NGOs to object to permits unless 
they  filed  a  complaint  during  the  30  days  of  public 
consultation. Exception is made in case of circumstances 
beyond one’s control. 

in  EIA  which  makes 

information  meeting 

Nevertheless,  a  group  of  seven  NGO’s  have  brought  a 
case to the Belgian Constitutional Court304. A recent NGO 
assessment  on  implementation  of  the  EU  Birds-  and 
Habitats  Directives  in  Belgium  found  that  opportunities 
for  public  participation  and  transparency  in  decision 
making impacting on nature are lacking305. 

Even  though  with  the  federal  structure  and  important 
role  of  Provinces  and  municipalities  in  spatial  planning 
one cannot really speak of a One-Stop-Shop. But at least 
significant 
the  Flemish 
improvements 
integrating  environmental 
for  example  by  developing  a  single 
governance, 
environmental  permit 
replacing  urban  planning-, 
subdivision-  and  environmental  permits  and  simplifying 
enforcement bodies and access to justice. 

region  has  made 
in 

further 

some 

Adaptability, 
(eGovernment) 

reform 

dynamics 

and 

innovation 

In  the  2015  Digital  Scoreboard,  Belgium  scored  84.9  for 
the  eGovernment  indicator  ‘online  service  completion’, 
slightly  above  the  EU  average  of  80.6.  Data  from  2017 
shows  that  55.1 %  people  in  the  16-74  age  group 
interacted  online  with  public  services  in  the  last  12 
months, compared with the EU average of 48.8 %306. In 

indicator 

international  adaptability  on 

With a score of 6.0/10 for domestic adaptability and 7.0 
sustainable 
for 
the 
governance 
by  Bertelsmann 
Stiftung308,  Belgium  ranked  19th  out  of  41  countries. 
This  indicator  measures  how  much  the  government 
cooperates  with  other  states,  while  adapting  to  new 
developments at home. 

prepared 

Enabling financing and effective use of funds 

Belgium receives very little in the way of ESIF funds, and 
the  preconditions  for  environmental  funding  under  the 
cohesion  policy  have  been  met.  As  shown  in  section  4, 
there  are  no  difficulties  with  using  these  funds.. 
is  mainly 
Furthermore,  environmental 
financed through the EIB and other loans and tariffs. 

infrastructure 

However, Belgium appears to lag behind other countries 
on the quality of its public infrastructure and its ability to 
support the competitiveness of the economy.  

2019 priority actions 

 

  Belgium 

of 

Continue  making 
streamlining 
efforts 
environmental  assessment  procedures  and  ensuring 
efficient public participation. 
can 

overall 
environmental  governance  (such  as  transparency, 
citizen  engagement,  compliance  and  enforcement, 
as well as administrative capacity and coordination). 

improve 

further 

its 

International agreements 

The  EU  Treaties  require  the  EU  environmental  policy  to 
promote  measures  at  international  level  to  deal  with 
regional or worldwide environmental problems. 

The EU is committed to strengthening environmental law 
and its implementation globally. It therefore continues to 
support  the  Global  Pact  for  the  Environment  process, 
which  was  launched  by  the  United  Nations  General 
Assembly in May 2018309. The EIR is one of the tools to 
ensure  that  the  Member  States  set  a  good  example  by 
respecting  European  Union  environmental  policies  and 
laws and international agreements.  

Furthermore,  specific  new  issues  have  come  to  light 
regarding tropical timber and genetic resources. 

304 DeMorgen, Zeven milieuorganisaties naar rechter tegen beperking 
inspraak van burgers, 29-11-17.  
305 WWF, Nature Score card Belgium.  
306 European Commission, Digital Scoreboard — Data & Indicators. 

307 European Commission, Digital Economy and Society Index Report 
2018, Digital Public Services. 
308 Sustainable Governance Indicators. 
309 UN General Assembly Resolution 72/277 and Organizational 
session of the ad hoc open-ended working group.  

42 

 
                                                                 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

Forest:  EU  Timber  Regulation  (EUTR)/  Forest  Law 
Enforcement,  Governance 
(FLEGT) 
Regulation310 

Trade 

and 

Between  March  2015  and  February  2017,  Belgium  did 
not  provide  an  estimate  on  the  number  of  operators 
placing domestic or imported timber onto the EU market. 
Neither  did  it  plan  or  perform  checks  on  operators  for 
domestic  timber.  The  same  applies  to  traders,  on  which 
Belgian  authorities  have  not  reported  conducting  any 
checks.  However,  Belgium  has  performed  19  checks  on 
operators  for  imported  timber  in  the  last  2  years. 
Meanwhile  additional  personnel  seems  to  have  been 
found and the rate of inspections and knowledge of key 
concepts  of  the  Timber  Regulation  should  further 
increase. 

Belgium  has  collaborated  with  other  competent 
authorities  and  institutions  in  EU  countries  in  this  area, 
including through its participation in the EIR peer-to-peer 
programme in October 2018. 

Genetic  resources:  Nagoya  Protocol  on  Access  to 
Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of 
Benefits Arising (ABS)311 

Belgium  is  in  the  process  of  adopting  the  regional  and 
federal pieces of law that are necessary to implement the 
EU  ABS  Regulation  and  the  Nagoya  Protocol.  The 
competent  authorities  have  been  identified  and  the 
formal  designating  acts  are  in  procedure  or  have  been 
adopted (as for Flanders). 

International  wildlife 
the  Convention  on 
trade: 
International  Trade  in  Endangered  Species  of  Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES)312 

Belgium  has  one  competent  authority  competent  for 
(amongst others) the issuance of an increasing amount of 
import,  (re)export  and  intra-EU  trade  documents  on  a 
regular basis. Reports confirm the activity of the Belgian 
customs  authorities.  To  ensure  full  implementation  of 
the EU wildlife action plan (2016) and improve the rate of 
detection of illegal activities within the national territory, 
Belgium  has  reported  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
inspectors to enforce CITES rules. It has also increased its 
training  and  development  activities 
support 
in  third  countries.  Examples 
enforcement  agencies 
include  the  establishment  of  ‘Africa  Twix’  in  Central 
Africa  and  Belgium’s  financial  contribution  —  together 
with other EU countries such as Germany, France and the 
Netherlands  —  to  the  African  Elephant  Fund.  Funding 
was  also  provide  to  strengthen  the  work  of  ETIS 

to 

310 Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005. 
311 Regulation (EU) No 511/2014. 
312 The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of 
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). 

(Elephant  Trade  Information  System),  which  plays  an 
important  role  in  detecting  countries  with  illegal  ivory 
trade.  

2019 priority action 

 

Increase  efforts  to  be  party  to  relevant  multilateral 
environmental  agreements,  by  signing  and  ratifying 
the remaining ones. 

Sustainable development and the 
implementation of the UN SDGs 

Sustainable development links environmental, social and 
economic policies in a coherent framework and therefore 
helps  to 
legislation  and 
policies. 

implement  environmental 

the 

federal 

respective  competences, 

Sustainable  development  is  included  in  Article  7a  of  the 
Belgian constitution, which states that “in the exercise of 
their 
state, 
communities  and  regions  pursue  the  objectives  of 
sustainable  development  in  its  social,  economic  and 
environmental 
account 
intergenerational solidarity”. Sustainable development is 
therefore  anchored  in  the  Belgian  institutional  context 
and recognized as a general policy objective to which the 
federal  state,  the  communities  and  regions  must 
contribute. 

dimensions, 

taking 

into 

At  national  level,  the  Interministerial  Conference  for 
Sustainable  Development  has  approved  a  National 
Strategy  for  Sustainable  Development  in  spring  2017, 
composed  of  a  comprehensive  framework  text  with  a 
common  vision  for  translating  the  SDGs  in  the  Belgian 
context and priority themes for joint action. 

Within  the  Interfederal  Institute  for  Statistics  –  bringing 
together  Statistics  Belgium;  the  National  Bank  of 
Belgium;  the  Federal  Planning  Bureau;  the  Flemish 
statistics  authority;  the  Walloon  Institute  for  Evaluation, 
Prospective  and  Statistics;  and  the  Brussels  Institute  of 
Statistics and Analysis - Belgium has set-up a specific SDG 
further  the 
working  group  with  the  mandate  to 
operationalization of an optimal SDG-indicator system in 
the  Belgian  context.  At  the  outset  of  this  initiative,  the 
review  of  the  official  list  of  SDG  indicators  found  that 
around half of them are already available for Belgium 

In  2017,  Belgium  submitted  a  voluntary  national  review 
on the SDGs to the UN. 

At  the  federal  level  the  Law  on  the  coordination  of  the 
federal  sustainable  development  policy  includes,  since 
1997, a federal strategy implemented through a five-year 
policy  learning  cycle  (‘report-plan-do-check-act’).  This 
consists of a periodic planning and reporting mechanism 
and  a  consultative  process  by  way  of  the  federal 
federal 
sustainable  development  plan  and 

the 

43 

 
                                                                 
Environmental Implementation Review 2019 – Belgium 

integrate 
awareness  and  aims 
sustainable  development  related  issues  into  its  public 
contracts and purchasing policies317. 

to  progressively 

In 2013, the Walloon Parliament adopted a decree which 
provides  for  the  adoption  of  one  new  sustainable 
development  strategy  per  parliamentary  term.  Such 
strategies are defined as documents containing ‘guidance 
and  actions  to  encourage  initiatives  and  consistency  in 
the field of sustainable development in the public policies 
of  the  Walloon  Region’  (Décret  relatif  à  la  stratégie 
wallonne  de  développement  durable,  Art.  2  §2.).  A  new 
administrative structure for sustainable development has 
been  put  in  place  in  the  Secretariat-General  of  the 
Walloon Public Service. 

Since  2004,  the  Brussels  Urban  Planning  Code  requires 
the  Brussels  Capital  Region  government  to  adopt  a 
regional  development  plan.  The  regional  development 
plan is an instrument for the overall planning of regional 
development  in  the  context  of  sustainable  development 
(art.17).  By  approving  the  PRDD  on  12  July  2018,  the 
Brussels  Government  defines  its  territorial  vision  by 
2040. Its ambition is to provide the adequate answers to 
the  challenges  that  Brussels  is  experiencing  as  an  urban 
territory. These include population growth and access to 
housing,  economic 
to 
employment,  functional  and  social  diversity,  various 
mobility and environmental issues318. 

redeployment  and  access 

(i) 

for 

the 

are: 

These 

policies. 

sustainable  development  report313.  Three  institutions 
play  key  roles  in  preparing,  adopting,  implementing  and 
improving 
the 
Interdepartmental 
Sustainable 
Commission 
Development,  which  is  in  charge  of  the  planning  and 
monitoring part of the process; (ii) a task force within the 
Federal  Planning  Bureau,  which  reports  on  the  current 
situation and makes policy evaluations and forecasts; and 
(iii) the Federal Council for Sustainable Development, an 
advisory  stakeholders’  council.  A  2010  Revision  of  the 
1997  Law  defines  a  federal  Long  Term  Vision  (LTV)  on 
sustainable  development.  It  contains  55  long  terms 
(2050)  objectives  and  proposes  a  set  of  indicators  to 
report  on 
these 
objectives.  The  LTV  is  the  reference  framework  for  the 
federal  Strategy  on  SD  and  the  activities  of  the 
institutions  defined  in  this  Act.  The  three  regions  also 
have their own sustainable development strategies. 

the  progress 

reaching 

towards 

regions. 

There are also sustainable development strategies for the 
three 
Sustainable 
Development  Strategy  adopted  in  July  2016314.  The 
action plan therein includes 3 priorities: food, energy and 
resources (resource efficiency, circular economy).  

2nd  Walloon 

The 

A  Flemish  decree  of  18  July  2008  on  the  promotion  of 
sustainable  development  stipulates  that  sustainable 
development policy should be inclusive, coordinated and 
participatory.  For  each  parliamentary  term,  a  strategy  is 
established  to:  (i)  evaluate  the  implementation  of  the 
previous  Flemish  strategy  paper;  (ii)  analyse  the  current 
situation and set  out  the expected  social developments, 
trends and risks related to sustainable development; (iii) 
set out a  long-term vision and objectives for sustainable 
development  policy;  and  (iv)  set  out  operational  short-
term  goals  and  priority  policy  options  and  measures  for 
the government’s term. The aforementioned Vision 2050 
has  sustainable  development  as  guiding  principle, 
subscribes the SDGs and is the third Flemish strategy on 
sustainable  development.  Furthermore, 
in  2016  the 
Flemish government established an SDG implementation 
agenda2  with  7  components315.  The  execution  of  the 
agenda is an ongoing process. 

The Walloon government is committed316 to providing a 
user-oriented  and  easily  accessible  administrative 
service.  In  addition,  the  administration  in  the  French-
speaking 
sustainable 
improved  waste  management  and 
consumption, 

community 

focuses 

on 

313 Federal government, Pathways to Sustainable Development, ‘First 
Belgian National Voluntary Review on the Implementation of the 2030 
Agenda’, United Nations High Level Political Forum, New York, July 
2017. 
314 Walloon government, 2016, sustainable development strategy. 
315 Implementatie van Sustainable development goals in Vlaanderen, 
mededeling aan de Vlaamse Regering, October 2016. 
316 Contrat d’administration 2016-2020. 

317 Sustainable development plan of the French-speaking community 
(2010-2015); Déclaration de politique communautaire 2014-2019. 
318 Perspective Brussels, Le Plan Régional de Développement (PRD) fixe 
les objectifs et priorités de développement de la Région, en fonction 
des besoins économiques, sociaux, environnementaux et de mobilité. 

44