Home INTER-REGIES Affiliates Energy & Cable TV Connections EXTRANET Safety & Prevention NL © INTER-REGIES 2008 +32 2 217 81 17 info@inter-regies.be Introduction Belgian market Introduction The energy and cable sectors have undergone great changes as a result of the process of market opening and continue to evolve. The energy market is governed by directives and regulations enacted at European Union level and transposed, according to the respective areas of competence, at Belgian, federal and regional level. The federal government is thus responsible for the production of electricity, nuclear energy and related safety, gas storage, transmission of electricity (> 70 kV) and gas and tariffs of the electricity and natural gas for transport. Competences concerning competition, consumer rights and the law of obligations also constitute federal competences. The regions are responsible for the distribution of electricity (≤70 kV) and gas, for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources and cogeneration, for the rational use of energy and public service obligations. The regions have an important role to play in the development of the legal and technical framework, specifically at the level of distribution. Each region acts according to its economic, social and ecological priorities. The sixth state reform provided for the transfer of jurisdiction over electricity and natural gas distribution tariffs to the regions. Tariff competence is transferred from 1 July 2014 from the CREG to the regional regulators Brugel, CWaPE and VREG. This is undoubtedly an important step for energy policy linked to distribution, which should lead to better alignment between decisions on GRD tariffs and all other aspects linked to the management of the distribution network. Following the liberalization of the energy market in Belgium, the supply of electricity and natural gas has been subject to competition. Electricity production and natural gas imports were already liberalized. The transport and distribution of energy has remained a regulated market. The federal and regional regulators are responsible, among other things, for the control of this regulated activity. The energy market is facing new climate challenges imposed by Europe *: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increasing the share of renewable energies to 20%, and achieving savings of 20% energy by 2020, but Europe also already has ambitions for 2030. With the growing advent of intermittent renewable electricity production, security of supply remains a major concern. The cable market - which we would better call the cable sector - has changed dramatically in recent years with the introduction of digitization, 'triple play' (TV, internet, landline) and now also 'quadruple play', which also offers mobile telephony. The opening of the cable to competition became effective in 2013. * For more information about Europe's energy dossiers, we suggest you visit the CEDEC website .