Belgium will not meet European renewable energy and emissions targets by 2030, study says

Even if the key measures in the National Energy and Climate Plan are implemented, Belgium will not meet European renewable energy and emission targets by 2030, the Federal Planning Bureau (FPB) said on Tuesday.

In a study, the FPB compared the measures in the Belgian National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 with the European Commission's targets for increasing renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

According to the European targets, which are imposed on each member state, the share of renewable energy in Belgium should increase to at least 32 per cent by 2030. However, based on its current policies, the FPB estimates that the country's overall share of renewable energy will only be at 24 per cent by then.

Emissions target miss

Belgium will also miss the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 47 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005, according to the FPB's research. Emissions from the residential sector are expected to fall by 54 per cent and those from the services sector by 62 per cent. By contrast, emissions from the transport sector are expected to fall by only 11 per cent.

"The freight sector continues to struggle to move away from fossil fuels, and for passenger transport, the European ban on the sale of internal combustion engine cars will not come into effect until 2035," the FPB says. According to the FPB, increasing the share of electric vehicles will be very important.

"The freight sector continues to struggle to move away from fossil fuels"

It also points out that even in 2050, industry and the electricity sector will still use a lot of fossil fuels. The FPB argues for either strict pricing in the emissions trading system or a policy of incentives for zero-emission technologies to avoid that scenario.

^{Wind turbines in the North Sea © BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER}