'Embarrassing and disappointing': Opposition critical of Flemish energy and climate plan

Opposition parties have criticised the Energy and Climate Plan presented by the Flemish government on Sunday. Particularly contentious was the government's aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by only 40 per cent by 2030.
The green party Groen expressed disappointment that the government is not aiming for a 47 per cent reduction by 2030, as required by Europe.
“A year's delay, only to fall short in the end. This Flemish government is continuing in the same vein as the previous one. It is downright embarrassing and disappointing," said Green MP Aimen Horch.
According to Horch, 2 billion euros of Flemish funds will be lost because countries that fail to meet the European target will have to purchase CO2 emission rights elsewhere.
Jos D'Haese, an MP for the far-left PVDA/PTB party, said that Climate minister Melissa Depraetere was breaking her promise by "setting targets that are too low with no guarantee of achievement".
The plan also falls short for Bond Beter Leefmilieu, an organisation that unites nature and environmental groups. While the organisation acknowledges some positive measures, it regrets the exemption of industrial livestock farming and the lack of significant progress in the area of mobility.
"Given that the previous plan was full of hot air, we are very concerned about the lack of detail and figures in the current announcement," said the organisation.
Cautious optimism
The agricultural organisation Boerenbond has responded "cautiously positively" to the new plan.
"Our repeated calls for the new climate targets to be made more achievable for the agricultural and horticultural sectors have finally been heeded," said president Lode Ceyssens. "It is now important to work with the sector to examine how certain measures can be put into practice, and how much funding is required."
Flemish employers' organisation Voka said it was satisfied with the new, "realistic" plan as it does not impose additional obligations on smaller industries. The 40 per cent reduction target is, according to Voka, already a major challenge for a densely populated and industrialised region such as Flanders.
#FlandersNewsService | Flemish minister-president Matthias Diependaele, Energy minister Melissa Depraetere, and Agriculture and Environment minister Jo Brouns present the Flemish Energy and Climate Plan in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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