Federal government and regions agree on ‘National Energy and Climate Plan’
The Belgian government and the country's three regions have on Monday finalised the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), Belgium's commitment to achieving the EU's energy and climate goals. The plan can now be submitted to the European Commission, more than a year behind schedule. The federal government and regions also reached an agreement on how to allocate the intra-Belgian budget of the Social Climate Fund.
The NECP dossier had been blocked for several months until Flanders adopted its own long-awaited plan in July. On Friday, the federal government took note of the final updated version of the plan, which was the last barrier to its adoption.
The National Energy and Climate Plan can now be submitted to the European Commission, more than a year behind schedule. The previous version was rejected in June 2024 by the European executive, which deemed it insufficient.
Brussels environment minister in charge of current affairs, Alain Maron of the French-speaking green party Ecolo, said the agreement “meets neither the expectations of the population nor the climate challenges”.
"The NECP provides for measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42.7 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 in the so-called ESR sectors (e.g. construction, mobility, agriculture, red.), which is still a long way from the European commitments and obligations to which Belgium is subject, namely a 47 per cent reduction," according to Maron's office.
Social Climate Fund
The federal government and the regions also agreed on the budgetary distribution of the Social Climate Fund. Of the 65 billion euros available at the European Union level for the period 2026-2032, Belgium will receive 1.659 billion euros, distributed as follows: 13.13 per cent for the federal government, 32.95 per cent for Wallonia, 43.42 per cent for Flanders and 10.5 per cent for the Brussels-Capital Region.
The Social Climate Fund aims to support the energy transition while mitigating the social consequences of the expected price increases. These increases stem from the extension of the European carbon market (ETS2) to the transport and buildings sectors in 2027. The plan brings together a set of concrete support measures for the most vulnerable households and micro-enterprises.
Climate march in Brussels © PHOTO BELPRESS
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