Belgium

Challenge of a just transition

Belgium has put in place policies, programmes and funds to fulfil the objective of a just transition. Although Belgium’s Gini coefficient and energy poverty score are higher than the European averages, a just transition to climate neutrality remains a significant challenge.

Support for climate transition by citizens: sense of urgency?

Citizens, on average, express the intention to behave in a more climate-friendly way in the future than they do today. Younger generations are more inclined towards climate-friendly behaviour and 40 % of respondents indicated with a high level of confidence that the climate challenge can be combated with joint efforts. However, two thirds of citizens rate the risk of climate change affecting them personally as only moderate, giving rise to questions as to whether citizens are sufficiently aware of the urgency of the climate issue and its impact on their lifestyles.

Motivation among small and medium-sized enterprises is growing and mostly strategically driven

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attach greater importance to their ecological footprints: in 2023, 65 % of SMEs indicated that reducing their ecological footprint was of medium to high importance, compared with 59 % in 2022. For two thirds of SMEs – regardless of their size – the choice of sustainable activities is strategically driven, as such activities are seen to provide the company with a competitive advantage.

Role of participation and innovation

The broad participation of stakeholders in ensuring a fair transition, together with the development of the green economy, will facilitate the creation of more and better green jobs and skills. For example, in the field of a just circular economy, various stakeholders appear to demonstrate a great willingness to engage in the fundamental debate about societal choices.

Although its eco-innovation performance is modest, Belgium has developed a specialisation in waste management technology and has maintained a relative advantage in water-related adaptation technologies. At the regional level, there is a wealth of innovation initiatives focusing on energy efficiency, green chemistry and the circular economy. These include the Brussels Region’s Innovation Plan for 2021–2027 and its shifting economy strategy; the Flemish Region’s Circular Flanders hub and Flanders industry innovation moonshot initiative; and the Walloon Region’s GreenWin cluster.

The food system

The food system in Belgium is reaching its ecological, economic and social limits. The strategy of cost leadership – producing highly standardised products as cheaply as possible – has led to specialisation and intensification based on technology and the intensive use of resources. On the one hand, farmers are economically and socially vulnerable, mainly due to low profit margins, unequal distribution of profits and high land prices. Therefore, Belgium has put in place policies, programmes and funds to fulfil the objective of a just transition for farmers. On the other hand, exercising the right to access sustainable food remains a major challenge for citizens. Recourse to food aid is increasing and successive crises have exacerbated precarious situations.

In 2016, the Brussels Region was the first region in Belgium to create a sustainable food strategy. The second version of the good food strategy was published in 2022, with the twofold ambition of producing ‘better’ produce and improving diets for all. The foundations of the go4food strategy of the Flemish Region are affordable and healthy food produced in a sustainable way, using innovation, locally and with respect for farmers and the environment. Since 2018, the Walloon Region has had its food strategy manger demain (eat tomorrow), which defines a vision and strategic objectives for the transition (‘Towards a sustainable food system in Wallonia’); in 2022, the action plan food Wallonia was adopted. To date, the main projects implemented through food Wallonia concern the transition of catering towards more sustainable and affordable food, the relocation of sustainable food systems and the development of at the regional and local levels. The Flemish protein strategy 2021-2030 connects many players in the food system so that they can collaboratively shift diets to a more plant-based approach (2030 target: 60 % plant-based and 40 % animal-based protein consumption). The federal government is responsible for public health and food safety and is working on a new federal food and health plan, in which ‘healthy and sustainable nutrition for all’ is one of the priorities.

The three regions have established ambitious programmes to reduce food waste and further increase its separate collection Belgium has put in place policies, programmes and funds to fulfil the objective of a just transition. Other stakeholders have also introduced initiatives. The Du début à la Faim (DALF) project, for example, works directly with organic farmers to recover and add value to products / fruits and vegetables that do not meet conventional aesthetic standards.

In the Flemish Region, networks such as Voedsel Anders (Food Otherwise) help to familiarise citizens with agroecological principles and to foster public support. Living Lab Agro-ecology and Organic Agriculture establishes partnerships between authorities, organisations and farmers who want to promote agroecology and organic farming in the Flemish Region. It develops new knowledge through research but also ensures the dissemination and accessibility of existing knowledge and expertise.

The energy system

The current Belgian energy system runs mostly on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. The energy supply is readily available, highly reliable and relatively affordable, but leads to persistent problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, radioactive waste and high dependence on imported energy. A considerable portion of the population still faces energy poverty. In 2022, 21.8 % of Belgian households were affected by energy poverty, up 6.9 % from 2021. The need for an energy transition is becoming more widely recognised within the government, industry and society as a whole. Various transition initiatives that can create structural change within the system have been set in motion, examples being the widespread installation of solar panels, the increasingly stringent energy standards for new buildings and the construction of several district heating and cooling systems. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of clarity about how the energy transition should be developed further.

The Belgian NECP focuses on transitioning to a low-carbon economy while ensuring the security of supply, lowering costs for consumers, increasing market competition and continuing integration with the European energy system. Sustainability and renewable energy have acquired a positive, dynamic image in recent years, which has created a broader (policy) base for energy-efficient housing – for example, solar maps enable citizens and business in the Brussels Region, the Walloon Region and the Flemish Region to assess whether their roofs/buildings are suitable for solar panels or solar boilers.

In 2021, Belgium had the sixth-highest offshore wind capacity in the world, and it is planning a major expansion of offshore wind deployment. As a front runner in this field, this has led to the creation of a value chain in this industry on an international scale. The further development of onshore wind power is still being hampered by low levels of public acceptance and long delays related to permit-granting procedures due to repetitive and lengthy appeal procedures. Several initiatives have been put in place to facilitate the deployment of onshore wind power.

Belgium is well positioned for the development of a bio-based economy and has a large biocluster in the port of Ghent and highly regarded knowledge and research institutions. The major ports, the industrial complexes located nearby, and the wide range of market outlets also offer opportunities for importing and processing biomass streams.

The development of deep geothermal energy in the Walloon Region is supported by the exploration of the geothermal potential of its subsoil (GEOCOND2022) and through the implementation of a specific regulatory framework that aims to simplify administrative procedures and reduce delays. Since 2021, several public calls for projects have also contributed to supporting the development and mining of geothermal energy in the Walloon Region.

The mobility system

The dominant regime for passenger and freight transport in Belgium is still fossil-fuel-powered cars/vans: car-centric mobility is available around the clock, relatively affordable and flexible, and supported by an extensive spatial and economic infrastructure. Although air quality is gradually improving, traffic remains one of the most important sources of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Congestion is persistent and affects quality of life and economic productivity. Growing public awareness of climate and health issues is putting pressure on the mobility system. Questions are being asked about the space that is taken up by car-centric mobility and its dependence on fossil fuels.

In 2020, the government of the Brussels Region approved good move, the regional mobility plan. In 2021, the Flemish government approved Vlaamse Mobiliteitsvisie 2040, the mobility vision for guiding mobility decisions over the next 20 years. The Walloon government adopted the stratégie régionale de mobilité (a regional strategy for mobility) in 2019 and 2020.

The federal government has revised the preferential tax scheme for company cars, limiting it to cars with zero emissions from 2026 onwards, and also amended the mobility budget to promote alternatives to company cars for employees.

Many cities and municipalities explicitly opt for quality of life and adopted local mobility plans, low emission zones (e.g. in Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and Ghent) or traffic-free streets in the vicinity of schools. The electric bike has given a boost to both functional and recreational cycling. Bicycle use is becoming increasingly popular in Brussels and Flanders. Two-thirds of movements by Brussels residents are made on foot, by public transport or by bicycle. In 2014 the Flemish government established ‘Fietsberaad Vlaanderen‘ which acts as a knowledge centre and promotes the development, dissemination and exchange of practice-oriented know-how and supports cities and municipalities in accelerating and improving their cycling policies.

The search for (combinations of) alternatives to the car has also led to the first initiatives in the field of customer-oriented solutions (mobility as a service). Public transport is supplemented with shared bikes (e.g. Blue-bikes) or shared cars. Commercial platforms – known as mobility integrators – are being created to inform users of the available mobility services and the best possible combination of such services (e.g. Belgian MAAS Alliance).

Hybrid and electric cars made up 7.5 % of the passenger car fleet in 2022, with the share increasing to 15.8 % in 2024. In 2024, 82 % of electric cars were owned by companies. The Belgian government has implemented various incentives, including tax benefits, value added tax exemptions and subsidies, to support the uptake of electric vehicles and recharging infrastructure. The public recharging infrastructure network has grown considerably in the last few years.