Energy, Environment & Climate Change
In launching the 20-20-20 goals, the European Union has set itself ambitious and bold climate change targets. The implementation of these targets, which are part of the bigger Europe 2020 strategy, will be one of the key priorities of the Belgian presidency. On the back of these targets, the Commission is already working on roadmaps for 2050, with even more ambitious goals for achieving a green and low carbon economy.
How ambitious the 2050 goals will be will become clear in the first half of next year, but regardless, climate change is not something the EU can change by itself. After the failure of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen during the Swedish presidency, it became clear that there is still a big gap between what the EU wants and what countries like China, India or the US are willing to give. International cooperation will be crucial to tackle climate change. The preparation for and representation at the 2010 UN Climate Summit in Cancun will be a tough assignment for the Belgian presidency. The Belgian Foreign Minister Steven Van Ackere has already stated that the EU should not always focus exclusively on its own priorities, but instead it should try to forge alliances with other countries. Belgium, with its tradition of consensus building, will hopefully be able to contribute to these efforts.
In line with the Spanish presidency and with the UN 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, Belgium will make special efforts to improve the status of biodiversity in the EU. It sees these issues as being closely linked with the fight against climate change. The preparation of the 10th Conference on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October will be the main event in this field. Belgium stated that it will open the debate on an EU biodiversity package and especially on a legislative framework, which the Commission plans to present after Nagoya.
However, the Belgian presidency realizes that if the EU wants to fight for a cleaner environment, it should not limit itself to external action. If the EU really wants to achieve the goal of a green and sustainable economy, it has to link its climate ambitions to other areas, especially its energy policy.
The Belgian presidency has underlined several priority issues in terms of energy. One of these is the development of a low-carbon economic roadmap for 2050, for which the Commission will launch a consultation in the second half of the year. The preparation for the official publication at the beginning of 2011 will be at the top of the Council agenda. The same preparations will be necessary for the Roadmap Towards a 2050 Energy Policy. A consultation will be held on this topic in the second half of the year, and publication is foreseen for early 2011.
Like all the European Institutions, Belgium sees energy efficiency as crucial to tackling climate change. In this regard, energy efficiency of buildings will be high on the agenda along with smart grids.
Development of energy infrastructures will be essential not only for reaching the 20-20-20 goals, but also for the market integration and security of supply. Based on the lessons of the current Trans-European Networks in Energy (TEN-E) framework, the Commission will table an Energy Infrastructure Package in November 2010 focused on the priorities for energy infrastructure development for the 2020/2030 horizon. The Belgian presidency will have their hands full with the follow-up.
The Belgian presidency will also strongly advocate for more consumer protection. The liberalisation of the energy market is very much supported by Belgium (and it will trigger the debate on this in the Council), but consumers are against such liberalisation. The Belgian Federal Minister of Energy said that he will therefore make consumers’ rights a priority by proposing the establishment of a European ombudsman and energy regulator. Finding a consensus on this will not be easy, but Belgium, as a federal country with three regional and one federal energy regulators, has experience with finding a multi-level system that works.
It is clear that the energy and environment agenda of the Belgian presidency will be very busy and will include numerous challenges. Finding a consensus in the Council meetings will not be easy, and one of the major internal challenges that the Belgian presidency may face in the field of energy and environment will be to find a good coordination between its federal and regional ministers. The ministers are from different political parties but will be tasked with developing a consistent agenda when chairing the Council meetings. A strict division in competences between the federal and regional level typifies the Belgian energy and environment field, which means both the Federal and the Flemish or Wallonian minister (depending on the policy issue) will chair the meeting. Nevertheless, this will largely be overshadowed by the very pro-European atmosphere in Belgian politics. There is also the possibility that the ideological difference between the regional and federal minister (depending on the federal elections) will make it easier for the other politicians to find political allies in the chair.
Key Events and Dates
- Informal Environment Council (Theme: Sustainable consumption and production / sustainable use of natural resources and materials) (12-13 July)
- Informal Energy Council, Brussels (6-7 September)
- Biodiversity post-2010 - biodiversity in a changing world, Ghent (8-9 September)
- Workshop “Towards a regulatory framework for the traceability of nano-materials”, Brussels (14 September)
- UN General Assembly High-level event on biodiversity, New York, USA (22 September)
- High level meeting: Product policy and indoor air quality, Brussels (23-24 September)
- High-level meeting on production and consumption patterns: social justice and products policy, Brussels (6-10 October)
- Environment Council (14 October)
- Conference 2010 Judges Forum, Brussels (18-19 October)
- 10th conference on biological diversity, Nagoya (18 - 29 October 2010)
- Presidency / OECD event on sustainable material management, Mechelen (27-28 October)
- European Council (28-29 October)
- High level meeting on water, Liège (4-5 November)
- Conference on SET-Plan, Brussels (November)
- “25th anniversary of Directive 85/337: room for improvement and streamlining of EIA and its effect on consent procedures?”, Leuven (18-19 November)
- Conference: “Adapting to the changing climate: time to intensify efforts”, (Brussels 23-24 November)
- Workshop “Environment Awareness and EU Work Unions", Marcinelle (24-25 November)
- EMAS Award Ceremony , Brussels (25 November)
- Towards a 7th Environmental Action Plan, Brussels (25-26 November)
- COP 16, United Nations Climate Change Conference, (Cancun Quintana Roo, Mexico) 29 November 29 – 10 December)
- Energy Council, Brussels (2 December)
- Environment Council (20 December)