Yesterday, our country once again missed a deadline to submit a national energy and climate plan to the European Commission. Both the federal government and the Brussels and Walloon regions have a plan ready, but Flanders does not. Green co-chair Nadia Naji believes that Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) is sabotaging the climate dossier. “I see it as a form of sabotage by Demir to show that Belgium is not working,” says Naji in ‘The Morning’ on Radio 1.
The European member states must submit an updated version of their energy and climate plans for the period from 2021 to 2030, including how they want to reduce CO2 emissions. Europe aims for a 55 percent reduction in emissions. For Belgium this amounts to a decrease of 47 percent.
The federal government as well as the Brussels and Walloon regions each have a plan ready to achieve that goal, but the Flemish government itself only wants to achieve a 40 percent reduction.
“A big problem,” Groen co-chair Nadia Naji calls the issue in the breakfast conversation on Radio 1. “You have to compare it with group work at school where everyone does their homework, except for 1 region. You know that if you submit this group work, you will be blown away.”
Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) wants to forward a bundling of the plans now, but Naji is not in favor of that. “The consequence is a fine. This has already been calculated by the SERV (the Social-Economic Council of Flanders, ed.). The fine will cost at least one billion euros.”
According to Naji, “the ball is now in Minister Demir’s court” and there are two options: “Either you take responsibility and show decisiveness, or you sit back and let the citizen pay for your failure.”
The Green co-chairman hopes that there will be an agreement in a few weeks when all climate ministers meet, but believes that Demir is sabotaging things. “I see this as a form of sabotage by Demir to push her community agenda, to show that Belgium is not working. This is a foretaste of the confederalism of N-VA,” said Groen co-chair Nadia Naji.
Europe wants everyone to pay for CO2 emissions from transport and heating from 2027: that is how much extra it costs the average Flemish family (+)
Belgium may not achieve climate goals, but Demir does not believe in European fines: “We’ll see what Europe says”
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.