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Focus: multi-annual plans

Strategic plans for environmental and energy policy

The plans set out below which, for the majority of them, concern the entire territory of the Brussels-Capital Region (BCR), have been drafted by Brussels Environment. In order to obtain final approval from the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region (in the 2nd or 3rd reading), the strategic plans need to go through a long validation process (various consultation bodies and public authorities, environmental assessment, public surveys, etc.).

The plans have been grouped together per environmental area to which they pertain. We make a distinction between, on the one hand, plans which are already in force, and on the other hand, those at an advanced stage of validation. Plans with date in bold were adopted during the period 2011-2015.

Quality of the air, energy and climate change

Applicable

Advanced stage of validation

Since the issues in these 3 areas are closely linked, the Region has developed an integrated policy to achieve the regional objectives in terms of reducing energy consumption, improving air quality, and restricting emissions of greenhouse gases. The legal component of this integrated policy, COBRACE or the Brussels Code for the Air, Climate and Energy Management, was approved in May 2013 (see above). This code anticipates the obligation to plan future measures in the areas of air, energy and climate in an integrated manner, by publishing the unique, joint Air-Climate-Energy plan every five years:

  • The planning component of the integrated Brussels policy, the regional Air-Climate-Energy plan, is awaiting final approval of the text, which has already included the formulated remarks:

This plan will serve as an action plan for energy efficiency, as a plan for air quality, as a plan for adapting to climate change, and as an action plan for renewable energies. The Brussels Government adopted the draft plan at the first reading on 26 September 2013, and approval at the second reading followed on 2 April 2015. Between 25 May and 31 July 2015, the draft plan and the evaluation of environmental impacts was subject to a public survey. More information

Water

Applicable

  • Flood plan, also referred to as the Rain Plan 2008-2011. – approved 11 Dec. 2008. More information
  • Water management plan 2009-2015 – approved 12 July 2012 (entered into force 15 September 2012). More information
  • Regional programme for the reduction of pesticides 2013-2017 - approved in July 2013. More information

Advanced stage of validation

  • Draft water management plan 2016-2021: the public consultation on the work programme and the timetable of the future water management plan PGE2 took place from 4 December 2013 to 3 June 2014. The draft plan was approved at the second reading in October 2015. The public consultation was planned for between 23 November 2015 and 31 May 2016. Given that this plan needs to provide a comprehensive and integral response to all the challenges related to water management in the Brussels Region, it will include 2 important documents: the flood risk management plan (which is the continuation of the Rain plan 2008-2011) and the register of protected areas. More information

Health

Applicable

  • See the National Environment-Health action plan in point 2
  • Regional programme for the reduction of pesticides 2013-2017 - approved in July 2013. More information.

Waste and raw materials

Applicable

  • Fourth waste plan established by Brussels Environment-IBGE, in collaboration with Bruxelles Propreté (ARP or ABP), approved in 2010. More information

Green spaces, biodiversity, Sonian forest

Applicable

  • Management plan for the Sonian forest - the Brussels-Capital Region portion: approved in 2003. More information
  • (Inter-regional) Structural plan for the Sonian forest: signed by the 3 Regions in 2008. More information
  • Master plan for the inter-regional Neerpede area (Brussels-Capital Region) and Vlezenbeek-St-Anna-Pede (Flemish Region) – approved in September 2014 More information
  • Decree designating the Natura 2000 area - BE1000002: Wooded and open areas in the South of the Brussels Region – Verrewinkel complex – Kinsendael: approved 24 September 2015. In approving this area, the Government recognised it as a Special Area of Conservation (referred to as SAC II). Brussels Environment now needs to draw up, in collaboration with any relevant owners or users (other than the Region), a management plan, which also needs to be the subject of a public survey. More information in the documented sheet "Natural spaces and green spaces benefiting from protection status".
  • Regional programme for the reduction of pesticides 2013-2017 - approved in July 2013. More information

Advanced stage of validation

  • Nature plan: the Government took notice of the publication of the Nature Report on 25 October 2012. The "Draft regional nature plan" was approved at the first reading by the Government on 26 September 2013. Given that the remarks resulting from the public consultation (from 15 February to 15 April 2014) were integrated into the text, the draft plan can quickly be submitted to the Government for final approval at the second reading. More information
  • See the Belgian National Biodiversity Strategy 2020 in point 2
  • Drafts of the decree designating 2 Natura 2000 areas in Brussels "The Sonian forest and the forest edges and adjacent wooded areas, and the Woluwe valley (or SAC I)" and "Wooded areas and wetlands of the Molenbeek valley in the North West of the Brussels Region (SAC III)": in 2015, a public survey was organised for the 2 areas, to hear the public's opinion on the suitability of the proposed conservation objectives. This consultation is an obligatory phase before the Government can designate these areas as Special Areas of Conservation. More information

Noise

Applicable

Pesticides

  • Regional programme for the reduction of pesticides 2013-2017 - approved in July 2013. More information

Plans by other bodies, having significant environmental impact.

The results of the environmental and energy policy of the Region are inevitably influenced by measures and priorities defined within these related political spheres. The list below is limited to the main multi-annual plans.

Draft regional plan for Sustainable development (PRDD)

Advanced stage of validation

The draft regional plan for Sustainable Development (PRDD) was adopted by the Brussels Government on 12 December 2013. The objectives targeted by the future PRDD are the basis for numerous measures and actions included in the Air-Climate-Energy plan, which specifies the modalities of the action points of the PRDD, such as mobility, urban development, management of the blue network, etc. More information

Declaration of regional policy

Iris 2 Plan

The mobility strategy for the Region was defined by Brussels Mobility in the Iris 2 Plan 2010-2018 (approved 9 September 2010) and in the plans which have ensued (the bicycle plan 2010-2015, the pedestrian plan 2012, the transportation of goods plan, approved 11 July 2013, and the parking policy plan, in force since January 2014). More information and access to Brussels Mobility's plans.

The measures anticipated in the chapter devoted to transport in the Air-Climate-Energy plan supplement the Iris 2 plan in the aim of achieving the regional objectives for air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. As such, the ACE plan anticipates various actions with a view to rationalising car use and promoting alternatives to private cars.

STIB Management contract

The objective of the Air-Climate-Energy plan, intended to supplement the provision of public transport, is the same as the objective in the 2013-2017 management contract of the STIB. More information

Cleanliness plan

The regional operator tasked with the collection of waste, waste treatment, and cleaning, is the Bruxelles Propreté agency.

Persistent organic pollutants

In Belgium, the Stockholm Convention relating to persistent organic pollutants (POP), falls under competences referred to as "mixed", in other words both the Federal government and the Regions are competent and can take decisions on the relevant subjects.

National Environment and Health Action Plan

With the National Environment and Health Action Plan (NEHAP), Belgium intends not only to meet its obligations towards the international community, and in particular the World Health Organisation (WHO), but also and above all to put these issues on the table within the Belgian Federal State. The plan groups together a maximum of information for the benefit of numerous bodies which, in Belgium, are competent for matters relating to the environment and health, namely the communities and various federal and regional institutions.

More information

  • National Environment and Health Action Plan 2009-2013: operational programme NEHAP2 (.doc): this programme includes the joint actions which were approved by the mixed Inter-ministerial Conference on the Environment and Health.
  • NEHAP2: The evaluation of NEHAP2, initially planned for 2015, has been delayed. This evaluation should make it possible to draw the outline of NEHAP3. That is why it was decided on 8 December 2015 to continue with the realisation of the objectives and projects of NEHAP2, which will remain valid for 2 more years.

National action plan for energy

For the objectives in matters of renewable energy and energy efficiency, a federal-regional consultation was organised through the CONCERE-ENOVER group.

National Climate Commission

Consultation on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions takes place within the National Climate Commission, which is composed of representatives of regional and federal ministers.

The National Adaptation task force focused in particular on the Belgian approach (development and monitoring at the institutional level) to the measures which are based on climate change. This task force is tasked with drawing up the National Adaptation Plan.

  • National strategy for adaptation to climate change, approved in December 2010. More information
  • The Adaptation plan for Flanders (.pdf) (only in Dutch), approved 28 June 2013
  • The federal adaptation plan: the public consultation on the draft text took place between 17 February and 18 April 2014. This federal plan supplements the national and regional action plans, which are currently being finalised (the Adaptation plan for Flanders is already ready). It identifies the adaptation measures for the ten sectors for which the federal government can influence adaptation to climate change: transport, economy, energy, the marine environment, research, healthcare, development cooperation, international security, crisis management in the event of natural disaster, and agriculture. It also includes various transversal measures. More information.

Biodiversity

  • Belgian national strategy 2020: approved 13 November 2013 by the Inter-ministerial Conference on the Environment (ICE). Along with the regional action plans, this national strategy for biodiversity represents the main instrument for implementing the Convention on biodiversity (Rio 1992).

Pesticides (phytosanitary products)

The transposition of the "Pesticides" directive 2009/128/EC into Belgian law requires the prior reconciliation of federal competences and those of the 3 Regions. The national programme for the reduction of pesticides - NAPAN for "Nationaal Actie Plan d'Action National"– is therefore made up of the federal programme and the programme of the three Regions. The coordination of NAPAN takes place within the NAPAN Task Force (NTF), under the auspices of the ICE NAPAN. To this end, the Inter-ministerial Conference for the Environment has been extended to all other competences handled by NAPAN, primarily public health and agriculture.

Agreement on the sixth State Reform (11 Oct. 2011)

Date de mise à jour: 06/08/2021