Our missions

Brussels Environment was established by a Royal Decree of 8 March 1989 (Belgian official journal 24/03/89).

The initial missions entrusted to Brussels Environment, as stipulated in the decree, include in particular:

• studying the application and transposition of European Community rules on the environment;
• assisting the local authorities with environmental matters (master plans, audits, opinions, etc.);
• issuing opinions on granting operating permits;
• monitoring, supervising and fighting against air, water and oil pollution, noise nuisance and waste removal;
• drawing up, monitoring and organising a waste plan;
• encouraging recycling and the re-use of waste;
• protecting and conserving nature, monitoring flora, fauna and natural resources;
• managing green spaces;
• managing natural and semi-natural sites.

With the development of the administrative structures in the Brussels-Capital Region and the regulations, the missions entrusted to Brussels Environment have altered significantly. They now include:

• drafting a biennial report on the State of the Environment in the Brussels-Capital Region;
• participating by right in all consultation committees as part of town planning procedures and environmental permits;
• issuing Class IA and IB environmental permits, as well as Class II permits for public-law applicants relating to public utility applications;
• drawing up draft specifications for impact studies and chairing support committees responsible for following up studies;
• overseeing compliance with environmental law (environmental police), in particular that on environmental permits;
• managing an environmental information service;
• managing the Environmental Research Laboratory, the main activity of which is to supervise and manage networks for measuring air quality in Brussels and conduct specific awareness campaigns;
• creating a “noise” laboratory within this institute;
• taking over the management activities of over 340 hectares of green spaces and 1,640 hectares in the Forêt de Soignes/Zoniënwoud;
• managing a service for the taxation of waste water discharges from the industrial sector;
• fulfilling the tasks of the competent body (order of 27 April 1995 – Belgian official journal 7/7/1995): recording, updating and ensuring publication of the validated environmental declarations made by companies in accordance with the Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) introduced by Regulation (EC) 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009;
• etc.

The areas of competences of Brussels Environment in the field of energy comprise the following (decree of 20 January 2004 – Belgian official journal 21/04/94):

• distribution and local transmission of electricity along grids with a nominal voltage of less than or equal to 70,000 volts;
• public gas distribution;
• distance heat distribution networks;
• new energy sources (with the exception of nuclear energy sources);
• energy recovery;
• rational use of energy;
• regulation of the gas and electricity markets.

Brussels Environment’s areas of competence as regards water were also extended in 2007 (decree of 26 April 2007 – Belgian official journal 22/05/2007) (.pdf) to cover:

• managing 1st and 2nd-category non-navigable water courses (clearing, maintenance, etc.);
• managing underground water (issuing water abstraction permits, water quality control, managing the piezometer network, reporting, fight against flooding);
• granting certain subsidies.

Consult the consolidated version of the decree of 8 March 1989 (on Juridat).