Belgium’s updated plan for meeting the EU’s 2030 energy and climate goals shows some improvements but still leaves gaps on renewables and energy efficiency, according to the European Commission’s assessment.
The Commission said on Monday it had published its assessment of Belgium’s final updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which sets out how the country expects to reach its 2030 targets.
Belgium has raised its ambition compared with its previous version, but more work is needed to implement the measures and close remaining shortfalls — particularly on renewable energy and energy efficiency — the Commission found in the assessment.
The update sits alongside an EU-wide review published on 28 May 2025 which said EU countries had made “significant progress” towards the bloc’s 2030 climate and energy goals.
Belgium is expected to meet its 2030 obligations under the Effort Sharing Regulation, an EU law covering emissions cuts in sectors such as transport and buildings, relying on “flexibilities” to cover around four percentage points towards its target of a 47% reduction in emissions.
The Commission encouraged Belgium to implement the policies included in its plan, particularly those relating to transport.
Renewables, efficiency and fossil fuel subsidies
In the land use, land use change and forestry sector — known as LULUCF — Belgium absorbed roughly 0.4% of its total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 and is expected to exceed its LULUCF target if the plan is implemented, the Commission said.
Belgium’s plan includes an overview of fossil fuel subsidies but does not set out a detailed timetable to phase them out across all levels of government, and a clear roadmap is needed.
Belgium has taken steps to develop strategies to support renewable energy technologies, but its national contribution to the EU’s 2030 renewable energy target is not ambitious enough, and the plan does not include estimated deployment trajectories for renewable technologies or the supply of forest biomass, according to the assessment.
On energy efficiency, Belgium’s ambition for primary energy consumption is “significantly below” the EU target, and the plan should better quantify expected energy savings and strengthen the legal framework to integrate electricity, heating and cooling networks.
Belgium is seeking to strengthen energy security by diversifying gas supplies, maintaining stable consumption and exploring alternatives including nuclear and hydrogen, with work under way on extending nuclear reactors and examining small modular reactors.
The Commission said it would continue supporting EU countries as they implement their updated plans, and would assess whether further action is needed to ensure collective EU targets — especially for renewables and energy efficiency — are met.
