The Flemish government will integrate the interfederal energy pact into its own plan

The Flemish government will integrate the interfederal energy pact into its own plan
Geert Bourgeois

The Flemish government announed on Friday tht it will transpose the interfederal energy pact into a Flemish energy and climate plan.  The government wants to ensure that the cost of energy does not harm the competitiveness of companies and remains within reach for families, said Flemish Minister-President, Geert Bourgeois, and his Minister of Energy, Bart Tommelein. Both said they wanted to reach an agreement with other governments on the actual distribution and funding of efforts by this summer.

Earlier on Friday, the federal government announced an agreement on the country's energy policy, which calls for the end of nuclear energy by 2025. A monitoring committee will be set up to verify the security of the country’s energy supply, respect for the Paris climate agreements, the maintenance of affordable electricity for households and businesses and, finally, the safety of the facilities.

After this agreement at the federal level, only the Flemish government’s pronouncement on the energy pact is missing. "The Flemish government welcomes the pact as an ambitious text for the implementation of the necessary energy transition”, commented Mr. Bourgeois. His executive committee will develop it own energy and climate plan. Its intention is to hand it over to the federal government by 1 July.

In the meantime, discussions on the distribution and financing of efforts ("burden sharing") will have to continue. According to Geert Bourgeois, they must achieve a proportion of 35% of renewable energy by 2030. The Flemish Minister of Energy, Bart Tommelein, even mentions 40%.

To ensure the plan does not harm businesses or families, the Flemish government wants to develop a standard that will keep the price of energy in line with neighbouring countries. It will also pay particular attention to the most vulnerable households, according to Mr Tommelein.

The Brussels Times


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