Belgium has missed the EU's September deadline for submitting its nature restoration plan, largely because the Brussels-Capital Region has not yet completed its preparations.
As part of the Green Deal, the European Nature Restoration Regulation was first announced in 2020.
It was finally adopted in 2024, and required all Member States to have a plan by 1 September 2026 outlining restoration measures for at least 20% of their territory by 2030, and the entire territory by 2050.
While Belgium's plan (once it is ready) will be submitted by Federal Climate Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), he cannot do so until he has received the different regions' plans.
The federal and Flemish plans are ready, but Wallonia and Brussels have not yet completed theirs.
According to Bruxelles Environnement, the capital has plenty of problems that need to be tackled when it comes to nature restoration: several bird, bee, amphibian and butterfly species have become extinct, and others are in an unfavourable condition.
'A priority'
Almost ten years ago, Brussels approved the first Regional Nature Plan – marking a turning point in nature conservation and biodiversity protection initiatives in the capital.
Now, a new version is now being drawn up under the name ‘Renature Plan', the office of State Secretary for Climate and the Environment Ans Persoons (Vooruit) told Bruzz.
According to her, the protracted Brussels Government formation (which only concluded in February this year) is part of the reason for the missed deadline, but it is "a priority" for her.
"The document runs to more than 500 pages and was delivered to the various government departments last week, so that they can prepare for the discussions after the summer," Persoons' spokesperson said, stressing that it is doing "everything in its power" to finalise the dossier quickly.
If everything goes according to plan, the plan should be approved on first reading in September or October this year. Final approval is due in summer 2027, along with Belgium's national restoration plan.
