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European Commission reprimands Belgium again for lack of climate plan

by AI | 12.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The European Commission reprimanded Belgium again on Wednesday for not having a national energy and climate plan. It gives the country another two months to submit its work, according to a press release.

A storage facility for hydrogen (Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa)

The 27 member states had to submit a plan by June 30 last year at the latest, detailing how they will contribute to achieving the climate targets. The European Union wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030. In this context, Belgium must reduce emissions in sectors such as transport, buildings and agriculture by 47 percent.

In November last year, the Commission opened infringement procedures against Belgium and twelve other member states because they had not yet submitted their plan. In Belgium, this was due to the ongoing disagreement between the regions. The Flemish government currently only wants to set the bar at 40 percent, and a recent report showed that even that target is not currently being met.

Meanwhile, 22 member states have submitted their work, but Belgium, Estonia, Croatia, Poland and Slovakia are still in default. On Wednesday, the Commission sent them a reasoned opinion, the next step in the procedure. The five member states have another two months. If not, the Commission can bring the case to the European Court of Justice.