Saturday 3 December 2011

Climate and energy highlights of the new Belgian federal coalition agreement

The new government will plead for a EU reduction objective of 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and of 80 to 95% in 2050 compared to 1990. If need be, the federal energy regulator can propose a temporary maximum price, which should reduce Belgian prices to the average of the prices in the neighbouring countries while maintaining competition. The government will prune away the nuclear profits. The revenue will be used, among others, to support investments in renewable energy projects in the North Sea and in energy efficiency of federal public buildings. The Government will investigate legal ways to temporarily put at the disposal of the market a production share of the depreciated nuclear power plants. The government confirms its intention to phase out the nuclear power plants in accordance with the Act of 2003. It will draw up a development plan for new production capacity from diversified energy sources in order to safeguard in a credible manner the security of supply in electricity for the country in the short, medium and long term. Potential investor will be guaranteed of a connection of new production capacity to the system within terms conceivable with the phase out of the nuclear plants.
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Friday 4 March 2011

Sustainable Energy Law Notebook: 24th European Energy Law Seminar (11-12 April 2011...

Sustainable Energy Law Notebook: 24th European Energy Law Seminar (11-12 April 2011...: "The 24th European Energy Law Seminar is organised on 11-12 April 2011 in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The seminar reviews the key development..."
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Monday 7 February 2011

Proposals for a constitutional reform – failed but interesting

Since the last federal general elections, held on 13 June 2010, the Belgian federal level still has no ruling coalition. Talks have been going on for 239 days without any perspective for a government to be form in the near future.

Professor in law and minister of state Johan Vande Lanotte lead the discussions for the biggest part. His proposal, which was ultimately not acceptable for the Flemish nationalists and the Flemish Christian-democrats and was substantially questioned by the French-speaking social-democrats and Christian-democrats, was published last week in the French-speaking newspapers Le Soir and La Libre Belgique.

In the field of energy, the proposal aimed at the regionalisation of the setting and supervision of the regulated tariffs for the use of the natural gas and electricity distribution systems. Although the regions are competent for the distribution of electricity, up to now it was the federal regulator that approved the distribution tariffs.

At the request of the Flemish parties, the proposal wanted to implicate the Flemish region in the offshore energy activities. [As from the low water mark, the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone are federal competence.]

The proposal remained a proposal, as in 2007.
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