Federal Minister of Climate Zakia Khattabi (Ecolo) argues in the federal government against filing an appeal in cassation after the climate ruling.
Next week, the consultation committee of the various governments in the country will consider the request from Flemish Minister of Energy Zuhal Demir (N-VA) to jointly appeal against the climate ruling. That ruling by the Brussels Court of Appeal obliges all Belgian governments, except the Walloon one, to achieve a 55 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030.
Khattabi already said in Parliament on Tuesday what she believes the position of the federal government should be. She pointed out that the federal coalition agreement already contains the target of a 55 percent emissions reduction by 2030, combined with the target of making Belgium climate neutral by 2050.
Study work by the research institution Energyville also showed that a reduction of approximately 55 percent by 2030 is the cheapest way for our country to become climate neutral by 2050, Khattabi notes. In 2022, emissions in Belgium were 24.4 percent below the base year of 1990. The figures are decreasing at a sufficient pace to achieve the target.
In the meantime, Flanders is not taking any measures
“Purely from the point of view of a rational climate policy, a reduction of 55 percent is a logical intermediate step and feasible for the federal government,” the minister believes. “I will therefore propose to the government to do what the judge asks, such as adapting the federal energy and climate plan to bring it in line with the objective.” A legal analysis of the climate ruling also makes it clear to Khattabi that it is not a foregone conclusion that an appeal to the Court of Cassation will overturn the climate ruling.
The question now is whether the federal government will follow Khattabi. The federal government also includes Open VLD and CD&V, two parties in the Flemish government that helped approve a request to the federal government to jointly file a cassation appeal.
In the meantime, the Flemish government is not taking any additional measures to achieve 55 percent. “That goes directly against the interests of the federal government,” says Khattabi. “By not doing its part, the Flemish Region is once again making it impossible for other governments to achieve that goal.”
Flemish Minister of Energy Zuhal Demir reacts sharply, with a sneer at Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD). “Vivaldi is once again determined to joyfully build castles in the air until reality blows them away,” she says. “Five minutes of political courage in three years of government please, Prime Minister.”
