Belgium on the road to a just transition: Contribution of the federal public services
Minister Zakia Khattabi asked the Interdepartmental Commission on Sustainable Development in November 2022 to write a report on equitable transition. Using a questionnaire, experts within the federal government departments were called upon to reflect from their expertise on the priority challenges in the light of equitable transition and describe the role they believe the federal government should take up in it. They were asked to examine the cross-cutting nature of these issues and to formulate proposals on the future implementation of equitable transition in the federal structure.
Specifically, answers to the following questions were envisaged:
- For each FPS, what is seen as the main challenges within its competences in the light of organising an equitable transition?
- What possible synergies and trade-offs can we expect if we juxtapose the analyses of the main challenges per FPS?
- How governance for an equitable transition after the National Conference can best be shaped and institutionalized at the federal level?
This contribution from the federal government departments serves as input for the Conference on Just Transition in Belgium, which will take place on 8 and 9 November 2023. During this conference, ministers responsible for the various themes linked to equitable transition will react to the findings and recommendations. The aim is to formulate concrete measures to enable equitable transition in Belgium. These measures can then be implemented by the various government bodies and ministers, both in the current and future governments.
Finalizing these contributions was an important step in the process towards a sustainable society that leaves no one behind in Belgium. The ecological transition will take many years. The challenges will evolve and it will be necessary throughout this process to ensure that the transition is equitable and that everyone can be enabled to live a dignified life. So the implication of all the different administrations in designing the equitable transition policy, will remain relevant and necessary in the coming decades.