€300 million for Flemish Climate and Energy Pact

The Flemish government has worked out a Local Energy and Climate Agreement to help Flemish cities and municipalities meet climate goals. The Pact contains four themes with particular attention to public parks and gardens, energy, shared mobility, and water. The government reserves 300 million euros for the project.

According to the Flemish Minister of Internal Government, Bart Somers (Open Vld), and the Flemish Minister for the Environment, Zuhal Demir (N-VA), the Local Energy and Climate Agreement can help local authorities to realize their climate goals.

Feasible projects

The plan is concrete and contains feasible goals, like planting one tree per inhabitant, soften one square meter of asphalted ground per inhabitant, installing one additional charging point per 100 inhabitants, renovating 50 houses per thousand, etc.

Local authorities can decide for themselves which projects they want to realize. Cities will probably opt for other projects than rural municipalities. Some will focus on renovations, others on shared mobility or energy-saving, for instance.

Four themes

The first theme – public green – has the ambition to plant 6,6 additional trees, 3 300 additional km of hedges, and one additional nature bed per 1 000 inhabitants by 2030.

When it comes to renovation and energy, the second theme, the Flemish government wants local authorities to realize an annual energy saving of 2,09%, 150 000 additional collective energy-saving renovations, and one collective renewable energy project per 100 inhabitants.

Shared e-mobility

For the third theme – shared electric mobility – the ministers aim at having one shared mobility system per 1 000 inhabitants, one charging station per 100 inhabitants, and 6 6 00 km of additional bicycle paths in Flanders by 2030.

The last theme, which focuses on water and softening asphalted ground, Flanders wants to obtain at least one additional square meter of softened ground per inhabitant and one additional cubic meter of infiltration capacity per inhabitant.

Free of engagement

The Flemish Agreement still has to be submitted to all cities and municipalities, but the latter are free to engage themselves. However, Bart Somers is convinced most communities will participate. “People will like the projects we propose. Many people are in favor of public green, additional charging infrastructure, and extra bicycle paths.”

Cities or municipalities unable to realize particular projects can cooperate with others and exchange efforts, by the way. Some will plant more trees while others will focus on shared mobility, for instance.

The entire project will get 300 euros of financial support: more than €65 million is intended for local climate actions, 25 million for shared e-mobility, €150 million for additional bicycle infrastructure, and more than €400 million for renovations. Somers and Demir count on maximum participation.