The Belgian federal coalition agreement sets out the commitment to climate neutrality by 2050.

The Flemish coalition agreement in 2019 did not provide an objective for 2030, and only included a long-term reduction objective for 2050.

Following COP26 in 2021, the Flemish government revised its position and set an emission reduction target of -40% for 2030 compared to 2005.

Note also that Flanders does not have a climate decree. The emission reduction targets are therefore not legally binding.

The 2019 coalition agreement of the Brussels Capital Region aligns with the 2030 objective stated in the National Energy and Climate Plan submitted the same year. 

The objectives of the Brussels Capital Region in the 2019 coalition agreement will be included in a climate ordinance in 2021, making the objectives legally binding.

The 2019 coalition agreement of the Walloon region increases the emission reduction target to -55% by 2030 compared to 2005, while the 2030 target in the National Energy and Climate Plan was only -37.5%.  

Important to note is that only the 2020 and 2050 targets currently figure in the Walloon climate decree of 2014, which does not yet incorporate the revised 2030 target of the coalition agreement.

Coalition agreements are declarations of intent, which means that they are non-binding. In concrete terms, this means that a government is not legally obliged to carry out the objectives it has included in its coalition agreement.

Note that Belgium does not have a federal climate law. Flanders does not have a regional climate law either. The Brussels-Capital Region and Wallonia do have climate laws. These regions are therefore legally bound to meet their respective GHG emission reduction targets.

Note also that different Belgian universities (UA, UGent, ULB/ VUB, KULeuven)  have attempted to get a Special Climate Law to go through. The attempt has not succeeded so far.