Peter-Vincent Schuld

Private households will pay considerably more for heating on gas and heating oil.
Negotiations between the federal minister Tommelein and the regional ministers of the Brussels city-region, Flanders and Wallonia
, which have been dragging on for almost three years now, seem to be turning into an “energy pact” in which a shift in the
consumption tax on energy will take place.

Under the plans, taxes on the consumption of heating oil and natural gas will increase significantly, while taxes on electricity will decrease. The increasing burden will be spread over a number of years, but will be clearly felt by consumers.

In this way, the Belgian government believes it can accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.
By the end of the year, it should also be clear whether Belgium will say goodbye to nuclear energy for good.
In recent years, Belgium has repeatedly faced the threat of electricity shortages and it is by no means clear
how Belgium expects to be able to cope with any shortages if they indeed switch further to more green energy.

In contrast to the Netherlands, many houses and apartments in Belgium are still heated with heating oil (fuel oil, ed.)
Owners of homes are in danger of having to dig deep into their pockets one way or the other. The electricity bill in Belgium
is already very high in comparison with the surrounding countries, partly due to all the special taxes that are levied.

Minister Tommelein states that the postponement of the announced tax measures extends over several years so that citizens can prepare. However, the question arises as to whether the reality of a slower transition will not prevail over the pursuit of a more sustainable energy picture and whether the measures will not ultimately be a mere ordinary increase in taxes for citizens.

Despite the promise that taxes on fossil fuels such as natural gas and heating oil will increase and those on electricity will decrease
, it is still unclear whether and how, for example, homeowners will be compensated if they want to switch to renewable energy such as
heat pumps and green electricity.

Banks also seem to be committing to the climate. Belgian bank KBC announced today that the bank’s sustainable investment funds no longer have a place for investments in companies that extract or process fossil fuels.