BELGIUM

3) POINT

History:

Belgium is a constitutionalpopular monarchy and parliamentary democracy that evolved after World War II from a unitary state to a federation. The bicameralparliament is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of Representatives. The former is a mix of directly elected senior politicians and representatives of the communities and regions; while the latter represents all Belgians over the age of eighteen in a proportional voting system. Belgium is one of the few countries that have compulsory voting, thus having one of the highest rates of voter turnout in the world.

The European Union is at present based on three pillars, which distinguish themselves by the used mode of decision, according to the concerned domains:

· 1st pillar: the European Community, "the heir" of the ESCS and the EEC, the treaty of Rome revised by the unique Act. It is about a supranational pillar concerning the integrated politics (Common Agricultural policy, customs union, Internal, Euro market, etc.). For the materials (subjects) recovering from this pillar, Member states transferred a relatively important part of their skills to the European Union.

2nd pillar: the Foreign policy and of common safety (CFSP), the intergovernmental cooperation, in foreign affairs and in safety. All the rules relative to CFSP appear in the Title V of the treaty on the European Union.

· 3rd pillar: the police and judicial cooperation in penal case, the intergovernmental cooperation. The materials recovering from the third pillar are collectively called the materials JAI (Justice and Internal affairs), even if the treaty of Amsterdam modified the naming of the Titre VI of the treaty on the European Union.

After the Second World War, Europe out of breath looks for a means to strengthen the peace so dearly acquired. The first Treaty of defensive alliance of Brussels is signed in 1948 between the victorious countries (by excluding then Germany and Italy but already by including the United Kingdom), but he was competed next year by the creation of the NATO with a bigger number of European countries but with the still very widely present United States and Canada in Europe, which the only alliance of Brussels would not have allowed to defend.

The treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was signed on April 18, 1951: the six countries founders (France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Italy) got along for support the exchanges of raw materials necessary to the iron and steel industry to accelerate economic dynamics after the War, in order to equip Europe with an autonomous output.

This treaty is the act founder aiming to the bringing together between the overcome winners and European ones, within Europe which in the long term would take its destiny in hand, independently of the influences external then considerable of the United States via its Marshall plan (and this, in spite of the attempt at dialogue of this American help within the OEEC). It expired on 23 July 2002, become obsolete after the fusion of the executive bodies and legislatures within the European Community which acquired the legal personality, and the single treaty.

The Treaty of Rome signed on March 25, 1957: "the six" countries decide to go further in the co-operation. The economic, but so political and social fields are concerned. The goal is to lead economically to a "Common Market" allowing freedom of movement of the people, the goods and the capital. The European Economic Community (the EEC) is the international entity, of supranational type, instituted by the Treaty of Rome, and obtains an autonomous capacity of financing, independent of the Marshall plan concerted in the OEEC. This treaty also melts a third European Community one indefinite duration, EURATOM or European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) between the members of two other communities (original ECSC and the new EEC.).

Belgium considers that the treaty has to go beyond the intensification of the economic and social governance proposed by the Agreement because the Euro and the Stability pact must be completed by a true capacity of decision in European economic policy between the members of the Euro group, even if there is no real consensus in Belgium on the contents of such a

Cultural factors

from the Belgian point of view, France seemed less souverainiste than formerly, by approving what could strengthen the community institutions, in particular : the disappearance of three pillars(props), the allocation of the legal personality to the European Union, the intensification of the Committee(Commission) and his President, the extension of the joint decision of the European Parliament and especially the extension of the field of domains passing of the unanimity in the qualified majority.

Military :

For all that, Belgium did not hesitate to pronounce with France, Germany and Luxemburg, in favour of the fast and concrete realization of Europe of the more autonomous defence, during the meeting of April 29th, 2003, held at the height of the Iraqi crisis.

Voting weight and coalitions of like-minded States

List of the deputes:

électorale Zone : Nederlandstalig Kiescollege

BELET, Ivo

VAN LANCKER, Anne

CLAEYS, Philip

DEHAENE, Jean-Luc

DE VITS, Mia

DILLEN, Koenraad

EL KHADRAOUI, Saïd

NEYTS-UYTTEBROECK, Annemie

STAES, Bart

STERCKX, Dirk

THYSSEN, Marianne

VANHECKE, Frank

VAN HECKE, Johan

BREPOELS, Frieda

électorale Zone College electoral germanoophone

GROSCH Mathieu

électorale Zone Collège électoral francophone

BUSQUIN, Philippe

DUQUESNE, Antoine

DEPREZ, Gérard

DE KEYSER, Véronique

HUTCHINSON, Alain

JONCKHEER, Pierre

LANGENDRIES, Raymond

RIES, Frédérique

TARABELLA, Marc

Attitude to the news constitution

There was not of public discussion or of definition of a position of Belgium on the borders of the European Union, even if the opinion would favour rather geographical limits.

Belgium considers that the propositions of the Agreement and the Italian presidency to soften the procedure of constitutional revision will not be enough to raise the inevitable blockings resulting from the preservation of the double unanimity of the European council and from member states in a Union of twenty five members and more. Belgium has a particular experience of the complexity of the national ratifications in a federal State, because seven parliamentary assemblies have to ratify and because if the one of them refuses the Belgian State cannot ratify. She thus pronounces in favour of the unanimity for the first one (night) and second parts of the treaty (fundamental principles and Charter) and of a majority super qualified for the third part. The countries which would refuse an evolution towards a more integrated union, in shared sovereignty, can henceforth use the new right (law) of retreat, because the Union is more than a club of intergovernmental cooperation.

For as much, Belgium did not hesitate to decide with France, Germany and Luxembourg, in favour of the fast and concrete realization of Europe of more autonomous defences, during the meeting on April 29, 2003, held at the height of the Iraqi crisis.

The four countries thus meant that the ambition was not a question of size, but of will and shared vision of a common future.

The rejection of the constitutional treaty in France expresses at the same time one "not" souverainist requiring less integrated Europe and one "not" claiming more social Europe

SOURCES:

Marie-Charlotte COLIN

4) POINT

  • Waste Policy in the state and implementation of EU Directives:

1)Present waste policy:

Strengths:

The best streght of this country is that it has already activated specific programmes in order to reduce the waste, focused on prevention, re-use, and the separate collection of waste products. Belgium introduced an eco-tax on beverage containers in advance of legislation implementing the packaging and the packaging waste directive. In 2002 the household waste mountain stopped growing fo the first time since 1991, it indicates that the prevention policy is succeeded.

This country has also informed the european commission of setting higher targets.

Weaknesses:

The main weakness is the lack of capacity of residual waste treatment, because there are only 11 incinerators plants to treat this waste, all with fuel gas treatment and energy recovery, but they are not enough. There is a lack of about 600.000 tonnes residual waste.

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Opportunities:

The opportunities for Belgium are their different preventive actions:

  • Introduction of differentiated tariffs per volume or weight of waste presented;
  • Sensitizing campaigns;
  • The support of municipal intervention projects;
  • The support of outlet for reusable items.

These actions will allows to get the final target.

The total amount of waste has not increased since 2000, although the economy and population grew.

Threats:

The biggest threat for this country is the industrial waste, it is not going to the final target. It is because landfilling of industrial waste is still cheaper than incineration. The amount of industrial waste waves; the reason could be explained from the discontinuation of coal mining and of the production of gypsum.

In order to reach the 2010 target the levies are being adjusted

2)Analysis of transposition and implementation:

Statistics of the European Commission show different performances among member states regarding the implementation of European policies.

The “Report of the Commission to the Council and European Parliament on Implementation of the community waste legislation” (brussels 19/07/2006) proves that each member state has provided to the commission all the laws, regulations and administratives provisions introduced to conform to the Packaging Directive. All Member States, (trhough various types of plans, agreements, information campaigns, target and economic instruments) have introduced:

  • mesures to encourage reuse of packaging;
  • mesures to prevent the production of packaging waste;
  • return, collection and recovery systems for packaging waste;
  • a wide information activity to publicize the mesures;
  • a chapter on the management of packaging and packaging waste in their waste management plans;

The results show that Direcintive 94/62/EC has succeeded in pushing the rates for recycling and for recovery and incineration with energy recovery at waste incineration plants above the targets set for 2001.

Belgium, to reach the target of the Directive, is using a balanced mix of communication, financial and legal instruments on a regional as well on a local level. It is going to reach all the european guidelines.

3) Sources:

  • “New Environmental Policy Instruments in the European Union”, of Ian Bailey (2003)

Frattesi Laura

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