Walloon Environmental Council for Sustainable Development (CWEDD)

Conseil Wallon de l'Environnement pour le Développement Durable

Current and Future Activities

Establishment and Mission

Council Members and Staff Members

Working Style

List of Selected Publications 

Current and Future Activities

The CWEDD has the following priority fields for 2008-2009 (new priorities in italics):

Present Priority Fields

• Usual activities on Environmental Impact Assessment at diverse levels: from local projects to land planning at sub-regional scale and “Strategic Environmental Assessment”;
• Advice on Walloon Environmental Scoreboard 2008 is scheduled for June 2009; 
• Recruitment of two members of staff is in progress.

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Future Priority Fields

• Second phase of the consultation on the River Basins Management Plans;
• Due to regional elections on 7th June 2009, less consultation on programmes or legislation is expected for the coming 3-4 months.

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Background and Mission

Establishment

On 27 June, 1985, the Council of the European Communities adopted a directive governing the assessment of factors influencing certain public and private projects relating to the environment. The Walloon Region soon transposed that Directive by adopting, on 11 September, 1985, the decree governing the assessment of environmental impacts. This decree created the Walloon Environmental Council (CWE) which began its work on 29 June, 1988.

Following the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (Rio, 1992), a decree relating to environmental planning in the context of sustainable development was adopted by the Region on 21 April, 1994. On the basis of that decree, the Walloon Environmental Council for Sustainable Development (Conseil Wallon de l'Environnement pour le Développement Durable, CWEDD) succeeded the CWE.

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Mission

Speaking generally, the mission of the CWEDD, acting as a consultative body, is to issue advice to the public authorities of the Walloon Region (Walloon Government, Minister of the Environment, Municipal Councils, etc.) on various questions relating to the environment.

The CWEDD's mission is restricted to what it has been entrusted with doing - in particular, by the first volume of the Environment Code (decree dated 27 May, 2004) and the Walloon Code for Land-use Planning, Town Planning and Heritage (decree dated 27 November, 1997).

Its duties relate to:

• the assessment of environmental impacts (applied to both projects and plans or programmes);
• Environmental planning for sustainable development;
• and any other tasks assigned to it by the Government.

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Council Members

The CWEDD is composed of 26 Council Members (26 serving members and 26 acting members) representing different stakeholders : economic and social organisations, NGOs, trade unions, academia, etc. Council members are persons representing different areas of society with specialist knowledge relating to the environment. The CWEDD is currently chaired by M. Jean-Louis CANIEAU. The term for Council Members expires in 2010.

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Staff Members

The Secretariat is responsible for all the work required to keep the CWEDD in operation. It not only carries out day-to-day administrative work, but also provides technical support, together with research and development work. The members of the Secretariat form part of the personnel of the Economic and Social Council of the Walloon Region (CESRW - located in Liège), one of the duties of which is to provide secretarial assistance for various Walloon advisory councils. 

There are around eight employees (equivalent to 6 full time staff) at the secretariat. Secretary of the CWEDD is Frédéric Rouxhet and Deputy secretary is Pierre-Jacques Heine.

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Work Style

Tasks of the Council

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

The CWEDD issues advice on the quality of all the environmental impact assessments (EIAs) carried out in the Walloon Region, and on the environmental advisability the corresponding projects, covering the following main fields:

• land-use planning,
• infrastructures,
• quarries,
• industrial processes relating to energy,
• industrial processes involving material processing,
• waste and water management,
• agriculture,
• drawing up and amending of planning schemes.

The CWEDD also issues an advice on any application for approval by design offices authorised to carry out such environmental impact assessments.

Finally, the CWEDD issues advice on other documents assessing environmental impacts relating to land-use planning and on the assessment of plans and programmes in the framework of the 2001/42/CE Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (SEA Directive) and its adaptation to the Walloon Law. This covers the following areas: 

• Regional and local development plans; 
• Environmental plans and programmes; 
• Other plans or programmes. 

Advice relating to various forms of environmental assessment represent more than 90 % of the amount of advice issued by the CWEDD.

Environmental and Sustainable Development Planning:

The CWEDD is consulted on three main types of document: 

• the Report on the State of the Walloon Environment. This takes a critical look at the evolution of the various components of the environment and the pressures exerted by human activities, and attempts to look ahead. At the Government's request, this advice is also the subject of a round table discussion which is also attended by the CESRW and the CWEDD. The latter then draws up a summary listing the results of this consultation, and a prospective note which is a forecast that may include suggestions relating to measures to combat and prevent any deterioration of the environment; 
• the Environmental Plan for Sustainable Development (PEDD) which lays down the main lines to be followed in the medium and long terms once decisions have been taken by the public authorities; 
• the Sector Programmes (relating to waste management, air quality, soil quality and the protection of nature) and River Basins Management Plans.

The environmental planning for sustainable development within the Walloon legislation is aimed at:

• preserving natural resources and ecosystems.
• preventing or diminishing environmental nuisances triggered by human activities.
• taking the environmental dimension of sustainable development into account at Regional level.

Other tasks:

• Advice on legislation projects;
• Participation in diverse Committees.

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Substructure and Working Groups

The CWEDD comprises a Plenary meeting, a Board, Specialised sections and Working groups.

The Plenary meeting is the decision-making body of the CWEDD. It has 26 members, who are empowered to vote on and approve advice, recommendations and proposals prepared by the Specialised sections or Working groups. It usually meets once a month.

The Board organises the CWEDD's work. It is made up of the Chair and the Vice-Chairs, together with the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Sections. The Secretary is also a member. It carries out the preparations for the Plenary meeting of the CWEDD and ensures that everything runs smoothly. It usually meets once a month.

There are three specialised sections: 

• Planning Section - Chair: Olivier Guillitte, Vice-Chair: Bernard Decock; 
• Environmental Impact Assessment Section - Chair: Jacques de Brakeleer, Vice-Chair: Claude Puts;
• Joint Section CWEDD-CRAT - in this section, CWEDD members sit together with members of the Regional Land Planning Council (CRAT). Its mission is to advice the Administration in the accreditation process of environmental consultants.

The Working groups prepare the CWEDD’s reports in relation to those assignments which have no direct connection with the assessment of environmental impacts or with environmental planning for sustainable development.

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Council Meetings

The Council meets several times a month :

• Plenary session: once a month. Meetings are planned for 2^nd June, 7^th July, 1^st September, 6^th October, 29^th October, and 1^st December.
• Environmental Impact Assessment Section: usually twice to three times a month; 
• Planning Section: usually twice a month. 

On an average basis, there are more than 100 meetings at different levels of organisation of the Council (including working groups and Executive Committee).

The advice are prepared by Sections or working groups and approved by the Plenary Session. The method of approval is mostly the “consensus”, but in case an advice or part of an advice does not encounter an unanimous agreement, the advice is adopted upon the majority.

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Type of Advice

Advice on EIA is given on a regular basis, i.e. on request of the authority concerned (e.g. local authorities, community or province). Other advice is given according to the issuance of plans or on specific request of the Walloon Government.

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List of Selected Publications

• Advice on the draft National Environment and Health Action Plan 2008-2013 (April 2009);
• Advice on the updated Programme for the Sustainable Management of Nitrogen in Agriculture and the Report of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (March 2009);
• Advice on the Guidelines for Household Waste Prevention (December 2008);
• Advice on the project of Decree organising the Integration of Social, Environmental and Ethical Clauses in public procurements in the Walloon Region (September 2008); 
• Prospective Note 2008 (September 2008);
• Advice on Project for a Decree on Soils Management, (March 2008);
• Advice on the State of the Walloon Environment Report 2006-2007, (February 2008);
• Advice on the Permit of Regional Interest, (February 2008); 
• Advice on the Project for a Decree reforming the Forestry Law, (February 2008);
• Advice on the Regional Sustainable Development Strategy – SRDD, (July 2007);
• Advice on the Walloon Air-Climate Plan, (May 2007);
• Advice on the Walloon Environment Dashboard 2005 (February 2007);
• Advice on the identified “Important Questions” prior to the establishment of Water Management Plan for each of the four Water Basins of the Walloon Territory, (July 2006);
• Advice on the Regional allocation Plan of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Quotas in the framework of the 2003/87/CE Directive – Period 2008-2012, (July 2006);
• Advice on Belgium’s National Biodiversity Strategy, (June 2006);
• Advice on a project of decree concerning the coexistence of Genetically Modified Crops with conventional and organic farming crops; (April 2006).

A more detailed list of advice issued by the CWEDD as from 1998 is available at http://www.cwedd.be.

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Last updated: 5 may 2009