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

• On the 27 of November 2008 the CWEDD will celebrate its 20 year anniversary (29 June 1988-29 June 2008).
• Usual activities on Environmental Impact Assessment at diverse levels: from local projects to land planning at sub-regional scale and “Strategic Environmental Assessment”;
• As far as “Environmental Planning within the framework of Sustainable Development“ is concerned, present priority is the Projects of River Basins Management Plans estbalished by the Walloon Region to implement the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC Directive).

▲Top

Future Priority Fields

• Waste Prevention Plan;
• An additional reform of the Land use Planning Code;
• The Walloon Environment Scoreboard 2008.

• ▲Top

Background and Mission

Establishment

The Walloon Environmental Council for Sustainable Development (Conseil Wallon de l'Environnement pour le Développement Durable) was established with this name and scope of tasks in 1994 by the Decree " Décret du 21 avril 1994 relatif à la planification en matière d'environnement dans le cadre du développement durable". Its predecessor was the Walloon Environmental Council (Conseil Wallon de l'environnement), founded in 1985.

▲Top

Mission

The mission of the CWEDD is to submit its advice to the public authorities of the Walloon Region (Walloon Government, Ministry of Environment, local authorities, etc.) in different issues related to the environment. The CWEDD plays an important advisory role within two main areas:

• Environmental Impact Assessment;
• Environmental Planning within the framework of Sustainable Development.

The Walloon Governement may of course request the opinion of the Council on other subjects.

▲Top

Council Members

The CWEDD is composed of 26 Council Members representing different stakeholders (economic and social organisations, NGOs, trade unions, academia, etc.) The term for Council Members expires in 2010.

▲Top

Staff Members

There are currently eight administrative employees (equivalent to 6 full time staff) at the secretariat. It is namely composed of one secretary, adjunct secretaries, project leaders and administrative secretaries.

The secretariat is located in Liège at the offices of the Socio-Economic Council of the Walloon Region.

▲Top

Work Style

Tasks of the Council

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):

The CWEDD issues advice on the quality of all the EIAs carried out in the Walloon Region, and on the environmental appropriateness of the evaluated project. The categories of activities and projects subjected to EIA are organised as it follows:

• Land planning, urban planning, economic activities and leisure;
• Infrastructure projects: including transport and communications;
• Mines and quarries;
• Energy-related industrial processes;
• Industrial processes related to transformation of materials;
• Waste management;
• Water management;
• Permits related to farming exploitations.

Other advice are issued 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.

Environmental and Sustainable Development Planning:

• The Report on the State of the Walloon Environment: it contains a critical, evolving and prospective assessment on the different components of the environment and on the pressure caused by human activity. Following the initiative of the Government, this report is subjected to discussion by the CWEDD and the Walloon Economic and Social Council (CESRW). As a result of these discussions, the CWEDD drafts a report that comprises proposals on environmental protection;
• The Plan on Environment for Sustainable Development of the Walloon Region (PEDD) (5-year plan) underlines the long and medium term guidelines to follow in the decision-making process by the public authorities;
• Sector programmes and plans related to waste management, air quality, soil quality, nature conservation and water management (implementing the “Water Framework Directive”, 2000/60/CE).

Other tasks:

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

▲Top

Substructure and Working Groups

There are three sections:

• Planning Section: President: Olivier Guillitte, Vice-President: Bernard Decock;
• Environmental Impact Assessment Section: President: Jacques de Brakeleer, Vice-President: 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.

Various working groups are established ad hoc according to the needs.

▲Top

Council Meetings

The Council meets several times a month :

• Plenary session: once a month;
• Environmental Impact Assessment Section: usually twice 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.

▲Top

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.

▲Top

List of Selected Publications

• Prospective Note 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.

▲Top

Copyright © 2000-2008 by European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils, Den Haag. All Rights Reserved.
Last updated: 3 November 2008