By Graham Keen and Hugo Swinnen
In their April Newsletter Poivre et sel (Salt and pepper), the Belgian Grand Parents pour le Climat publish a letter they sent recently to the Belgian prime minister about the European Nature Restoration Law.
They refer to a letter they sent in 2023, demanding their Prime Minister not to slow down the Green Deal. Once again it seems that the Belgian government is trying to slow down the process. The letter of the Grandparents says:
“Today, instead of raising the level of ambition of the Belgian Presidency in favour of the Green Deal, you question the negotiated text stating that there is no qualified majority in the Member States and you do not seem to be making any effort to have this text adopted at European Council level.
Under pressure from conservative lobbies, you seem to be intervening so that this law is not adopted. It would be a serious failure for Belgium to be complicit in or even responsible for watering down the European policy in favour of biodiversity.
We ask you to consider your actions today about the future of your grandchildren and all the children of the world who deserve a habitable and prosperous earth. We are counting on your determination at the next Council to pass this Law.”
Liège Declaration
The Belgian Grand Parents pour le Climat also joined the numerous organizations that signed the so-called Liège Declaration. The European Grandparents followed their example, as we mentioned in an earlier News item on this EGC website
Good practice
And the Newsletter reports on a good practice of the Brussels regional government. The environmental department of the Brussels Region installed BELEXPO as an educational adventure to take care of the city and the climate. Young people are increasingly aware of the climate issue.
BELEXPO is an excellent way to tackle the issue in a fun and proactive way with young people aged 10 to 16. The mission: to look after the city and the planet! Equipped with a digital bracelet, each group, visiting the exhibition, carries out missions that improve the quality of life in the city and reduce CO2 emissions. As they carry out these missions, the young people experiment with practical solutions. The route takes them through 10 themed districts: Planet Alert! Living in the city, Getting around, In search of nature, etc…