Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen vzw
BBLV
Bond Beter Leefmilieu verenigt natuur- en milieuorganisaties en versterkt de stem van duurzame koplopers in Vlaanderen.
ID: 339181249219-59
Lobbying Activity
Response to Future development and deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Europe
4 Dec 2025
We witness that politicians have a very optimistic view on SMRs. Under the impact of the Nuclear Industries promises, they expect a nuclear renaissance to happen and to provide solutions in the energy transition. This renaissance is not happening, certainly not in Europe, where, on the contrary, evidence shows that nuclear energy is inevitably deemed to strongly decline over the following years. It seems to be very tempting to build your energy- and climate plans on the assumption that you will get low-carbon electricity at an affordable price, as early as the 2030s and in considerable volumes. Yet, this is an assumption that is lacking evidence, as CAN Europe has very strongly demonstrated based on concrete cases in their consultation response, and which we fully support. When combining an overoptimistic view on the benefits of these not yet developed technologies with an underestimation of their costs, this will lead to the provision of funding that the nuclear industry is so much expecting from public bodies, because private investors have no more appetite for nuclear power plants. In their 2023 book "How Big Things Get Done", Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner warn about what they call the iron law of megaproject: Over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again as a result of optimism bias, associated with strategic misrepresentation. In the case of SMR/AMR this means that we run a serious risk, that a lot of funding is being put aside for something that will not deliver. In a country as Belgium, where energy demand is high, the roll-out of renewable energy is lagging behind schedule and budgets are tight (see 2025 European Semester), we are simply not in a position to afford this type of risky and expensive approach to a problem that is getting more and more pressing. We therefore ask the European Commission, when developing the SMR Strategy Communication: to study the insights of the research done on megaprojects and to apply Reference Class Forecasting, which should be a standard approach to megaprojects as nuclear power plant (SMR/AMR, even as they are dubbed small, remain in any case megaprojects and need to be treated as such); and to consider the consequences of the failing of a decarbonization strategy based on SMR/AMR. It is probable that gas power plants will fill the gap, with all the undesired consequences for energy security and affordability.
Read full responseResponse to European Democracy Shield
26 May 2025
Bond Beter Leefmilieu is de netwerkorganisatie van +130 milieu-, natuur- en ruimteorganisaties in Vlaanderen, België. Wij willen graag benadrukken dat een sterke en inclusieve democratie de sleutel is tot het aanpakken van grote maatschappelijke uitdagingen zoals de klimaatcrisis, milieuverontreiniging, biodiversiteitsverlies en sociale ongelijkheid. Daarom hechten we ook veel belang aan de European Democracy Shield. Een weerbare democratie vraagt niet alleen om democratische instellingen en respect voor de rechtsstaat, maar ook om een brede, structurele betrokkenheid van burgers en het versterken van het maatschappelijk middenveld. Innovatieve en inclusieve vormen van participatie zijn hierin onmisbaar en moeten centraal staan in het Europese beleid. We verwachten dat de strategie niet enkel de status quo beschermt, maar ook kijkt naar de toekomst en daarin stappen vooruit durft te zetten met blik op de lange termijn. Er is nood aan een brede Europese strategie om het maatschappelijk middenveld te ondersteunen, beschermen en versterken. Deze strategie moet voorzien in een duidelijke structuur voor dialoog, gebaseerd op de aanbevelingen uit het rapport EU Civil Dialogue: The Foundations of an Institutional Framework. Daarnaast moet ze ook effectieve bescherming bieden voor milieuactivisten, op basis van de voorstellen van Civil Society Europe, en ondersteuning garanderen die organisaties in staat stelt zich duurzaam te organiseren en actief deel te nemen aan beleid op verschillende niveaus (Europees, nationaal, regionaal, lokaal). Cruciale financieringsinstrumenten, zoals het LIFE-programma moeten behouden blijven en verder versterkt worden. Tot slot roepen wij op tot volledige naleving van de Aarhusverplichtingen in de herziening of ontwikkeling van Europese wetgeving, zodat toegang tot informatie, inspraak van de bevolking en toegang tot de rechter gewaarborgd blijft. Oplossingen voor de huidige maatschappelijke en ecologische uitdagingen moeten samen met de samenleving worden ontworpen, in samenwerking met democratisch verkozen instellingen. Het is dan ook van essentieel belang dat het European Democracy Shield de bescherming van het maatschappelijk middenveld en innovatieve vormen van democratische betrokkenheid niet (onbedoeld) ondermijnt.
Read full responseResponse to Nuclear Illustrative Programme
24 Apr 2025
1) Nuclear Energy is Not Necessary to Meet Climate Targets: Several global climate scenarios demonstrate that climate targets according to the Paris Agreement can be achieved without a significant expansion of nuclear energy. Notably, even in scenarios with high nuclear energy production, achieving climate targets hinges on the sufficient expansion of renewable energies. Furthermore, a bottom-up analysis of government plans for nuclear energy suggests that a considerable increase in nuclear capacity by 2050 is not expected. Even an ambitious scenario based on government programs projects a global nuclear capacity in 2050 lower than most global climate scenarios that achieve climate targets. The historical annual grid connections of nuclear reactors also indicate that a tripling of nuclear capacity by 2050 is unrealistic. Therefore, relying on a substantial increase in nuclear power is not a prerequisite for meeting climate goals. The focus should instead be on the rapid and large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies, which are increasingly cost-competitive. 2) Nuclear Energy and Renewable Energy are Not Compatible: Nuclear power, with its traditional baseload generation model, is inherently incompatible with an energy system increasingly based on variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Renewable energy systems require a high degree of flexibility to manage the intermittency of solar and wind power. Nuclear power plants have technical and economic limitations in terms of flexibility and ramping rates, making it difficult to integrate them efficiently with renewable sources. While newer reactor designs may possess better load-following capabilities, existing nuclear fleets are typically operated as continuous baseload power plants due to economic, technical, and safety considerations. Achieving flexible nuclear power operation would necessitate significant economic drawbacks and technical modifications, such as integrating thermal energy storage and increasing steam turbine capacity, leading to worsened economics. In contrast, a highly renewable energy system prioritizes flexibility options such as dispatchable renewables, sector coupling (e.g., power-to-heat, power-to-hydrogen), smart grids, and demand response. Prioritizing renewable energies would diminish the need for constant baseload generation, making the integration of inflexible nuclear power challenging and potentially leading to the curtailment of renewable energy and underutilization of their potential. The co-existence of a large nuclear fleet would thus hinder the transition to a more efficient and cost-effective 100% renewable energy system. Investing in nuclear power risks creating a dual system that reinforces the "lock-in" effect of baseload generation, rather than supporting the necessary shift towards a flexible, renewable-based system. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that a significant expansion of nuclear energy is not necessary to achieve climate targets, and its operational characteristics pose significant challenges for integration with the rapidly expanding renewable energy sector. The European Commission should prioritize investments in renewable energy technologies and enabling grid infrastructure to ensure a cost-effective, sustainable, and secure energy future for the EU. (This is the short version of our response. Please consider the attached file with the full version and sources.)
Read full responseMeeting with Wouter Beke (Member of the European Parliament)
17 Dec 2024 · Het Europese middenveld
Meeting with Wouter Beke (Member of the European Parliament)
21 Nov 2024 · EU clean industrial deal
Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament)
5 Nov 2024 · Industriële uitdagingen voor de Europese Unie
Meeting with Kris Van Dijck (Member of the European Parliament)
16 Oct 2024 · policy priorities for the new mandate
Meeting with Anna Strolenberg (Member of the European Parliament)
1 Oct 2024 · Plant based food systems
Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and
2 May 2024 · Green Industrial Deal
Response to Restrictions on bisphenol A (BPA) and other bisphenols in food contact materials
8 Mar 2024
BBL welcomes the Commission's intention to restrict BPA and other bisphenols in certain food contact materials. It is crucial that exposure is limited by the proposed ban on BPA and other bisphenols, in line with EFSA's statement that "dietary exposure to BPA is a health problem for European citizens in all age groups." and EFSA's determination to reduce the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) by 20,000 times. The inclusion of other bisphenols in the proposal is necessary and essential, as there is a high risk of regrettable substitution. Other bisphenols (e.g. BPS and BPF) are increasingly used as replacements for BPA, while some have been shown to have similar health effects. We therefore support the grouping of bisphenols in this proposal. We support the automatic inclusion of bisphenols in the restriction once they are officially classified as hazardous under REACH. After all, immediate regulation is essential as soon as the relevant dangers of bisphenols have been recognized. This is essential to achieve and enforce a high level of health protection. Above that, it is necessary to extend the scope of the restriction to other bisphenols suspected of being carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic or suspected of disrupting endocrine systems. The proposal should also be extended to all food contact materials in which BPA and other bisphenols are currently used, may be used in the future or may be present as a result of the use of contaminated recycled materials. The transition periods in the legislation must be shortened to stop asap the exposure of humans and the environment to dangerous bisphenols.
Read full responseMeeting with Kathleen Van Brempt (Member of the European Parliament)
7 Mar 2023 · instruments to boost sustainable investments - APA
Meeting with Kathleen Van Brempt (Member of the European Parliament) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel and North Sea Port
1 Mar 2023 · Sustainable transition to climate neutrality - the role of European ports