Jean-Luc Crucke has served as Belgian minister of climate and mobility in Bart De Wever’s government since February 2025, under the centrist French-speaking political party Les Engagés. Crucke sat down with EUobserver in Brussels on 30 June to talk about Belgium’s role in EU climate policy, and the simplification measures that may be needed to make it work.
Is the EU backtracking in its commitment to the Green Deal?
No, I don’t think Europe is backtracking. On the contrary, it has a well-established course of action. Yet within the framework of the Green Deal, it is only natural that after a certain amount of time, adjustments may need to be made. It is also natural that administrative procedures should be simplified where necessary. So, to me, the demands coming from the sector seem quite logical.
We must not confuse a simplification of the system with a deregulation of the system. And what we will be mindful of is that we retain the same objectives, but that, in order to achieve these objectives, we also have to take into account the interests of the business community, so that we can achieve them without overburdening those who are actually responsible for making it happen.
We’re not changing the objectives: they must remain the same. But if we can make life easier for all those who are subject to a certain number of obligations, well, I believe that’s in everyone’s interest, and in the interest of the climate in particular.
