OECD Policy Coherence Scan of Belgium

4. Conclusion

Abstract

This chapter summarises the report’s findings, offering strategic guidance for Belgium toward greater policy coherence. It recognises the country’s institutional strengths—such as robust legal frameworks and cross-government engagement—while pointing to tangible opportunities to increase alignment, agility, and stakeholder buy-in. The chapter highlights the central role of mechanisms like the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development and the Interdepartmental Commission for Sustainable Development in driving change. It also emphasises the importance of embedding policy coherence across governance cycles, supported by consistent data, evaluation, and engagement. The chapter calls for shared ownership and collective leadership to deliver lasting results.

The legislative and institutional framework established by the federal Act of 5 May 1997 provides a sound foundation for Belgium's sustainable development policy at the federal level. It establishes a legal framework for a whole-of-government approach to sustainable development. It also empowers federal institutional actors (the Federal Institute for Sustainable Development [FISD], the Interdepartmental Commission for Sustainable Development [ICSD] and the Federal Planning Bureau [FPB]) to develop strategies, plans and policies, as well as prepare the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development (FPSD), which is updated every five years and outlines the strategic objectives and actions to meet international and European commitments.

In addition, high-level co-ordination mechanisms promote coherence and the integration of sustainable development into policymaking. FISD was given permanent status in 2014, enabling it to strengthen its co-ordinating role. The law also establishes the ICSD, a fundamental body that ensures the integration of sustainable development into federal policies. Co-ordination platforms such as the Interministerial Conference for Sustainable Development (IMCSD) allow for co-ordination between all federal and federated entities, for example, during the preparation of Belgium’s Voluntary National Reviews to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Belgium has a strong culture of stakeholder engagement. Regarding sustainable development, the law established the Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FCSD), composed of representatives from various societal groups to advise the government and facilitate dialogue on sustainable development.

Belgium has a longstanding commitment to Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) – defined in Belgian Law on Development Cooperation as a process to ensure that the objectives and results of a Government‘s development co-operation policies are not undermined by other policies of that government that have an impact on developing countries and that these external and domestic policies support, where possible, the objectives of development co-operation in areas which are likely to affect developing countries. This experience can be leveraged to strengthen its efforts to enhance Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD), e.g. to integrate the dimensions of sustainable development throughout domestic and international policymaking and to address the transboundary and long-term impacts of policies on all countries.

The legal and institutional framework, including the Law on Development Cooperation (2013), ensures that development co-operation aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and international commitments.

Additionally, Enabel (Belgium’s federal development agency) supports PCD and integrates sustainability into international development strategies. The emphasis on addressing global challenges like climate change, gender equality and inclusive economic growth highlights Belgium's proactive stance.

The FPSD explicitly incorporates international dimensions, including compliance with EU directives and contributions to global frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Areas for improvement

While the Belgian federal government benefits from a solid legislative framework for sustainable development policies, there is a disconnect between policy formulation and implementation. Challenges include the proliferation of plans and co-ordination mechanisms, due in part to a decentralised governance structure, leading to fragmentation and undermining policy coherence. In addition, some administrations have not set up action plans or have non-binding ones. The FPSD itself does not include targets for effective implementation. There is scope to define priority areas, time-bound actions, and objectives for enhancing PCSD more generally.

Leadership and commitment at the high political level regarding strategic vision and long-term priorities are limited. There is minimal interaction between parliament and the executive on sustainable development, the SDGs and PCSD. As a result, political parties are constrained by their government agreements and do not systematically consider the SDGs in their policy priorities.

Domestic policies do not always account for unintended negative impacts on developing countries. The ability to identify transboundary impacts could be enhanced through strengthened coordination and regular dialogue between entities working on the internal dimension and external dimension of SDG implementation. A more regular dialogue between stakeholders working these two dimensions would also improve the overall understanding of how Belgium’s approach to PCD and PCSD intersects.

Finally, the analysis reveals inconsistencies in the use of economic and regulatory impact assessment instruments, as well as in reporting mechanisms. Interviewees perceive current instruments as “tick-box” exercises rather than thoughtful implementation of a long-term vision grounded in data and evidence regarding the impact of policies and regulations on achieving the SDGs. There are no rigorous compliance checks or enforcement measures in place.

Looking ahead

To address these gaps and enhance PCSD, Belgium’s federal government could strengthen its commitment and engage the parliament and other key actors in PCSD efforts. Whole-of-government co‑ordination could be improved by enhancing the role of the ICSD. Additionally, Belgium could clarify and codify PCSD definitions within existing strategic frameworks to build a common understanding across the government. It could establish clear and institutionalised processes to manage policy coherence and address trade-offs between policy priorities and potential transboundary impacts. It could define and codify the roles and responsibilities of key actors involved in co-ordinating sustainable development and make them public. Training programmes at all levels of the civil service could also be deployed to enable a better understanding of PCSD, the SDGs, and their implications for political and administrative actions.

Belgium could adopt a more strategic approach to promoting PCSD by identifying a limited number of key priorities or goals for enhancing PCSD with specific targets and indicators. This could help to establish clear timelines for enhancing PCSD to accelerate SDG progress and define roles and responsibilities. The government’s approach to enhance policy coherence in relevant policy areas could be publicised, highlighting clear links with the SDGs, to engage the public, working with civil society organisations, research institutions and partner countries.

Establishing an SDG budgeting framework and performance budgeting practices could further improve integration, coherence, and efficiency in delivering on the SDGs.

Lastly, it is crucial to strengthen RIA and ex post evaluation tools and use them more proactively for SDG integration. These tools should rigorously and systematically generate policy-useful data and evidence to assess the positive and negative impacts of policies on SDGs. Empirical data and quantitative analysis must feed into the public policy cycle to assess the outcomes and impacts of current policies and adjust strategies accordingly. Digitalisation could help ministries obtain SDG-related data and improve their monitoring and reporting capabilities.