OECD Policy Coherence Scan of Belgium

1. Overview

Abstract

This chapter introduces the OECD Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Recommendation and its three pillars—political commitment, institutional mechanisms for addressing policy interactions and tools for anticipating and assessing impacts. The chapter outlines the scope, structure and main findings of the analysis presented in subsequent chapters.

This Institutional Scan provides the diagnostic foundation for the EU-funded project “Building Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) across the federal government in Belgium”. It aims to support Belgium in enhancing policy coherence at the federal level. As such, it does not address local level or vertical policy coherence in detail but as a part of the general PCSD assessment.

Belgium’s progress at the federal level is assessed against the OECD Council Recommendation on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (hereafter the “PCSD Recommendation”) (OECD, 2019[1]) (OECD, 2019[1]), which provides a comprehensive standard to help countries equip policymakers and key stakeholders with the necessary institutional mechanisms and policy tools to enhance policy coherence, address integrated economic, social and environmental goals, and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The PCSD Recommendation consists of eight guiding principles organised into three main pillars (Figure 1.1):

• Pillar 1. A strategic vision for implementing the 2030 Agenda, emphasising political commitment and leadership for enhancing PCSD. This involves building inclusive political support, defining priority areas and key performance indicators, and ensuring that commitment to PCSD is sustained across governmental changes.

• Pillar 2. Effective and inclusive institutional mechanisms for addressing policy interactions across sectors and aligning actions between levels of government. This includes whole-of-government co-ordination, capacity building for PCSD within public administrations, and engaging sub-national levels of government in policy co-ordination for sustainable development.

• Pillar 3. Responsive and adaptive tools to anticipate, assess and address domestic, transboundary and long-term impacts of policies. Adherents are encouraged to introduce regular assessments, strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems and integrate policy coherence dimensions in evaluation systems to inform decision-making.

This report situates the eight PCSD principles along the six main stages of the policy cycle: strategy formulation; policy planning; budgeting; engagement; implementation; and monitoring, reporting and evaluation. For each stage, the report suggests possible ways ahead to address the identified gaps and challenges and guide steps for future action. It also provides examples of good practices from other countries to stimulate knowledge exchange and peer learning on PCSD.

The assessment is underpinned by desk research and data collection. It is also informed by fact-finding interviews with federal government officials and other key stakeholders, including federal civil servants, federal cabinet employees, personnel of semi-independent public institutions, and representatives of independent advisory bodies, aiming to gather a wide range of perspectives and ensure inclusive participation that reflects a broad spectrum of views and needs.

Figure 1.1. The OECD Council Recommendation on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development

Source: OECD (2019[1]), OECD Council Recommendation on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development, https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/oecd-legal-0381.

Table 1.1 provides an overview of the main findings and possible ways ahead, organised by the three pillars of the PCSD Recommendation.

Table 1.1. Main findings and possible ways ahead

Main findings	Possible ways ahead
Political commitment and long-term vision
There is a long-standing commitment to a robust legal framework for sustainable development. However, the government has no explicit political commitment to PCSD.	Make an explicit commitment to PCSD in the next FPSD. Adopt a more strategic approach to promoting PCSD by identifying a limited number of key priorities or goals for enhancing PCSD, along with specific targets and indicators. Establish clear timelines, roles and responsibilities for PCSD. Publicise the government’s plan to enhance policy coherence in a larger number of policy areas, highlighting clear links with the SDGs. Engage the public, working with civil society organisations, research institutions and partner countries, to raise awareness of government commitments supporting PCSD.
Belgium’s Long-Term Vision for Sustainable Development predates the SDGs. It may not fully reflect current global realities and could have a limited impact in practice.	Ensure continued relevance of the LTV, considering the SDGs and post-2030 scenarios, and/or including the SDGs in every federal policy brief’s (note de politique générale) strategic vision. Integrate principles of intergenerational equity into the federal strategy for sustainable development to ensure coherence between short and long-term priorities for sustainable development.
The development by every member of the federal government of policy briefs creates ownership and contributes to aligning existing policies with the SDGs, but they are not used strategically.	Consider using the policy briefs to launch an analysis, identifying priority issues at stake, to inform the development of new policies to address the challenges of the 2030 Agenda.
Public budgets include resources relating to the SDGs but are not directly associated with them.	Mainstream the SDGs in budget planning and policy development frameworks across the entire federal government to establish a strategic approach. Include in each new policy proposal a detailed analysis of its alignment with the relevant SDGs, ensuring that budgetary decisions consider the impacts on the SDGs.
Mechanisms to address policy interactions
Several bodies – notably the Interdepartmental Commission for Sustainable Development, the Team Sustainable Development of the Federal Planning Bureau, the Federal Council for Sustainable Development and the Federal Institute for Sustainable Development – co-ordinate federal policy on sustainable development. However, their mandates are limited and do not specifically cover PCSD.	Define and codify roles clearly defining the responsibilities of key actors involved in co-ordinating sustainable development and make them public. Establish clear and institutionalised processes to manage policy coherence and address trade-offs between policy priorities and potential transboundary impacts. Consider strengthening the mandate of the IMCSD to promote PCSD and act as a central mechanism for policy coherence.
While federal strategies and plans for sustainable development exist, the multiplication of sector-specific plans can lead to the fragmentation of efforts in pursuing sustainable development.	Review existing plans and policies to identify co-benefits, overlaps, duplication, and gaps, and consolidate them as needed to enhance policy coherence.
The Interministerial Conference on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) promotes (vertical) coherence across federal, regional and community levels. However, low awareness and limited implementation of Belgium’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development hamper overall coherence.	Consider developing a new/revised NSDS that promotes collective national ownership of and renewed impetus for sustainable development and PCSD in Belgium.
Belgium has a strong culture of stakeholder engagement, although ad hoc consultation remains the norm.	Strengthen the role of civil society and non-governmental actors in existing consultative bodies, e.g. the Federal Council for Sustainable Development, and promote participation beyond traditional consultations, to contribute to government efforts on policy coherence at all levels. Consider creating a central online platform for publishing all stakeholder consultations.
Tools to anticipate, address and monitor policy impacts
Regulatory impact assessments are in place, but compliance checks and enforcement are limited or lacking.	Consider making the publication of regulatory impact assessment (RIA) reports and conclusions compulsory and closely monitor compliance.
The impact of policies on the SDGs and on other countries is not systematically assessed.	Ensure that the RIA manual, currently under revision, provides clearer guidance on integrating the SDGs and assessing transboundary impacts, e.g. in line with EU Better Regulation.
Monitoring sustainable development is anchored in the institutional and legal framework, and national and SDG indicators have been merged into one set of sustainable development indicators.	Strategic plans and measures for sustainable development could be more explicitly monitored to ensure regular reporting to parliament Promote monitoring and reporting on SDG global indicator 17.14.1 Number of mechanisms in place to enhance PCSD.

Source: Authors’ elaboration.

References

[1] OECD (2019), OECD Recommendation on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development, https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/oecd-legal-0381.