European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
Eurofound's ERM database on restructuring-related legal regulations provides information on regulations in the Member States of the European Union and Norway which are explicitly or implicitly linked to anticipating and managing change.
Royal Decree on the establishment of mechanisms for the promotion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources [and the compensation of offshore domain concession holders in case of unavailability of the Modular Offshore Grid]. The royal decree of 20 July 2022 amending the royal decree of 16 July 2002 on the establishment of mechanisms for the promotion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources and the compensation of offshore domain concession holders in case of unavailability of the Modular Offshore Grid.
The Green Certificate Scheme defines the conditions for issuing green certificates by the federal regulator Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation (CREG) for offshore wind energy production and requires the transmission system operators to obtain green certificates issued anywhere in Belgium at a guaranteed minimum price (equivalent to €107/MWh for offshore wind energy for energy produced by first installed capacity up to 216 MW for each concession and € 90/MWh for additional capacity, and €20/MWh for ocean energy).
Under the Royal Decree of 20 December 2000, the Minister for Energy can deliver domanial concessions for the construction and the exploitation of installations of electricity production, generated from water, currents or winds, in the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone of Belgium. The decree determinates the zone where the installations may be set up. It also specifies the criteria of granting and the procedure by which the concessions are being issued.
In additional to the federal Green Certificate Scheme, provincial schemes are in place in the Brussels capital region and in Flanders.
In the Brussels capital region, green certificates are awarded to all energy suppliers producing renewable energy. The number of green certificates granted is proportional to the CO2 savings made by the installation compared to a benchmark. All electricity suppliers are obliged to purchase an annual quota of green certificates proportional to the volume of electricity sold on the Brussels market, to assure their selling activities.
All the electricity suppliers in Flanders are obliged to purchase a certain number of green certificates as well. The amount has to be 14% of their total electricity supply in 2013, 15.5% in 2014, 16.8% in 2015, 20.5% in 2020. The suppliers must submit the certificates to the Flemish regulator (VREG or Vlaamse Regulator voor de Elektriciteits- en Gasmarkt) by the 31 March every year. A fine of €100 is imposed for each missing certificate.
On 20 July 2022, a Royal Decree was signed that radically changed the funding mechanism for the public service obligation of the electricity transmission system operator, Elia, to purchase green certificates at a minimum price. The system switched from a tariff surcharge to funding via state budget.
The National Green Certificate Scheme Belgium was firstly introduced in 2001 to deal with the renewable electricity market. The national scheme defined the procedures for licensing offshore installations and for issuing the green certificates. It also determined how the quota was calculated and the rate of fines for not fulling the quota. A provincial green certificate scheme was set up in Wallonia as well. The two schemes have been terminated.
Eurofound (2021), Belgium: Employer's obligation to improve energy efficiency, Restructuring legislation database, Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/legislationdb/employers-obligation-to-improve-energy-efficiency/belgium
Between the end of 2022 and the first half of 2023, almost 300,000 employees working for ‘big tech’ companies were laid off across the world, making headlines for months in global media. This development has been a shock, considering the high numbers of jobs in well-known tech corporations with a reputation for offering good working conditions and well-paid positions.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions. Many banks in the sector have been undergoing serial restructuring since the global financial crisis, and it is one of the few service sectors with stagnant or declining employment.
Since 2011, the Restructuring support instruments database of the EU PolicyWatch has been collecting information on measures that assist companies and workers to anticipate and manage restructuring. This article looks at measures in the database aimed at supporting employees and employers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022).
Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor database reveals the impact of the energy crisis on employment in the EU. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, energy prices have hit record highs. The European Commission imposed sanctions and limitations on the import of oil and gas from Russia, which has reacted by reneging on supply commitments to many Member States.
