To meet global challenges, governments are intervening and regulating more than ever. Sooner rather than later, your market will be impacted. Our focus on specific policy areas lets us understand your challenges more profoundly — and be more effective.
Energy policy is at the heart of the climate transition. The Renewable Energy Directive III, the EU Emissions Trading System and ETS2 for buildings and road transport (now starting in 2028), and REPowerEU — including the phase-out of Russian gas imports by the end of 2027 — drive new business creation in the energy industry, alongside debates on grids, bioenergy sustainability criteria and small modular reactors (SMR). In Belgium, onshore renewables and energy efficiency are regional competences, while offshore wind and nuclear are federal.
Through the Clean Industrial Deal — building on the Net-Zero Industry Act, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the electricity market reform — the EU aims to keep European industry leading in the green and digital age. The Industrial Accelerator Act, proposed in March 2026, adds low-carbon and 'Made in EU' requirements to public procurement and speeds up permitting, while the Chips Act 2.0, proposed in June 2026, builds on the goal of a 20% share of the global semiconductor market by 2030.
The 2025 Chemicals Industry Action Plan aims to safeguard the continent's 4th-largest industrial sector. REACH already has a huge impact — in April 2026 the Commission dropped a full revision in favour of targeted simplification — while the universal PFAS restriction, with ECHA's opinions due by the end of 2026, and the 2024 F-Gas Regulation raise the stakes for cooling, heating and process-driven industries.
The Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (2020) centres on green and digital transformation. CO₂ standards currently require a 100% reduction for new cars and vans from 2035; the Commission proposed in December 2025 to lower this to 90%, a change Parliament and Council are now negotiating. Heavy-duty vehicles must cut CO₂ by 45% by 2030 and 90% by 2040, and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation sets targets for zero-emission infrastructure roll-out.
The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) enables the EU to lead in peace-keeping, conflict prevention and international security. Since 2025, the ReArm Europe plan / Readiness 2030 has changed the scale: SAFE offers up to €150 billion in loans for joint procurement and the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) adds €1.5 billion to scale up production — alongside PESCO and the €8 billion European Defence Fund for joint, cross-border military R&D.
Critical raw materials are indispensable for strategic sectors — renewables, digital, space and defence. The Critical Raw Materials Act and the RESourceEU plan (December 2025) secure sustainable supply, while CBAM, a central pillar of Fit for 55, equalises the carbon price between domestic products and imports. Its definitive phase started on 1 January 2026; certificates covering 2026 imports go on sale in February 2027.
The Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act reshape the rules for large platforms and online content. The AI Act sets the world's first comprehensive AI rules — with high-risk obligations postponed to December 2027 under the Digital Omnibus — while the Data Act, applicable since September 2025, and the GDPR govern how data is shared and protected.
NIS2 advances a high common level of cybersecurity across the EU, tightening risk-management, reporting and information-sharing obligations for medium and large entities in essential sectors. Belgium was among the first to transpose it: its NIS2 law has applied since October 2024, supervised by the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium. The Cyber Resilience Act requires manufacturers to report actively exploited vulnerabilities from September 2026, with full application from December 2027.
The EU Taxonomy classifies sustainable activities and SFDR, now under review, governs sustainable-finance disclosures. The Omnibus I directive of February 2026 sharply narrowed the CSRD and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive: sustainability reporting now targets companies with more than 1,000 employees and €450 million turnover, and due-diligence duties apply from 2029 to groups with over 5,000 employees and €1.5 billion turnover.
Policy status as of October 2026.
We turn policy developments into opportunities and protect your position along the way.
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