Using open data to explore Belgium’s priorities at the Council of
the European Union
Publication Date/Time
2024-05-06T08:00:00+00:00
Open data reveals the EU’s trajectory towards joint objectives
The Council of the European Union
[https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/search-all-eu-institutions-and-bodies/council-european-union_en]
is one of the three main institutions involved in EU decision-making
[https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/law/how-eu-policy-decided_en].
It comprises ministers from each EU Member State who negotiate and
adopt legislative proposals together with the European Parliament. The
Presidency of the Council rotates every 6 months. Following the end of
the Spanish Presidency in December 2023, Belgium assumed the
presidency from 1 January to 30 June 2024. Hungary will take over
in July 2024. You can read more about the priorities of the Spanish
Presidency in our previous data story
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/datastories/getting-know-spain-through-open-data]. 

The presidencies of Belgium, Spain and Hungary collectively form a
trio presidency
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/trio-programme/],
jointly setting a common programme for an 18-month period. While the
common programme serves as a foundational framework, individual
countries retain the flexibility to establish individual priorities.
The trio programme is focused on three policy areas: (1) enhancing the
twin green and digital transitions; (2) prioritising fairness and
inclusivity; and (3) strengthening international partnerships,
security and trade policies while asserting EU values. The Belgian
Presidency has outlined six priorities
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/]
for its semester. These echo continuity with the Spanish Presidency
while also adding innovative approaches to the common objectives. 

Open data can provide insights into the different political priorities
and facilitate tracking the progress towards joint EU objectives. This
data story analyses the EU trend in three key priorities of the
Belgian Presidency that exemplify the three objectives of the trio
programme
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/trio-programme/]:
(1) pursuing a green and just transition; (2) reinforcing the social
and health agenda; and (3) promoting a global Europe.  

 

PURSUING A GREEN AND JUST TRANSITION 

The commitment to a climate transition
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/]
is at the heart of the Belgian Presidency’s programme. In line with
the broader EU objectives of the European Green Deal
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en],
Belgium aims to enhance the EU’s circular economy and the deployment
of low-carbon energy sources. This focus echoes the Spanish
Presidency’s emphasis on the EU’s potential to lead in renewable
energy
[https://spanish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/green-transition-spanish-presidency-eu-council/]. 

Open data is crucial in monitoring the energy transition and guiding
the policymaking process. The renewable energy directive
[https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive-targets-and-rules/renewable-energy-directive_en],
for instance, mandates a binding target of 42.5 % renewable energy
sources (RES) by 2030, a goal revised upwards from 32 % in 2021
[https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive-targets-and-rules/renewable-energy-targets_en]
as part of the ambitious ‘Fit for 55
[https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/green-deal/fit-for-55/]’
climate package aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least
55 % from 1990 levels. But how are Member States progressing in
reaching this target? According to data illustrated in
Figure 1 – a chart showing RES progression – the share of
RES utilisation has more than doubled from 2005 to 2021, successfully
meeting the 2020 target of 20 % from the renewable energy directive.
Extrapolating data linearly beyond 2021 suggests the EU is on track to
reach 32 % RES by 2030. However, this falls 10 percentage points
short of the revised 2030 target, underscoring the need for
accelerated efforts. This analysis, made possible through open data,
highlights the crucial role of transparent, accessible information in
evaluating progress and adjusting policies accordingly. 

It should be noted that relying solely on a linear projection to
forecast RES growth does not take into account the dynamic impacts of
increased economic initiatives, political will and technological
advancements in the coming years. For example, several EU green
initiatives and investments in new technologies could significantly
accelerate the environmental transition. Open data will be
instrumental in this context, not just for tracking progress towards
the EU environmental objectives, but also for analysing the
effectiveness of these initiatives and adjusting strategies
accordingly. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/10.priorities-fin-01.png]
FIGURE 1: SHARE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN GROSS FINAL ENERGY
CONSUMPTION AT THE EU LEVEL FROM 2005 TO 2030, HIGHLIGHTING THE 2020
AND 2030 TARGETS OF THE RENEWABLE ENERGY DIRECTIVE (_Source_: European
Environment Agency
[https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/datahub/datahubitem-view/1fd08152-1371-4274-8091-b50467738376]).
NB: Early estimates
[https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/share-of-energy-consumption-from#:~:text=According%20to%20European%20Environment%20Agency,2022%20generated%20from%20renewable%20sources.]for
2022 (not included in the dataset) show a 22.5 % share of renewable
energy. 

 

REINFORCING OUR SOCIAL AND HEALTH AGENDA 

The Belgian Presidency aims to enhance the EU’s social agenda
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/],
accelerate progress towards a more inclusive European society and
ensure access to sustainable social protection
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/wxqkzm8ox1qjyknuxjqjaw?locale=en].
This objective aligns with the Spanish Presidency’s focus on
fostering a more inclusive and fair society, highlighting the
continuity across the trio presidency. 

Open data can be used to understand the economic perspective of social
policies. Figure 2 shows that the EU’s expenditure on social
protection as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) is quite
heterogeneous. Every country has its own national context and assigns
social spending based on its requirements. Average EU expenditure on
social protection between 2010 and 2021 ranged between approximately
15 % and 35 % of GDP. Eight Member States invested more than the
EU average, which stood at around 28 % for the selected period. The
three Member States that spent the most on social protection were
Denmark, France and the Netherlands. You can dive deeper into the
dataset
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/wxqkzm8ox1qjyknuxjqjaw?locale=en]
to explore how countries’ expenditures have changed over time and to
which categories the expenditures are allocated. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/10.priorities-fin-03.png]
FIGURE 2: AVERAGE EXPENDITURE ON SOCIAL PROTECTION AS A PERCENTAGE
OF GDP FROM 2010 TO 2021 (_Source_: data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/wxqkzm8ox1qjyknuxjqjaw?locale=en],
Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tps00098/default/bar?lang=en]) 

 

PROMOTING A GLOBAL EUROPE 

The Belgian Presidency prioritises strengthening Europe’s global
stance by leveraging, among other things, the EU’s development and
humanitarian assistance capacity
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/]. 

Humanitarian aid
[https://belgian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/programme/priorities/]
is highlighted as a key tool for the EU’s commitment to global
outreach, showcasing its efforts to support countries worldwide. Open
data on EU international aid fosters transparency and enables us to
track the distribution of disbursements. As the world’s largest
donor
[https://commission.europa.eu/aid-development-cooperation-fundamental-rights/human-rights-non-eu-countries/recipients-and-results-eu-aid_en]
of external aid, providing on average over EUR 70 billion
annually, EU funding is directed worldwide to help tackle poverty and
to advance global development. Figure 3 shows an elaboration of the
data available on the EU Aid Explorer
[https://euaidexplorer.ec.europa.eu/index_en], a web tool providing
easy access to data on the EU’s aid around the world. From 2007 to
the beginning of 2024, aside from aid in ‘sectors not specified’
(flows that cannot be allocated to a specific sector, typically
including core funding to multilateral organisations), the three
categories that received the most funding—cumulatively around EUR
157 billion—are ‘refugees in non-sector allocable donor
countries’, ‘material relief assistance and services’, and
‘higher education’. Figure 3 also shows that EU funding is
diversified among numerous categories, addressing various needs in the
recipient countries. You can continue to explore the dashboard
[https://euaidexplorer.ec.europa.eu/explore/sectors_en] for additional
insights. 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/10.priorities-fin-05.png]
FIGURE 3: TOP 20 CATEGORIES RECEIVING EU EXTERNAL AID BY
DISBURSEMENT FROM 2007 TO 2024 (_Source_: EU Aid Explorer
[https://euaidexplorer.ec.europa.eu/explore/recipients_en], European
Commission) 

 

CONCLUSION 

This data story examined three priorities of the Belgian Presidency,
illustrating both the continuity and innovative approaches of the
common programme. Open data on renewable energy sources shows the
progress made in achieving a net-zero society; open data on social
protection helps us to easily track the financial perspective of the
EU’s social policies; and open data on humanitarian aid shows this
important side of the EU’s global role. Overall, open data is
crucial to provide insights into and advise data-driven
policymaking. 

Do you want to explore what open data can reveal about the Belgian
Presidency’s other priorities? You can access numerous open datasets
on data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/datastories/getting-know-spain-through-open-data].
Stay updated on our upcoming data stories and webinars by subscribing
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