Belgium PM Says EU Green Push Is Driving Deindustrialisation

The Belgian leader said environmental regulations have made it increasingly difficult for Europe to meet its own energy needs.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever takes a selfie during the opening of the construction site for the new Schelde (Scheldt) tunnel in Antwerp, Belgium, on May 25, 2025. Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/AFP via Getty Images

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has launched a broadside against Europe’s green transition, warning that current EU climate and energy policies are accelerating deindustrialisation.

On Jan. 29 at The Future of Europe conference, hosted by Belgian newspapers De Tijd and L’Echo, De Wever said Europe had made a series of “dogmatic choices” on energy and climate that have weakened its industrial base.