Green growth in the Benelux: Indicators of local transition to a low-carbon economy in cross-border regions Green growth in the Benelux: Indicators of local transition to a low-carbon economy in cross-border regions Disclaimer This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Cover © François Iglesias (OECD/LEED) Cover photos credits: Secretariat-General of the Benelux Union © OECD 2013 ISSN 2079-4797 (PDF) OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Working Paper Series. This report is part of a series of working papers from the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme. The LEED Programme identifies, analyses and disseminates innovative ideas for local development, governance and the social economy. Governments from OECD member and non-member economies look to LEED and work through it to generate innovative guidance on policies to support employment creation and economic development through locally based initiatives About | 3 ABOUT THE OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a unique forum where the governments of 34 market democracies work together to address the economic, social and governance challenges of globalisation as well as to exploit its opportunities. The OECD’s way of working consists of a highly effective process that begins with data collection and analysis and moves on to collective discussion of policy, then decision making and implementation. Mutual examination by governments, multi-lateral surveillance and peer pressure to conform or reform are at the heart of the OECD’s effectiveness. Much of the material collected and analysed at the OECD is published on paper or online: from press releases and regular compilations of data and projections to one-off publications or monographs on particular issues; from economic surveys of each member country to regular reviews of education systems, science and technology policies or environmental performance. For more information on the OECD, please visit www.oecd.org/about. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission takes part in the work of the OECD. ABOUT LEED The OECD Programme on Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) has advised governments and communities since 1982 on how to respond to economic change and tackle complex problems in a fast-changing world. Its mission is to contribute to the creation of more and better quality jobs through more effective policy implementation, innovative practices, stronger capacities and integrated strategies at the local level. LEED draws on a comparative analysis of experience from the five continents in fostering economic growth, employment and inclusion. For more information on the LEED Programme, please visit www.oecd.org/cfe/leed. ABOUT THE BENELUX UNION The Benelux Union is an intergovernmental co-operative that transcends the borders between Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. The objective of the Benelux Union (Benelux) is to be a region without borders, improving well-being and ensuring mobility, security and sustainable development for everyone. Therefore, Benelux is the ideal testing ground for the promotion of European integration. For more information, please visit www.benelux.int. GREEN GROWTH IN THE BENELUX: INDICATORS OF LOCAL TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON ECONOMY IN CROSS-BORDER REGIONS © OECD 2013 4 | Foreword FOREWORD Since the start of the Benelux co-operative in 1944, the three member countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) have always been keen to explore the next possible step in international co-operation. In the 1960s, as an experimental arena for international co-operation, the Benelux countries were the first to abandon custom barriers, and became the first union of countries where citizens were able to cross borders freely without the delay of long waiting lines at the frontier. Some years later, before the turn of the 21st century, the three countries made it possible for police officers to pursue criminals across the border into a fellow Benelux country without formal impediments. Thus, when the OECD Ministers adopted the Declaration on Green Growth in 2009, asking the OECD to develop a Green Growth Strategy and inviting international organisations (amongst others) to closely co-operate with the OECD, in line with the Declaration, the Benelux Union was ready for the challenge. The Board of Secretaries-General of the Benelux Union immediately expressed the wish to arrive at a closer partnership with the OECD. Supported by the ambassadors to the OECD of the three Benelux countries, it became clear that green growth and the transition to a low carbon economy are high-priority topics on the agendas of both organisations and their member countries. In 2008, the three Benelux countries and their federal entities renewed the 50 year-old Benelux Treaty and formally agreed that improving cross-border relations should be one of the main future topics of the Union. Strong cross-border co-operation is necessary not only to complete the process of the internal economic market in both the Benelux countries and the European Union, but is also indispensable when battling global challenges such as climate change, and the transition to a low-carbon economy. As the OECD has emphasised, a set of clear indicators is absolutely necessary in order to monitor how a region is performing in the transition towards a low-carbon economy. However, this is not particularly easy in densely-populated metropolitan regions in small countries with a complex structure of economic clusters of companies, SMEs and authorities that stretch across national boundaries. In border regions like the Ghent-Terneuzen and Alzette-Belval areas, developing useful indicators proves to be a special challenge. For the Benelux Union, the publication of this OECD report does not signify the end of a project. On the contrary; for us, the report marks the starting-point for a more detailed and elaborate piece of work on the refining of local indicators in a cross-border setting. Needless to say, this is a job not only for the OECD, the Benelux Union and national public authorities. Particularly in a cross-border setting, this complex task can only be done together with all stakeholders: research and educational institutes; multinational companies; SMEs; intermediate organisations; regional, local and cross-border public authorities; and many others. This multilevel approach towards developing indicators of the local transition to a low-carbon economy in the Benelux is our challenge for the coming years. With this report, the OECD has provided the Benelux countries with the perfect wind to sail in the right direction. Jan van Laarhoven Luc Willems Alain de Muyser Secretary General Vice Secretary General Vice Secretary General Benelux Union Benelux Union Benelux Union GREEN GROWTH IN THE BENELUX: INDICATORS OF LOCAL TRANSITION TO A LOW-CARBON ECONOMY IN CROSS-BORDER REGIONS© OECD 2013 Acknowledgements | 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is the result of an international project of the OECD LEED Committee on “Measuring the potential of green growth: Towards a local transition to a low-carbon economy”, in collaboration with partners and experts from Denmark, the Benelux countries (Benelux), Germany and Chile. This report presents the results and policy recommendations from the analysis of two cross-border areas in Benelux. The report is the result of combined efforts and strong co-operation between the Benelux Union, national and local authorities and local and international experts. In particular, we acknowledge the contribution of Luc Willems, Deputy Secretary General of the Benelux Union and partner in the study, and Hans Mooren of the Secretariat-General of the Benelux Union, Jan Van Laarhoven, Secretary General of the Benelux Union, and Alain de Muyser, Deputy Secretary General of the Benelux Union for their support and contributions to this study. The experts who participated in the OECD’s study mission to Benelux in June 2012 have provided most valuable input to this report, and we are grateful for the contributions and revisions received for different parts of the document from: Maj Munch Andersen (Technical University, Denmark); Helen Mulligan (Cambridge Architectural Research, UK); Bertil Haack (Technische Hochschule Wildau, Germany); Alwine Woischnik (Ministry of Environment, Chile); Alex Stimpson (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, CEDEFOP); Eiko Kauffmann (German Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development); Carmen Avellaner (Green energy policy consultant); Robert Strauss (Head of Employment Analysis, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion European Commission); Eric De Brabanter, Département de l'Environnement, Ministère