Belgium's three regions to work together on mobility issues

The governments of Belgium’s three regions will co-operate on road safety issues, following a signature this week of a co-ordination agreement.

In the last round of state reforms, road safety policy became a responsibility of the regions. But the three mobility ministers said that any coherent policy has to recognise that road safety transcends borders. “If we want to have an effective road safety policy, we have to depend on one another to some extent,” Flemish mobility minister Ben Weyts said. “Each of us runs our own policy independently, but co-operation is needed for us to harmonise at least a few basic principles.”

Under the agreement, the ministers – Weyts, Bianca Debaets for Brussels and Maxime Prévot for Wallonia – will meet at least once a year to establish broad policy. The rest of the year, working groups will tackle issues such as mutual recognition of certifications, so that driving instructors who qualifies in one region will have their qualifications recognised by the other two regions.

The agreement aims to improve the quality of driving instruction in general, as well as in specific areas such as “green” driving – how to use a car to the least possible detriment of the environment – and risk-perception, or preventive driving.