Dialogue as the beating heart of the process – Project support groups

For two main grid projects in Flanders and Wallonia, two support groups were formed to discuss the interests and concerns of the project and jointly look for better solutions before project-start and throughout.

Highlights:

• Two permanent support groups for civil society created and numerous meetings held

• Increased involvement of external stakeholders, including citizens & political actors

• Reduced opposition to grid projects, more knowledge and trust in the process

About the Practice:

Elia believes that early integration of all stakeholders enables a broader perspective and higher comprehensibility, thus helping to build public support for projects. Given their political neutrality and knowledge of the sensitivities of their province, for the Ventilus (Flanders) and Boucle du Hainaut (Wallonia) projects, the respective province governors were placed at the head of support groups, which were made up of diverse groups, such as community groups, business unions, environmental organisations, agricultural and farming unions. Before the launch of the planning procedure, meetings were held on the various grid-related topics, with exhaustive information prepared for each meeting. The groups remain active throughout the projects, with governors vocalising local concerns.