Belgian Energy minister: We cannot accept proposal to extend coal subsidies

Extending subsidies to coal-fired power plants, as proposed by the European Union's Swedish presidency, is "unacceptable", the Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van Der Straeten said on Monday

"In Belgium we already have in our national legislation the obligation to become climate neutral and to have a steep decline in emission by 2030 and 2040. So (the proposal) is something that we cannot accept," she told reporters ahead of meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg.