This paper examines the way Belgian regions are contributing to the multilateral discussions on climate change. It focuses on the intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms that allow the regions to shape the positions Belgium will defend on the international stage. The paper discusses how the characteristics and dynamics of Belgian federalism influence these intergovernmental mechanisms. To illustrate these points, the paper will contrast the Belgian case with the situation of Canadian provinces, with a focus on Quebec.
In Belgium, the regions have been able to directly contribute to the definition and the defense of their country's positions on climate change on the international scene through formalized and institutionalized mechanisms of intergovernmental coordination. These mechanisms are consistent with more general trends and dynamics observed in Belgian federalism. The absence of a hierarchy between the various levels of government and their full autonomy in their fields of competence have created a need for cooperation, especially when an issue touches on regional or shared competences. Furthermore, the existence of the EU forces Belgium to state its policy positions regularly, thus pressuring the various levels of government to continually cooperate with one another.
This stands in sharp contrast to the situation of Canada, where few formal mechanisms of intergovernmental cooperation exist in the realm of environmental international politics. In the absence of a consensus on the role of provinces with regards to Canadian foreign policy, the federal government is de facto responsible for the elaboration and the formulation of the Canadian positions on international matters. The provinces are only involved in the foreign policy making process on an ad hoc basis and the intergovernmental consultation mechanisms are largely informal. In this context, the province of Quebec has relied on paradiplomacy to promote its views on climate change.
