The CCIEP brings together all the strategic bodies responsible for the environment in Belgium. The secretariat is provided by the DG Environment of the FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment. 

                                                  

The Bureau

The Bureau brings together the different levels of authority in charge of the environment.  It meets once a month to prepare the plenary session. Office meetings are chaired by the Director General of the DG Environment of the FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.
 
 The CCIEP Bureau has eight representatives from the regional and federal environmental administrations. There is:

  1. One delegate for each federal and regional administration responsible for the environment and/or nature conservation:
    -   one delegate for the administration of the Flemish Region responsible for the environment and nature; 
    -   one delegate for the administration of the Brussels-Capital Region responsible for the environment and nature; 
    -   one delegate for the Walloon Public Service responsible for the environment and nature; 
    -   one delegate for the Federal Public Service responsible for the environment. 
     
  2. The other delegates come from the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation:
    -   two delegates from the Environment and Climate Directorate (MD8), which is part of both the Directorate-General for Multilateral Affairs (DGM) and the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation (DGD); 
    -   one delegate from the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the European Union;
    -   one delegate from the Directorate-General for European Affairs. 

Depending on the internal distribution of competencies at each level of authority, a number of organisations may also be represented on the CCIEP by a "permanent expert". These are the institutions responsible for environmental policy and nature conservation.

The Plenary Session

The CCIEP Plenary Meeting brings together all the strategic bodies responsible for the environment in Belgium.  The CCIEP meets once a month in plenary session. This monthly meeting is planned by a meeting of the Bureau. Plenary sessions are chaired by the Director-General of the DG Environment of the FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment. 
 
Each minister responsible for the environment and/or nature conservation is represented in the Coordination Committee, in addition to the various environmental administrations and agencies. The Federal Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation and their respective administrations are also members of this Committee. 
 
The plenary body of the CCIEP is therefore composed of the above-mentioned Bureau members, as well as:
 

  • one delegate for each federal or regional Minister or Secretary of State, who is responsible for the environment and/or nature conservation; 
  • one delegate for the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs; 
  • one delegate for the Federal Minister or State Secretary responsible for Development Cooperation; 
  • one delegate for the competent Directorate-General for Development Cooperation of the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.  

When the CCIEP is required to deliberate on issues that fall within the jurisdiction of other members of the federal government or regional governments than those mentioned above, these members are invited to designate, on an ad hoc basis, a representative to be responsible for the consideration of the items on the agenda. 

The Working groups and steering groups

In accordance with the cooperation agreement and based on required needs, the CCIEP establishes expert groups with specific mandates relative to:

  • a general environmental topic such as air, water, soil, waste or climate;  
  • a cross-cutting topic such as environmental legislation or the collection and processing of environmental data.  

These pilot groups bring together all the relevant officials with the appropriate expertise. Depending on their composition, these expert groups are called either 'steering groups' or 'working groups'. The CCIEP working groups address very specific environmental topics, such as pesticides or bees.  
 
If necessary, ad hoc groups can also be formed with a time-limited mandate.  
 
For each specific topic, the CCIEP appoints a leading pilot who, together with the steering group or working group experts, prepares the unanimous Belgian position for the European and international negotiations. 

The Stakeholders Dialogues

Civil society participation is of great value to the quality of new policies in many areas. This is certainly true for the environment. The Coordination Committee for International Environmental Policy contributes to the political negotiation phase. 
 
Every six months, in January and July of each year, the CCIEP organises a Stakeholder Dialogue (SHD) with the different Belgian stakeholders. This is an information meeting on environmental policy. They are chaired by the Director-General of the DG Environment of the FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.  
 
The SHD creates a platform for exchange that brings federal and regional authorities together with all the stakeholders, such as representatives of employers' organisations, environmental NGOs and trade unions. The objective is to inform and talk to stakeholders about priority issues for the next half year.  The priorities are those selected by the CCIEP at the multilateral level and/or those that will be supported during the next European presidency (rotation every six months). 
 
The CCIEP also holds specific consultation meetings with stakeholders. These take place: 

  • either on the initiative of a steering group or working group, or
  • at the request of a stakeholder in a specific case.