Federal Council for Sustainable Development
The Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FRDO) gives advice to the Belgian federal government on the federal policy regarding sustainable development. Particular attention is thereby paid by Belgium to the implementation of international commitments. Unlike the Regions having their own advisory boards for their regional environmental policy or social-economic policy, the federal government does not have its own socio-economic advisory structure for the marine environment. Therefore socio-economic advice can be sought from the working group "Biodiversity and Forests" of the FRDO as an alternative.
Coastal Mayors' Consultation
The Governor of West Flanders organises a consultation with the coastal mayors on a regular basis or at least once a year. This is an opportunity for the Marine Environment Service to inform the coastal mayors about the conduct of the marine environmental policy.
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Fishing at sea is a Flemish jurisdiction. As fishing is one of the activities with a significant impact on the marine environment, the Marine Environmental Service regularly consults with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. This provides the opportunity to inform the department about the marine environmental policy to be pursued, for example, while planning fishing measures to protect the endangered species and habitats during the implementation of the Habitats and Birds Directives or the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
North Sea Exploitation Advisory Committee
This committee coordinates the authorities involved in the management of the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf and territorial waters. They coordinate the evaluation of the applications for concession, formulate an opinion on these applications, follow-up the various studies carried out in relation to the impact of sand mining on the Belgian continental shelf, evaluate the triennial reporting of the results of the audits, recommend corrective measures should a negative impact be established and finally formulate the recommendations on all aspects relating to the sand mining for drafting the policy.