The vehicle stock module calculates the size and composition of the car stock. Its output is a full description of the car stock in every year, by vehicle type, age and technology of the vehicle. The vehicle stock is represented in the detail needed to compute transport emissions. The integration of the car stock module in planet will allow to better capture the impact of changes in fixed and variable taxes levied on cars. Among these impacts, the effect on the environment is of particular interest.
The transport satellite accounts (TSA) show the total transport expenditure in Belgium in 2000. The TSA are a complement to the information in the national accounts for transport activities, which are only partially described in this general framework. Transport generates externalities that are not taken into account in the total expenditure as defined in the satellite accounts. The study assesses the external costs of various transport modes and contains a joint analysis of the externalities and of the main TSA results for 2000. The analysis reveals the extent of the transport costs and externalities, especially of road transport. The estimated external costs concern air pollution, climate change, accidents, noise and congestion.
Because they allow the medium-term non-inflationary growth path of the economy to be determined and the cyclical component of the budget balance to be identified, the concepts of potential growth and output gap have become essential ingredients in the European fiscal surveillance process. The estimation of these is, however, surrounded by a degree of uncertainty that can be substantial when the economy is exposed to large shocks. Consequently, the ongoing financial and economic crisis has led international organisations and many national authorities to revise their ex post measurement of the output gap. The current uncertainty regarding output gap estimates can be illustrated in various ways. One approach consists of comparing the estimates produced by a particular institution before and after the outbreak of the crisis. The comparison between estimates from different organisations constitutes another way of illustrating the uncertainty.
The twin target in the EU Climate/Energy package - greenhouse gas emissions reduction and development of renewable energy sources - has positive impacts on Belgium's dependence on fossil fuels and therefore on the security of energy supply. Net imports of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) decrease by 9% in 2020 compared to baseline trends. Moreover, a net energy import saving of about 1 billion euro could be realized in 2020, taking into account the increase in biomass imports. The twin target in the Climate/Energy package has another advantage: it allows keeping a balanced fuel mix in power generation and prevents a 'dash for gas' in this sector. Natural gas imports increase moderately by 11% between 2005 and 2020, compared to +21% in the baseline.
