The anticipated annual budget for electric car premiums has already run out: “Will there be further savings on De Lijn or student transport?”

During the last budget preparation, Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) introduced a premium for those who buy an electric car. This amounts to 5,000 euros for a new car and 3,000 euros for a second-hand car. The Flemish government had initially provided 20 million euros for this year. If that amount is not sufficient, another 6 million euros will be used from climate resources. Applications can still be submitted until the end of this year.

However, the latest information shows that the amount of 26 million euros has already been exceeded. On April 18, there were already 4,980 registrations of new electric cars and 932 of second-hand cars. If all applications are declared admissible, an amount of 27,696,000 euros will have to be provided to pay out all premiums.

READ ALSO. The budget for premiums for e-cars is already half gone: at this rate, the pot will be empty in two months

If applications continue at the same pace, another 28 applications will be added every day. “Taking into account the small number of inadmissible files, most applications will be approved and therefore have to be paid out,” says Mertens. “The budgets provided will therefore simply not be sufficient. Where will the minister obtain these additional budgets? Will there be further savings on De Lijn, on student transport in special education or on road safety? A promise is a promise, a reliable government must keep promises made. We have warned the minister about this several times.”

In a response, Minister Peeters states that it is a collective government decision to honor every requested premium that is full and admissible in 2024. “This means that the Flemish government will provide additional resources, in addition to the previous 20 million euros that were allocated. ” The minister says he is satisfied that the boost in the number of registered electric cars is clearly noticeable. “Because in addition to focusing on cycling infrastructure and public transport, the transition to zero emissions in passenger cars is important to achieve our CO2 reduction goals and we also improve air quality.”

Moreover, Peeters says, most of the applications date from the months of February and March. “We already saw a drastic drop in those applications in April. So we will see how that evolves further,” said Peeters in De Ochtend on Radio 1. In any case, everyone who applies in 2024 and meets the conditions will receive the premium. However, it is not yet clear where they will get that extra money. “But we will have to adjust this during the budget control.”

The minister denies that savings were made on De Lijn. “The operating resources were increased to 1.2 billion euros per year, the investment resources to 300 million euros per year. In addition, more than 137 million euros will go to special education student transport, here too, Minister Peeters has continued to increase the resources during this legislature to ensure shorter journeys,” it said. The minister clearly states that she will save “not a euro” on road safety.

According to Peeters, the budgets for student transport, which were recently significantly increased, will also be spared. “We have to look at where we can get that extra money during the budget audit. For example, the kilometer charge raises more than 500 million euros annually. So additional resources can also be obtained there.”