The federal coalition agreement raises questions about the role of data centers and the digital infrastructure sector. Therefore, trade association Belgian Digital Infrastructure Association (BDIA) offers its views on the agreement.
In the federal coalition agreement, the foreword by prime minister Bart de Wever talks about the many challenges facing our country. Examples include uncertainty about energy supplies, the competitiveness of companies, and the acute budget deficit. An evolutionary process is therefore needed, according to the Arizona coalition, in which “hard decisions must be taken without losing sight of the human aspect.”
Invest in sustainable infrastructure
Belgium faces the challenge of scaling up its investments while addressing climate change. Therefore, according to the government, the coming years call for a focused and determined approach that will not only strengthen the economy but also make it more sustainable and resilient. This is why the agreement states the government’s desire to invest in zero-emission energy, sustainable infrastructure, and innovation. In this way, the government intends to boost employment and economic growth.
It further stresses that “additional incentives” are provided to attract new investments that contribute to climate change and the sustainability of the economy. “By investing in a future-proof economy, we not only strengthen competitiveness but also create a sustainable and attractive investment climate.” The Belgian Digital Infrastructure Association (BDIA) is enthusiastic about this ambition as companies active within the digital infrastructure can play a major role in the energy transition.
In addition, the new government announced additional investments in digital infrastructure (fixed and mobile) to ensure the competitiveness of Belgian companies. By 2030, every company must have access to superfast Internet (> 1 Gbps). At the same time, preparations are underway for the potential rollout of a 6G network.
Belgium as a data center hub
Nevertheless, the BDIA also makes critical comments on the coalition agreement. For example, there is talk of implementing a sovereign “cloud first strategy,” a data strategy and an integrated policy on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) so that government operations can improve with efficiency gains as a result. How this ambition can be concretely realized, however, remains to be seen.
Moreover, it is notable that the government explicitly recognizes the importance and role of critical infrastructure, such as our airports and seaports, as a gateway to global markets. By explicitly mentioning these two industries, it remains unclear whether Gov. De Wever I sees data centers as part of critical infrastructure. This is something the BDIA would like to see underlined in the further elaboration of this federal coalition agreement.
After all, there is no digital and economic growth possible without data centers, while Belgium has the right ingredients to grow into a European data center and innovation hub. But then this potential needs to be developed into federal policy that respects open strategic autonomy. The market study State of the Belgian Data Centers (2024) shows that 1.4 billion euros will be invested in colocation data centers between 2025 and 2029. However, the question is whether this will be enough to meet the ever-increasing demand for data capacity and cloud services.
Therefore, the BDIA would like to invite Vanessa Matz, Minister of Government Modernization, to discuss the role of data centers in the federal government’s ambitions for the future of our economy.
