ABSTRACT
The ecotaxes, which were brought onto the agenda by the green parties Ecolo and Agalev in an exceptional political conjuncture, developed into one of the most controversial issues in Belgium from mid-1992 onwards. This chapter begins with a condensed account of this issue within a broader context. It analyses the goals, strategies and resources of the main actors involved and focuses on the main features of the negotiation process. Throughout the discussions the trade unions remained in an uncomfortable position because they had to rely on figures and analyses provided by the employers’ organisations in order to assess the impact of the ecotaxes. The negotiation process on ecotaxes was characterised by pragmatism, informality and inventiveness. Both for the ecotaxes and for the institutional reforms, the negotiators – the Prime Minister especially – have resorted to a variety of techniques associated with the usual consociational, Belgian-style elite-accommodation mechanisms.
