Who may apply for the ecology premium plus?

An enterprise with an operating establishment in the Flemish Region may qualify for the ecology premium plus. If an enterprise does not yet have an establishment in the Flemish Region at the time of submitting the support application, it must have one during the implementation of the ecological investments. The operating establishment must be registered as an establishment unit in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE).  

In addition, the following eligibility conditions apply at enterprise level:

• If you belong to the target group of EBO Flanders, you must also have joined the Energy Policy Agreement. Furthermore, all establishments of the applying enterprise that fall within the EBO Flanders target group must have joined and comply with the Energy Policy Agreements.
• The enterprise must comply with the regulations applicable in the Flemish Region for up to five years following completion of the ecological investment.
• The ecological investment must be used for professional purposes and must be operated and retained by the applying enterprise for a period of five years. This period starts from completion of the investments. The ‘date of completion’ is the latest of the following dates: the date of the final invoice, the deed relating to the acquisition of eligible immovable property, or the signing date of the final or sole leasing agreement.

Not eligible:

• Enterprises in difficulty.
• Non-profit organisations. Non-profit organisations carrying out commercial activities may apply under thematic calls, for example GREEN.
• Enterprises with government participation of 50% or more. Exceptions exist for projects relating to district heating networks, shore power, energy sharing and industrial water treatment, provided these are financed using private funds.
• Enterprises subject to dissolution, cessation of activities, bankruptcy or liquidation, enterprises undergoing insolvency proceedings, or enterprises subject to a European recovery procedure for unlawful aid.
• Ecological investments used for activities in the primary sector (agriculture or fisheries/aquaculture). Enterprises whose main activity lies in the primary sector may receive support for investments relating to other activities outside the primary sector (for example certain supporting services or ancillary activities such as a B&B or dairy shop).
• Ecological investments not used for professional purposes or intended solely for rental. 

Explanation of acceptable legal form

An ‘enterprise’ means: any natural person carrying out an independent professional activity, companies with legal personality and European Economic Interest Groupings.

Companies with legal personality include:

• public limited company (NV)
• private limited company (BV)
• cooperative company (CV)
• general partnership (VOF)
• limited partnership (CommV)
• European company (SE)
• European Cooperative Society (SCE)

A partnership without legal personality (maatschap) is not eligible.

Non-profit organisations (VZW) are not eligible for the ecology premium plus. However, they may apply under thematic calls (currently only the GREEN call).

Implementation via an asset holding company

The enterprise applying for the ecology premium plus may have the ecological investments carried out by an asset holding company belonging to the same group. Companies are considered part of the same group in one of the following cases:

• the asset holding company directly or indirectly holds at least 25% participation in the applying enterprise;
• the applying enterprise directly or indirectly holds at least 25% participation in the asset holding company;
• a natural or legal person directly or indirectly holds at least 25% participation in both companies.

Where an ecological investment is implemented by an asset holding company, the following rules apply:

• the operating company submits the support application;
• the asset holding company records the ecological investments as assets and depreciates them;
• the operating company receives the support;
• the asset holding company makes the ecological investment available to the operating company for a period of five years;
• the operating company operates the ecological investment for at least five years following completion of the ecological investment.

Implementation at a third party’s establishment

An applying enterprise may implement and operate ecological investments at the establishment of another enterprise. Both the applying enterprise and the enterprise where the investments are operated must comply with the conditions set out in Articles 4 to 10 of the Decree of 19 April 2024.

This does not constitute implementation by an asset holding company.

Both enterprises must not be enterprises in difficulty and must have an acceptable legal form. Restrictions also apply regarding their legal status, and both must comply with all eligibility conditions.

The applying enterprise may implement and operate ecological investments solely for the benefit of one other enterprise.

The applying enterprise must operate the ecological investment for at least five years following completion of the investment. 

Which investments qualify for the ecology premium plus?

• The technology in which you wish to invest must be included in the ecology premium plus technology list as published at the time of submission. Download the technology list.
• Your investments must not be legally required. Investments required by law are not eligible for ecological support from VLAIO, including investments required to comply with:
  • European or Flemish standards (e.g. VLAREM, RED III)
  • obligations under Flemish energy policy (e.g. energy plan, energy audit, energy balance, energy performance regulations)
  • conditions included in any environmental permit
• You must not yet have started the investment. To ensure the incentive effect of the support, a project may only start from the first day of the month following the month in which the support application was submitted. The start date is the earliest of:
  • the date of the first purchase invoice
  • the date of the deed for acquisition of eligible immovable property
  • the signing date of a financial leasing agreement
• The ecology premium plus may not be combined with other support. This means an enterprise may not request support for the same eligible investment costs from multiple organisations and/or support instruments. For example, overlap with other VLAIO support, grants from VEKA (Flemish Energy and Climate Agency), investment deductions, the Ecoboost loan, premiums from Fluvius, etc. is not permitted.