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ARTICLE · 15 APRIL 2026

Navigating The Legal Framework For Data Centre Development In Belgium

A&O Shearman
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Belgium's central European location and robust connectivity make it an attractive hub for data centre development, yet sponsors and operators face a complex regulatory environment shaped...

BelgiumEnvironment
Fee Goossens
Fee Goossens
Gauthier van Thuyne
Gauthier van Thuyne
Jeff Hermans
Jeff Hermans
Filip Tanghe
Filip Tanghe
Filip Van Elsen
Filip Van Elsen
Tom Schoors
Tom Schoors
Astrid Lecomte
Astrid Lecomte
Author LinkedIn connections

Belgium continues to attract significant interest from data centre developers and investors, due to its central location in Europe and reliable fibre connectivity.

However, the regulatory landscape governing data centre development in Belgium is shaped by a fragmented regional permitting regime, mounting grid capacity constraints, and an expanding suite of EU regulations.

The key regulatory developments that sponsors, developers, lenders, and operators should consider when planning or financing data centre projects in Belgium can be summarised as follows.

Zoning and permitting: from a fragmented regional landscape to a streamlined EU environmental assessment regime?

Belgium's constitutional structure means that planning and zoning matters, as well as permitting, fall within the competence of the three regions—the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region, and the Brussels-Capital Region. There is no unified federal permitting regime for data centres, nor is there a dedicated zoning

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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