CD&V Urges Free Gas Disconnection in Flanders

The Flemish Christian Democratic party CD&V is calling for households in Flanders to be allowed to cancel their gas connection free of charge when they switch to an alternative such as a heat pump, arguing that the current cost of roughly €1,000 is a financial barrier that discourages the transition away from fossil fuels. The proposal comes as grid operator Fluvius, at the request of the Flemish government, prepares a plan to phase out the gas network by 2050.

According to VRT NWS, CD&V wants Flemings to be able to terminate their gas connection at no cost if they move to an alternative system such as a heat pump. At present, having a gas meter and connection definitively removed costs nearly €1,000, a figure the party says makes many households hesitate before making the switch.

A Threshold the Party Wants Gone

The push is being led by Robrecht Bothuyne, the Flemish Member of Parliament whom VRT NWS identifies as CD&V’s voice on the issue. Speaking to the broadcaster, Bothuyne framed the measure as a matter of affordability.

“It must be feasible and affordable. We want to get rid of that high threshold,” he said, referring to the cost that households face when they decide to abandon gas entirely.

The proposal lands in the middle of a broader debate about how Flanders will manage the retreat from natural gas. The Flemish government has tasked Fluvius with preparing the closure of the gas network by 2050, part of the region’s goal of reaching climate neutrality and reducing its reliance on imported fossil fuels. The phase-out is expected to be planned at the level of neighbourhoods and streets, with concrete steps set out in rolling ten-year plans that are regularly revised.

The Scale of the Challenge

Roughly two-thirds of Flemish households currently heat their homes with natural gas, according to consumer organisation Test-Aankoop, which published a consumer guide to the phase-out in September 2026. That two-thirds share underscores the scale of the shift the region is attempting, and the political sensitivity of any measure that touches heating costs.

The cost figures at the heart of CD&V’s argument have a more complicated backstory than a single number suggests. According to Test-Aankoop, decommissioning a gas meter currently costs €105.21 including 21% VAT, significantly less than the roughly €1,000 CD&V cites for a full disconnection and removal of the connection. The higher figure reflects the total cost of definitively taking out the connection, not merely switching off the meter.

Why Now

The timing of the proposal is not coincidental. Gas is set to become more expensive on several fronts. Belgium’s federal government has moved to reform energy excise duties, and the Flemish region has announced a tax shift that will move some policy costs from electricity to gas and heating oil by 2028. At the European level, the ETS2 carbon levy covering buildings and transport is due from 2028. Together, these measures are intended to make electricity relatively cheaper than gas and to encourage electrification.

At the same time, energy prices have surged amid geopolitical turmoil, with gas prices at their highest level since the 2022–2023 energy crisis and diesel having recently hit record highs in Belgium. That backdrop has made energy affordability a politically charged subject, and has sharpened interest in measures that could ease the cost of switching.

The Cost-Distribution Question

CD&V’s proposal addresses the upfront barrier facing households, but it points to a deeper structural issue. As more users leave the gas network, the remaining customers must bear a larger share of the network’s fixed maintenance and dismantling costs. Test-Aankoop warns that this could push grid tariffs up sharply, with studies predicting that the per-user costs of maintaining and decommissioning the network could rise substantially.

That dynamic means a policy that makes it cheaper for early movers to disconnect could, in principle, accelerate cost pressure on those who remain connected — often the households least able to afford a heat pump or a major renovation. Consumer advocates have stressed that a successful phase-out will depend on feasible plans, social measures and affordable alternatives for everyone, not just those able to invest early.

What to Watch

CD&V’s call for free gas disconnection is an opening bid in what is likely to be a prolonged debate over how Flanders finances its gas phase-out. The party’s argument is straightforward: removing the financial barrier to disconnection would encourage households to switch and would accelerate the transition the government says it wants.

Whether the Flemish government — led by Minister-President Matthias Diependaele of N-VA — takes up the proposal remains to be seen. Much will depend on how the Fluvius phase-out plan is structured, how costs are distributed between departing and remaining gas users, and whether support measures are put in place for households that cannot easily make the switch. For now, the party has put a clear number on the table and a simple demand behind it: if Flanders wants households to leave gas behind, it should not charge them to do so.