The Mayor of Forest, Charles Spapens (PS), has declared that converting the Audi Brussels plant into a weapons factory is "not a good idea".
The factory is located just a few kilometres from the Grand Place in a city with 1.2 million residents. "It would be the first place to be bombed in the event of a foreign attack," Spapens said.
The Audi plant in Forest closed at the end of February. One potential future for the 54,000-hectare facility, which covers 10% of Forest’s territory, is to repurpose it for Belgium’s rearmament, focusing on technological-military applications. Spapens, however, calls the idea, proposed by Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA), “unrealistic”.
"I am against this idea; it does not benefit the residents of Forest or Brussels," he stated. Although he acknowledges the "difficult geopolitical context" in which the world currently finds itself, he believes this transformation would pose significant risks to Brussels.
Spapens warns that military factories and industrial sites are prime targets in an attack. "A factory directly linked to Belgium’s armament is not a good idea," he reiterated.
He suggested that if it were a matter of producing IT equipment or other technological components useful for defence, he might not oppose it, as long as these factories did not become key war targets.
Spapens reiterated his willingness to collaborate with the region and Federal Government to find a sustainable future for the factory that benefits both Brussels and Forest.
"Industry and employment are important to us. The factory’s future must be ensured, providing jobs for 4,000 to 5,000 people," he concluded.
Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA) had said earlier on Friday he will visit the former Audi factory in Forest with some defence companies next week.
The plant is now set to be officially used for defence purposes. However, the success of the timeframe of Francken's plan depends on Audi and the defence companies involved, as well as possible government support, he explained on De Ochtend (Radio 1).
