Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wants his European counterparts to know that Belgium is serious about increasing its defence spending and strengthening its military.
De Wever, who had been in office for just two hours, arrived at the Egmont Palace in Brussels on Monday morning to attend his first European summit on defence.
In anticipation of questions regarding Belgium’s low defence expenditure, De Wever sought to reassure other European leaders about Belgium's intention to increase its defence budget. It committed to spending 2% of GDP on defence in 2014 along with other NATO member states but has not yet achieved.
"This budget includes additional funds to meet this commitment," said De Wever, expressing his firm ambition to reach the 2% target during this legislative term. Meanwhile, NATO talks have already mentioned targets of 3% or even 5%. "As we are catching up, the rest of the pack will move even further ahead," De Wever conceded.
The Prime Minister was determined to establish Belgian credibility at the summit. "We are facing financial challenges. We can’t perform miracles, but I hope we can be convincing with our budget increase and deficit reduction," he stated.
'Not in favour' of borrowing
On the possibility of European capitals borrowing money collectively from on financial markets to fund joint defence projects, De Wever argues against accruing joint European debt. "We are not in favour of that," he said. "Our government agreement says we should find solutions within the European budget."
De Wever's first ever EU summit as Prime Minister was significant not just for him but for the entire bloc. This is the first EU summit dedicated exclusively to defence. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed this topic to the forefront of the European agenda, and the inauguration of US President Donald Trump has further strengthened the resolve among leaders that Europe must "take more responsibility" for its defence.
