An agreement has been reached on the defense budget. In 2035, this will be increased to 2 percent of gross domestic product (the added value of all products and services produced in Belgium), although there are six conditions attached to this. For example, investments should not be at the expense of other social priorities. “So this is not a blank cheque”, says Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld).
The core had been meeting since 11.30 am, white smoke followed just before 7 pm. Remarkable: there are six conditions attached to the agreement.
For example, there is a need for more European cooperation in the field of defence. European defense is too fragmented today, said De Croo. A second and third condition is that there will be more economic and social ‘return’ from the money that our country invests in defence. Our economy, SMEs and also citizens should be able to reap the benefits, for example through investments in cybersecurity and training.
Aid to the nation
A fourth condition is that investment in defense must not be at the expense of climate change and other social priorities. Fifth, the concept of aid to the nation (in the event of a pandemic or flood, for example; ed.) must be included in defense spending. Finally, Belgium points to the importance of developing a European framework that encourages productive investment.
Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder expressed satisfaction and pointed out that with the increased resources, at least 2,800 soldiers can be recruited per year from 2026. “That is necessary to guarantee operationality,” it sounds.
Step further
Earlier this year, the Vivaldi government already agreed to significantly boost the defense budget to 1.54 percent of GDP by 2030. But De Croo wanted to go one step further. With this agreement, he can now unpack at the NATO summit in Madrid within a week.
After all, our country has been behind the pack for years when it comes to money for defense. The war in Ukraine once again catapulted the issue to the top of the political agenda of NATO member states. Belgium was one of the last countries to reach that 2 percent. That threatened to gnaw at our country’s credibility as one of the founding members of the treaty organization.
Not everyone was in favor of an increase in defense resources. Opposition has recently come mainly from the green corner. They felt that it would be better to invest more in renewable energy and climate measures, among other things.
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