“In a military conflict, Belgium will not be a help, but a burden”

MP and member of the NATO parliament Theo Francken once again calls for an urgent and robust scaling up of our defence capability. “Our ammunition stocks are almost empty. Soon, we will actually have to shout ‘bang bang’. If a conflict ever arises, Belgium will not be able to provide help, but rather be a burden to its allies. And that is while authoritarian regimes look on.”

Theo Francken attended the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Albania, where NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg stated that the member states must choose between meeting the NATO guideline (spending 2% of GDP The gross domestic product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country, both by companies and the government. This term is usually used as a benchmark for a country’s prosperity. This is why the N-VA closely follows the evolution of the Belgian GDP. GDP on defence) or sending military aid to Ukraine. “I’m glad that everyone prefers the latter option. If we don’t send reinforcement now, Ukraine risks losing the war.”

Throwing stones

Theo doubts whether Belgium will be able to send much help. “We can hardly do anything anymore. If a conflict ever arises, we will already have to start throwing stones after a few hours. We only meet 7% of the NATO guideline for ammunition reserves. Nothing has been built up in terms of defence in our country in recent years. Everyone sleeps on peacefully here. If there is ever a conflict, we will not be able to provide help, but we will be a burden on our allies because they will have to provide us with help.”

A “silly idea”

“Everyone saw how important air defence is in Iran’s attack on Israel this weekend. Israel has an Iron Dome and systems such as Patriots to take missiles out of the sky. We have no such European Iron Dome, let alone a Belgian one. Individual countries do have different systems. Belgium does not. Prime Minister De Croo thought Steven Vandeput’s proposal to purchase anti-aircraft systems was ‘a silly idea’.”

Not with us

“It is difficult to get through to public opinion and Parliament. Many people think: ‘It won’t be too bad, no Russian tanks will roll through Brussels, they will leave us alone.’ Or: ‘Ukraine brought it upon itself.’ These are arguments that you often hear in a debate that is becoming increasingly toxic and fuelled by the narrative Russia, Iran and other authoritarian forces in the world are promoting, especially through social media. They are also gaining a foothold in Europe among the extreme right and the extreme left, even in Flanders. Those regimes also see how weak we are. That is why we must continue to support Ukraine and send a clear message: not with us.”