Theo Francken elected Belgian delegation leader to the NATO Parliament

MP Theo Francken has been appointed by the Chamber of Representatives as the leader of the Belgian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. This assembly, known as the “NATO Parliament” for short, and which consists of parliamentarians from the NATO member countries, monitors the functioning of NATO and publishes annual reports in which it gives its perspective on NATO’s security endeavours.

Big heart for defence

An honoured Theo Francken responds: “It is a great honour for me to have been appointed to this position. I have a big heart for defence and also for NATO. The transatlantic alliance with the United States and Canada is of unquestioned added value for our country.”

Community of democracies

Theo Francken is firmly convinced that NATO makes us stronger and that it represents much more than just a military alliance. “It is a community of democracies that look after each other’s security deliberately and in solidarity, and which can make a stand against external threats when necessary.”

In the interest of country and citizens

The fight against Islamic State and the protection of the democracies in Eastern Europe against Russian expansion remain top priorities, but the role of NATO goes much further than that, Theo Francken believes. “International crime also has a destabilising effect on member countries - just think of the international drug smuggling and human trafficking mafia. NATO is already paying attention to this, but we must see whether it might be possible to deploy the expertise of the alliance more broadly in those areas as well. Finally, NATO also has a role to play in the protection of the member countries against political and industrial espionage, a challenge that is only set to increase in future, in particular regarding cyber security. So there is no lack of challenges, which I will map out with great interest and enthusiasm at NATO in the interest of our country and all its citizens,” Theo Francken concludes.