Theo Francken: "Europe’s deference to the US is partly our own doing"

Following the NATO summit in The Hague, Europe is once again standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. Defence Minister Theo Francken looked back on the past few days in an interview with VTM Nieuws. “As long as we remain weak, we need the US,” Francken said. “If we could defend ourselves, we wouldn’t have to be so deferential.”

“We speak loudly, but we don’t carry a big stick”

Francken admits recent months haven’t been easy. “It’s been something of a transatlantic marital crisis. It took a lot of diplomatic effort to reach these agreements.”

He doesn’t shy away from the fact that reconciliation came with plenty of praise for Donald Trump. “Yes, but that’s just part of the game. The day we’re strong enough to stand on our own, that won’t be necessary anymore. We speak loudly, but we don’t carry a big stick. Ours is small—the US’s is powerful.”

Decades of underinvestment

According to Francken, Europe has only itself to blame. “For 30 to 40 years, we’ve invested too little—and too poorly—in our defence and armed forces.”

His conclusion is blunt: “Europe has plenty of soft power—diplomacy, trade—but we’re living in an age of hard power. The world is changing fast, and many of our enemies are becoming increasingly aggressive. That’s why we need the United States.”

From two to five percent

NATO expects each member state to allocate five percent of its 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 to security and defence by 2035. That’s a major leap, especially for a country with a heavily strained budget. “This government has only been in place a few months,” Francken points out. “But this year, we’re finally hitting the two percent mark after ten years of stagnation. That €3.7 billion budget will be used for extra ammunition and support to Ukraine—with plenty of returns for our own companies.”

The next steps, he says, are clear: “First the two percent—Parliament votes on that budget tomorrow. Then comes the strategic vision: ‘What will we do with the money?’ That’s now been approved as well. The following phase will be the structural budget planning for the coming years.”

“We’re actually already at 3.5 percent”

Francken is annoyed by the figures making the rounds. “People say we’re at two percent. That’s not quite accurate. On top of military spending, we already invest another 1.5 percent in broader security. That brings us to 3.5 percent.”

By 2034, the military portion alone will increase to 2.5 percent. “That takes us to four percent. Just one more to go. Plus, there will be an evaluation in 2029 to determine whether five percent is still necessary.”

“We negotiated well,” Francken says. “The original plan was to reach five percent in seven years. We secured ten, with a review point in 2029—and no obligation to increase by exactly 0.2 percent each year.”

Conscription not on the table

Buying weapons is one thing. Finding personnel is another. “Next year, we’ll be recruiting 5,000 people—civilians, soldiers, and reservists.”

Mandatory military service isn’t on the agenda. “We’re starting with a voluntary service year. In November, 113,000 17-year-olds will receive a letter inviting them to visit the Defence Department. Our goal is to persuade 1,000 young people each year.”

“Right now, Defence is incredibly popular,” Francken concludes. “There are more applicants than vacancies. That’s great, of course, but it also means we need enough instructors, medical staff, and so on to keep up.”