Belgium's Federal Government wants energy investments that make the country more independent from countries such as Russia to count as defence spending towards the 5% NATO standard.
At the end of June, NATO member states agreed in The Hague to invest 5% of their gross domestic product in defence by 2035. Of that percentage, 3.5% is for direct military expenditure, while the other 1.5% is interpreted more broadly as "expenditure to strengthen resilience." This would include infrastructure works, among other things.
For Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet (MR), certain energy investments could also be included, De Standaard reported on Thursday. He includes the security of nuclear power plants, but possibly also the extension of the lifespan of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors, support for offshore wind farms or battery parks, or investments in the energy island.
The amount that the government could charge in this way depends on the price of electricity from year to year and is therefore difficult to predict.
