Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken has reached an agreement with his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, to enhance collaboration with Belgian industry in the procurement of hundreds of French armoured vehicles, reports De Tijd on Thursday.
Francken told the newspaper that he and Lecornu signed a joint declaration committing to strengthening bilateral industrial cooperation. He stated that this partnership will not only deepen military collaboration but also bolster Belgium’s national defence industry.
The agreement follows a critical report by the Belgian Court of Audit, highlighting rising costs in the CaMo programme for acquiring French armoured vehicles and noting limited economic returns for the Belgian industry.
The French consortium producing the Griffon, Jaguar, and Serval armoured vehicles has already proposed concrete investment opportunities in Belgium, which are currently under review. Minister Francken will only approve a third round of vehicle purchases if the economic returns are deemed satisfactory.
