Prime Minister Alexander De Croo seeks to reach the NATO standard of allocating 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence by 2029, bringing forward the existing target of 2035 set by his government.
The Liberal Prime Minister's position, which corresponds to the policy of his party Open VLD, sparked surprise within both the opposition and some majority ranks.
The Prime Minister was questioned in Thursday's plenary session of the Chamber about NATO's 75th anniversary. He reiterated the position of the Flemish Liberals on this issue.
The Prime Minister’s explicit reference to his own party’s position in the question session was unusual. "The fact that the Prime Minister used the platform to talk about his party is unprecedented and demonstrates that he was not speaking on behalf of the entire government," responded opposition group leader N-VA’s Peter De Roover.
He argues that De Croo breached the recently introduced ministerial code of ethics, which dictates that "each member of the government must operate under the general rule of consensus."
The statement also provoked reactions within the majority. "A deputy questions the government to understand the government’s position. Question time is not a party congress," complained an MP from the ruling majority, describing the incident as "a bit strange."
