The Belgian minister also announced that his country had joined Canada, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Spain and the Czech Republic in a joint plan to procure up to 10 Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft.
In a separate multinational initiative, Belgium welcomed Finland into the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) programme alongside the Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Francken said the shared tanker fleet would enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy while reinforcing NATO’s collective capabilities.
He said higher defence spending must translate into tangible military capabilities through closer industrial cooperation among allies.
“If we want to rearm our armies on time and cost-effectively, more industrial cooperation is needed. Not just within Europe, but also between Europe, the US, and Türkiye,” he said, calling for a “Made in NATO” approach to reduce protectionist barriers and accelerate rearmament.
Francken also said Europe should assume a greater share of NATO’s responsibilities while maintaining strong transatlantic ties.
“For some capabilities (think air defence, satellite communications, tanker and radar aircraft), Europe still depends on the US for now. That’s why we need to fill those gaps more quickly,” he wrote.
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