Will the New Government Safely Navigate Belgium through Turbulent International Waters?

Verstraete, W. (Ed.) (2025). Will the New Government Safely Navigate Belgium through Turbulent International Waters? A Young Scholars’ Review of National Security. Egmont papers, (130), 1-26. https://www.egmontinstitute.be/app/uploads/2025/04/Verstraete-et-al_Paper_130_Final.pdf?type=pdf

EU and strategic partners, EU strategy and foreign policy, Europe in the World 

A Young Scholars’ Review of National Security

Introduction by Wannes Verstraete 

“Yes, our country is vulnerable”, said Belgian Major-General Phaleg Bernard during a hearing in the Defence Commission from the Chamber of Representatives in October 2024.1 The remarks by him and other senior officers stressed the urgent necessity of accelerating the modernisation of Belgium’s military forces at a moment when the government negotiations were ongoing. By the end of January 2025, these negotiations proved to be successful. The new De Wever Government released its coalition agreement and was sworn in on 3 February 2025.2 As is often the case in Belgium, the coalition is made up of different ideological parties, namely the N-VA (conservative Flemish nationalist); MR (Francophone liberals); cd&v (Flemish Christian democrats); Les Engagés (Francophone centrists); and Vooruit (Flemish social democrats).