Newly appointed Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on his first appearance at an EU summit on Tuesday that it would be a mistake for Europe to think it can defend itself. He added that Europe must continue its alliance with the US within NATO, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
In his speech, Belgium's new leader also promised to increase defence spending. "We hope to increase military spending to 2% of gross domestic product. Talks about more ambitious targets in this direction will be held at a later stage," De Wever told reporters ahead of an informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.