De Wever does not rule out legal action if EU bypasses Belgium over frozen Russian assets
Prime minister Bart De Wever has not ruled out Belgium taking legal action if the European Union moves ahead with plans to use Russian assets held at Euroclear without fully addressing Belgian concerns. He made the remarks in the Chamber or Representatives on Wednesday.
Despite European pressure, Belgium remains opposed to using the frozen Russian assets held at Euroclear for a loan to Ukraine. The issue will be discussed at a European summit on 18 December, when other EU member states could seek to push through a decision by qualified majority, without Belgian backing.
On Wednesday, De Wever questioned whether such a move would be legally sound if based on Article 122, which is intended for emergency situations. He argued that such conditions do not apply at present. On his way into the Chamber, De Wever also told television cameras that legal action could not be excluded if a decision is taken that he considers unlawful.
"If a decision is taken which I believe is manifestly at odds with legality, which does not make sense and which involves very great risks for this country, then you cannot rule anything out," he said.
De Wever restated three conditions Belgium would require if other countries nevertheless decide to proceed. These include the mutualisation of financial risks for a period of at least 16 years, safeguards for liquidity and a fair distribution of the burden. The latter, he said, would mean that other countries that also hold frozen Russian assets must accept the same risks.
The prime minister said he had the impression that German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who visited him in Brussels on Friday, understood the logic behind Belgium’s position and that it had no intention of obstructing Europe. If the three conditions can be secured by the 18 December summit, Belgian approval is not impossible, he added.
"It is not in our DNA to play some kind of Hungary in Europe," De Wever said. Still, he remains sceptical if the other EU countries will meet his demands. "It is a lot of work for one week, and I continue to argue for other solutions to finance Ukraine."
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
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