France promises greater economic return for Belgian defence industry
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Defence minister Theo Francken has reached an agreement with his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu, to increase collaboration with Belgian industry on the order for hundreds of French armoured vehicles, De Tijd reports.
Francken told the newspaper that he and Lecornu had signed a joint declaration in which "we commit to strengthening our bilateral industrial cooperation". "Thanks to this partnership, we will not only intensify our military cooperation within the army, but above all, strengthen our national defence industry," he said.
The agreement follows a critical report from the Court of Auditors on the rising costs of the CaMo programme for the delivery of French armoured vehicles. The report also noted that the expected economic return for Belgian industry was minimal.
The French consortium producing the Griffon, Jaguar and Serval armoured vehicles has already made concrete proposals for investment in Belgium, which are under review. Francken has made clear that he will only approve a third round of vehicle purchases if these proposals demonstrate a balanced economic return.
Belgian minister of defence Theo Francken and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu pose in front of KNDS armoured vehicles in Roanne, France on 12 June, 2025 © PHOTO VERO MARTIN / HANS LUCAS
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