Wallonia aims to relax arms export rules ahead of planned reforms

The Walloon government is quietly easing restrictions on the export of arms ahead of a planned legislative reform later this year. Minister-president Adrien Dolimont (MR) has already granted licences to the United Arab Emirates, despite his predecessor having blocked them, Le Soir reports. This has sparked legal action and the suspension of several permits by the Council of State.

Changes have also been made to the advisory commission that reviews sensitive cases. Christophe Wasinski, a critical member, was removed and replaced with figures closer to government circles. Human rights advocates fear the loss of independent scrutiny.

Non problematic countries

Dolimont has delegated licence approvals for 'non-problematic' countries to the administration, a move that experts say is likely to be illegal and to weaken political accountability. Critics warn that this could obscure transparency and limit oversight.

Industry players are pushing for faster procedures and longer licence validity. Agoria, the sector federation, wants Wallonia to follow France's lead and introduce a 'strategic interest' criterion to counterbalance EU restrictions.

However, experts disagree on whether Wallonia is truly more restrictive than other EU regions. The legal framework is constrained by Belgian constitutional limits, which makes it difficult to remove arms export control from administrative and legal oversight.

 

Walloon Minister President and FWB minister Adrien Dolimont and Vice-President and Walloon Minister in charge of the Economy, Employment, Industry and Training Pierre-Yves Jeholet © ​ BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE


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