The real test moment of pooling, the renewal of the F-16s (P. De Crem)

(BRUSSELS2) The Belgian Defense Minister, Pieter De Crem, is not automatically enthusiastic about this idea of ​​a "European pillar", developed by his Foreign Affairs counterparts. B2 asked him about this.

P. De Crem prefers to highlight the “pooling of resources and the necessary investment in resources, in operations, in financing”. “What we decided in Ghent - with pooling and sharing - found its translation into NATO's 'smart defence'. There is a psychological consensus. he explains.

The real test moment will be, for him, when it comes to choosing a successor to the F16. " This will be the first moment of truth, to know if the NATO partners agree to make a trajectory on this point »

NATO, the most successful organization

As for " NATO, it remains the most efficient organization to guarantee the collective organization. And we will invest ourselves as European partners in future projects. And these future projects must really arrive at a sharing of means. "And to affirm how much" We must maintain our attachment to the structure of NATO and to the effectiveness of the politico-military organization »