“The European Union began to consider a tougher approach to Belgium, which blocks the idea of paying Ukraine a “reparation loan” from frozen Russian assets, in particular, they do not rule out ignoring the Belgian government headed by Bart De Wever.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever. Photo by Getty Images Source: “European Truth” with reference to Politico
Details: The publication writes that a week before the meeting of the leaders, the tone of the EU in communication with Belgium becomes more serious.
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According to one of the European diplomats, if De Wever continues to block the plan, he will find himself in an uncomfortable and unusual position – in particular, he will face isolation and ignoring, like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Belgium is also now being told that if it does not join the agreement, its diplomats, ministers and leaders will “lose their right to vote in the EU”.
In particular, European officials will ignore Belgium’s wishes and fears related to the long-term EU budget for 2028-2034. This could become a serious problem for her government.
One of the diplomats noted that Belgium’s opinion on EU proposals will not be taken into account, and telephone calls from representatives of the country will not be answered.
The publication also writes that it is potentially possible that decisions on the reparation loan can be made by a qualified majority, ignoring Belgium’s refusal. But diplomats say it is not being seriously considered.
As you know, De Wever has long resisted the plan to finance the loan at the expense of frozen Russian assets, which, by the way, are mainly located in Belgium. He fears that Belgium will be in a difficult position if the money has to be returned, so he wants additional security measures.
In particular, De Wever proposes that the EU provide an additional cash reserve in addition to financial guarantees and enhanced security measures to cover potential legal disputes and settlements. But many European governments are against this idea.
Belgium has sent a list of amendments to the European Commission’s proposal that it wants to make to ensure that it will not be forced to pay Russia money itself if the sanctions are lifted. De Wever said he would not support the reparation loan if his concerns were not addressed.
Prehistory:
- The day before, De Wever did not rule out legal action if the European Commission approves a plan for the use of frozen Russian assets unacceptable to his country.
- The Financial Times wrote that the EU intends to quickly adopt a law on the indefinite blocking of Russian assets worth 210 billion euros in order to avoid a veto by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.