Belgium’s De Croo: ‘It’s time for Europe to move away from a purely national approach on energy’

Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo speaks during a plenary session of the Chamber at the Federal Parliament in Brussels on April 20, 2023.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / AFP

Flemish liberal Alexander De Croo, 47, has been leading a seven-party Belgian coalition government since 2020. On Monday, April 24, he is to host a summit of North Sea countries in Ostend with representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Luxembourg. The European Commission will also take part.

What is the objective of this meeting?

The primary goal is to move from announcements to action, and from innovation to industrialization, in the field of renewable energy. This field is now of geostrategic importance. The nine countries concerned must agree on the objectives to be achieved, the standardization and the interconnection processes. It is time for Europe to use all the advantages of its size and to move away from a purely national logic in the field of energy.

Did the war in Ukraine accelerate this project?

The conflict has obviously turned energy policy into a major geopolitical issue. And, furthermore, securing energy infrastructure has become a key issue. The crisis we have experienced was caused by our dependence on fossil fuels produced by a country with which we have a fundamental disagreement. Exploiting Europe’s technological leadership is the only way to protect ourselves against exorbitant price increases: Renewable energy is one of our best weapons for this. In my country, which has a small maritime area and only 67 kilometers of coastline, it covered almost a quarter of consumption in February.

The North Sea energy infrastructure has apparently already been the target of Russian espionage…

Yes, and Belgium is, more generally, a central location for political and military decision-making. We are aware of this special role. In particular, we plan to double the number of our intelligence services during this legislature in order to safeguard all our institutions and those based here. The recent exposure of the scandal of alleged corruption in the European Parliament by foreign states is a case in point. Like other countries, we have already expelled Russian diplomats.

Ukraine is demanding more resources and the translation of European commitments into action, particularly with regard to weaponry. Is the European Union procrastinating so as not to show its differences?

The unity that we have displayed displeases Russia, which did everything it could, long before the war, to try to break it. And it cannot be denied that our Ukrainian partner has a tendency to push us to go further, which means that we sometimes take the time to think about aligning our positions. There may of course be differences between us, but we can be proud of the action we are taking and will take in the long term. It is understandable that President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling for more weapons faster. But we must constantly find a balance between his demands and our own security and strategic imperatives. This is not easy.

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