{"id":2174088,"date":"2026-10-01T18:15:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T15:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2174088"},"modified":"2026-10-01T18:15:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T15:15:31","slug":"europe-went-all-in-on-soft-power-for-too-long-belgian-defence-minister-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2174088","title":{"rendered":"Europe went all in on soft power for too long, Belgian defence minister says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/18\/48\/1200x675_cmsv2_95db9bc6-38df-581e-8bf5-e0485484050f-9931848.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929513-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2929513\" data-cid=\"9931932\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929513-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/19\/32\/189x106_cmsv2_d2e74cf3-a553-5b47-812f-5a541c785b6f-9931932.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in an interview with Euronews in Ukraine. \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    12 minutes with<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    European security without the US would be \u2018very dangerous&#8217; &#8211; Budanov\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930293-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1\" data-nid=\"2930293\" data-cid=\"9936023\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930293-label-pos2-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/59\/99\/189x106_cmsv2_d22250c4-d90b-54dc-9c81-111272128e2b-9935999.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Unicaja headquarters in M\u00e1laga\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Business<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Jos\u00e9 Sevilla resigns as Unicaja chair and declines to remain at the bank\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930285-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1\" data-nid=\"2930285\" data-cid=\"9935983\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930285-label-pos3-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/32\/88\/189x106_cmsv2_23c17991-463e-5efd-8877-375c4c456375-9933288.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"French far right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella answers reporters following a meeting, on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 in Paris\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Antisemitic messages attributed to French far-right leader published\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930182-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1\" data-nid=\"2930182\" data-cid=\"9935805\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930182-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/54\/59\/189x106_cmsv2_4a964b3a-bed8-5717-83e5-f8923914ffe1-9935459.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"High school students block the entrance to the Voltaire high school in Paris to demand more resources\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    French school protests spread as fires, blockades deepen unrest\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929513-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--has-video\" data-nid=\"2929513\" data-cid=\"9931932\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2929513-label-pos1-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/19\/32\/189x106_cmsv2_d2e74cf3-a553-5b47-812f-5a541c785b6f-9931932.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in an interview with Euronews in Ukraine. \" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    12 minutes with<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    European security without the US would be \u2018very dangerous&#8217; &#8211; Budanov\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930293-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2\" data-nid=\"2930293\" data-cid=\"9936023\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930293-label-pos2-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/59\/99\/189x106_cmsv2_d22250c4-d90b-54dc-9c81-111272128e2b-9935999.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Unicaja headquarters in M\u00e1laga\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Business<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Jos\u00e9 Sevilla resigns as Unicaja chair and declines to remain at the bank\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930285-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2\" data-nid=\"2930285\" data-cid=\"9935983\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930285-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/32\/88\/189x106_cmsv2_23c17991-463e-5efd-8877-375c4c456375-9933288.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"French far right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella answers reporters following a meeting, on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 in Paris\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Antisemitic messages attributed to French far-right leader published\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930182-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2\" data-nid=\"2930182\" data-cid=\"9935805\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930182-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/54\/59\/189x106_cmsv2_4a964b3a-bed8-5717-83e5-f8923914ffe1-9935459.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"High school students block the entrance to the Voltaire high school in Paris to demand more resources\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Europe News<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    French school protests spread as fires, blockades deepen unrest\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Europe<\/p>\n<p>                          My Europe Series<\/p>\n<p>                          The Europe Conversation<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Europe went all in on soft power for too long, Belgian defence minister says<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"js-playercontrols u-height-full u-position-absolute u-width-full is-autoplaying\" data-translations=\"{&quot;error&quot;:&quot;This video could not be played.&quot;,&quot;geoblocked&quot;:&quot;Sorry, this content is not available in your country&quot;,&quot;slow&quot;:&quot;This is taking longer than usual&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"js-loadtrigger js-loadtrigger__button c-loadtrigger__button\" role=\"status\"><span class=\"js-loadtrigger__label c-loadtrigger__label u-visually-hidden\">Loading the video<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/18\/48\/1536x864_cmsv2_95db9bc6-38df-581e-8bf5-e0485484050f-9931848.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken during an interview at Euronews&apos; Defence and Space summit on 30 September 2026.\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken during an interview at Euronews&#8217; Defence and Space summit on 30 September 2026.<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">Euronews<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0Euronews\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspAngela Skujins\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1790878531\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-10-01 20:15:31 +02:00\">01\/10\/2026 &#8211; 20:15 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span 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alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup__content__embed_container u-display-none\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup__content__embed__tooltip\"><br \/>\n                            Copy\/paste the article video embed link below:<br \/>\n                        <\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup__content__embed u-display-flex\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/icon-copy-to-clipboard.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Copy to clipboard\" class=\"u-cursor-pointer js-c-article-share-comment-copy\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup__content__embed--success-copied u-display-none js-c-article-share-comment-video-embed-success-link-copied\"><br \/>\n                                Copied<br \/>\n                            <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        In an interview with Euronews, the Belgian defence minister argued that Europe spent too long focusing on soft power instead of defence.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content js-article-content\">\n<p>Both when it comes to defence capabilities and industry capacities, Europe is in a very difficult position, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken told Euronews. He pointed to the bloc&#8217;s decades-long prioritising of soft power as one reason for this.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>His comments come as the European NATO members are ramping up defence spending and Brussels is rolling out policies to bolster the defence industry. While Francken sees progress being made, he warned Europe does not have all the capabilities it needs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Europe has been very good at investing in soft power, in social security, and it&#8217;s beautiful to have a pension system, to have social welfare systems,&#8221; Francken said in an interview at Euronews&#8217; Defence and Space Summit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When somebody gets sick, when somebody has lost his job, we have everything. But when there&#8217;s war or when there is a hybrid threat, we don&#8217;t have anything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He noted that when it comes specifically to defence spending, Belgium has long been the bad apple.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We neglected this for so long, we were like the worst pupil in NATO class,&#8221; Francken said, again, referring to the emphasis put on soft power.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are the founding father of NATO; we&#8217;re the founding father of the EU. I think that we always were there for diplomacy, for soft power, but when we talked hard power in Belgium, everybody was looking in the other direction.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Belgium reached NATO&#8217;s 2% GDP defence spending threshold for the first time in 2025, rising from a low of 0.97% in 2014. <\/p>\n<p>NATO wants that percentage to reach 3.5% by 2035; however, the country will remain at 2% until 2029 due to its challenging budgetary climate. Belgium currently has one of the worst budget deficits in the eurozone.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Now we doubled the budget; we reached 2%. I know that we add two more, but it&#8217;s quite a process. We&#8217;re doing so much, but I cannot undo in 18 months of being a minister what has been neglected for 40 years.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch the interview with Theo Francken at the Defence and Space Summit here.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  From nuclear to hybrid: The key moments from the Euronews Defence Summit<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  European preference in defence is a &#8216;luxury&#8217; debate, NATO chief tells Euronews<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__item\">\n<h3>\n<p>                  Belgian minister Theo Francken warns Europe: &#8216;Everything has to go faster&#8217; on defence<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto\">\n<ul id=\"adb-article-tags\" class=\"c-tags-list\">\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Russia<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Ukraine<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  hybrid war<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"c-tags-list__item\">\n<section class=\"tc-cta\" data-twig-component=\"Cta-default\">\n  Belgium<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tp-vuukle\">\n<div class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<div class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton__header\"><span class=\"c-vuukle-skeleton__title\">Comments<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"o-article-newsy__aside\">\n<div class=\"c-ad-wrapper o-article-newsy__aside__content-1\" data-ad-name=\"adzone-halfpage\">\n<div class=\"c-ad c-ad-halfpage u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2930230-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2930230\" data-cid=\"9935629\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930230-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/56\/29\/320x180_cmsv2_48a2cb48-29b6-5fd3-9664-b039e6481de0-9935629.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ursula von der Leyen and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    EU turns page on Ukraine&#8217;s $27bn deficit, says all needs are covered<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2930157-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2930157\" data-cid=\"9935288\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930157-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" 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height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"perf-cv-auto c-most-viewed\">\n<h2 class=\"c-most-viewed__title qa-section-title\">Most read<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__list\">\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2929918-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929918\" data-cid=\"9933987\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    How the EU\u2019s new cabin baggage rules will work \u2013 and when they start<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-most-viewed__item\"><span class=\"c-most-viewed__item__number\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2930051-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--has-video 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content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930230-label-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/56\/29\/320x180_cmsv2_48a2cb48-29b6-5fd3-9664-b039e6481de0-9935629.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Ursula von der Leyen and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July.\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    EU turns page on Ukraine&#8217;s $27bn deficit, says all needs are covered<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930157-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2930157\" data-cid=\"9935288\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2930157-label-pos3-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" 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<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2929642-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--has-video the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2929642\" data-cid=\"9932702\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Eiffel Tower director announces departure after row over sidelining of female staff<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2930089-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2930089\" data-cid=\"9934849\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Crete severe weather: Floods, landslides, power cuts, closed schools<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2928865-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2928865\" data-cid=\"9933527\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Where does body fat go when we lose weight?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">Both when it comes to defence capabilities and industry capacities, Europe is in a very difficult position, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken told Euronews. He pointed to the bloc&#8217;s decades-long prioritising of soft power as one reason for this.His comments come as the European NATO members are ramping up defence spending and Brussels is rolling out policies to bolster the defence industry. While Francken sees progress being made, he warned Europe does not have all the capabilities it needs.&#8221;Europe has been very good at investing in soft power, in social security, and it&#8217;s beautiful to have a pension system, to have social welfare systems,&#8221; Francken said in an interview at Euronews&#8217; Defence and Space Summit.&#8221;When somebody gets sick, when somebody has lost his job, we have everything. But when there&#8217;s war or when there is a hybrid threat, we don&#8217;t have anything.&#8221;He noted that when it comes specifically to defence spending, Belgium has long been the bad apple.&#8221;We neglected this for so long, we were like the worst pupil in NATO class,&#8221; Francken said, again, referring to the emphasis put on soft power.&#8221;We are the founding father of NATO; we&#8217;re the founding father of the EU. I think that we always were there for diplomacy, for soft power, but when we talked hard power in Belgium, everybody was looking in the other direction.&#8221;Belgium reached NATO&#8217;s 2% GDP defence spending threshold for the first time in 2025, rising from a low of 0.97% in 2014.NATO wants that percentage to reach 3.5% by 2035; however, the country will remain at 2% until 2029 due to its challenging budgetary climate. Belgium currently has one of the worst budget deficits in the eurozone.&#8221;Now we doubled the budget; we reached 2%. I know that we add two more, but it&#8217;s quite a process. We&#8217;re doing so much, but I cannot undo in 18 months of being a minister what has been neglected for 40 years.&#8221;Watch the interview with Theo Francken at the Defence and Space Summit here.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2026\/10\/01\/europe-went-all-in-on-soft-power-for-too-long-belgian-defence-minister-says&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/93\/18\/48\/1200x675_cmsv2_95db9bc6-38df-581e-8bf5-e0485484050f-9931848.jpg&#8221;] 12 minutes with European security without the US would be \u2018very dangerous&#8217; &#8211; Budanov Business Jos\u00e9 Sevilla resigns as Unicaja chair and declines to remain at the bank Europe News Antisemitic messages attributed to French far-right leader published Europe News French school protests spread as fires, blockades deepen unrest 12 minutes with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-2174088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2174088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2174088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2174088\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2174088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2174088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2174088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}