'Europe has become an old continent': Belgian PM warns US, China are surpassing Europe
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Europe has become an old continent': Belgian PM warns US, China are surpassing Europe")
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever Photograph: (AFP)
Belgian PM Bart De Wever warns Europe is falling behind the US and China in innovation, productivity and defence as Belgium prepares major budget cuts
Europe is falling behind the United States and China in innovation and productivity and is struggling to take responsibility for its own defence, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Monday. "All of Europe is in difficulty, the world is changing very quickly, and Europe has become an old continent. The Chinese and Americans are surpassing us; we are no longer at the forefront in innovation and productivity, so we are taking hits from all sides," De Wever told broadcaster Bel RTL.
"We are not capable of taking care of our own defense; we are humiliated all the time," he added. De Wever said Europeans were increasingly aware of the challenges confronting the continent and believed the public was prepared to accept difficult measures to address them. "So people know very well that we need to get moving, and certainly in Belgium, we are in serious trouble," he said.
His comments came as Belgium's federal government prepares a major budget-cutting drive, with a target of identifying around €10 billion ($11.7 billion) in savings by 2029. The Belgian prime minister acknowledged that the measures would affect people across the country, rather than being limited to a small section of society. "I am not sleeping well, and I think about it a lot," he said, referring to the difficult budget decisions ahead.
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"We are in a situation where everyone will feel the consequences of what we do, no matter how we do it," he added.
De Wever also warned against the idea that increasing government revenues could be achieved simply by asking wealthy taxpayers to shoulder the burden. "If we seek revenue, it will be from the rich. And someone who is rich is always richer than you. You are never rich; it's someone else, richer than you, who has to pay the bills," he said.
He also pointed to the tendency among people to believe that spending cuts should affect someone else rather than themselves. "Everyone thinks: if we make savings, it will be at my neighbour's expense, not mine," he added. The remarks underline the economic and strategic pressures facing Belgium and Europe as governments grapple with sluggish productivity, competitiveness concerns, rising defence requirements and difficult fiscal choices.
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