Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on April 29, apparently seeking more substantial economic and industrial benefits from the 2018 armored vehicle deal than initially agreed. De Wever described the visit as a “success,” with a source indicating that Paris is willing to make “efforts” to “rebalance the returns” from the deal.
In 2018, Belgium approved the “CaMo” deal to acquire 60 Jaguar combat vehicles and 382 Griffon light armored vehicles from French defense companies by 2028. This was intended as the start of a strategic partnership and potentially lead to further purchases, including mortar-equipped Griffons, Caesar howitzer guns, Serval armored vehicles, and anti-aircraft systems. However, Belgium now seems to be pushing for a greater share of economic benefits from the agreement, which was initially valued at €1.6 billion but could end up costing more.
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