Belgian Vice-Premier Pushes for a United, More Assertive Europe and Calls U.S. Ambassador to Stay Quiet

Maxime Prévot, Belgium’s vice-premier and foreign minister, travelled to the Netherlands for Prinsjesdag, accompanied by Dutch foreign minister Tom Berendsen and Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel, marking the first foreign-minister attendance at the royal speech. He argued that a tighter Benelux partnership would boost Europe’s competitiveness and security, citing joint initiatives in the Arctic and North Atlantic and recent rocket launches from Norway’s Andoya site.

Prévot also pointed to Norway’s gas pipeline to Zeebrugge as a strategic energy link for the EU. He rebuked U.S. ambassador Bill White for his public comments on Belgian issues, asking him to stay silent, while acknowledging ongoing U.S.-Belgium cooperation on LNG, nuclear expertise and defence. The vice-premier concluded that Europe must act as a unified, decisive actor to maintain global respect.