In his speech given after that of President Emmanuel Macron, King Philippe was keen to underline the importance of the “very special” links which unite France and Belgium, “all the more precious in these times when the world seems to be fragmenting any further”. He congratulated France for its organization of the Olympic Games in Paris, an “enchanted parenthesis”, and did not fail to wink at the sporting event of the evening (even if no television screen was planned for the state dinner, we are assured): the Red Devils’ match against the Blues as part of the Nations League. “It is in the same spirit of friendship and fair play that we will vibrate. Even if, of course, I secretly harbor the hope of a victory.”
The King and Queen on state visit to France until Wednesday
Belgians and French are “linked by a deep and sincere friendship” and “have always found a common path, paved with shared projects”, notes the sovereign. In this regard, he quotes General de Gaulle, who received King Baudouin within the walls of the same Élysée palace in 1961: “Since the visit of Albert the First, there has been no dispute between Belgium and France only reasons to esteem each other, to ally and love each other.”
“However, nothing should be taken for granted,” he warns: the conflict in Ukraine, environmental challenges, pandemics, highlight the interest in collaboration between countries on all these levels. Solutions to global challenges “require ever closer European collaboration”, a vision that the French president has always defended, observes King Philippe.
“If we want our nations to shine more, it is urgent to build together this strategic, energy and industrial autonomy, this European sovereignty which you already defended in 2017, and which today we wish to see fully embodied”, supports he. He applauds the “determining” role played by France in the implementation of the European post-Covid recovery plan NextGeneration EU, based on a common debt mechanism that was still unthinkable on this scale shortly before.
“In this world plagued by uncertainty, I would like to plead for a burst of responsibility on the part of all of us,” he concludes. “‘Fatality is no one, responsibility is someone’, wrote Paul Ricoeur, this great philosopher who meant so much to you and who taught in Louvain”, he addressed to Emmanuel Macron . “It is time, more than ever, to take charge of our common destiny and to fully assume our role in the reorganization of the world.”
Before the King of the Belgians spoke, the French president stressed that “welcoming Belgium, for France, is a bit like celebrating a family reunion and a neighbor’s party all at the same time.” “45,000 people cross the border every day to work,” he observes, also referring to the numerous French people (“some 8,000”) with disabilities who are taken care of in Belgium.
“We have been unfailingly allied for two centuries in the same camp, that of freedom and the rule of law,” adds the French president, referring to “our anchoring in the heart of Europe”, which “makes our countries the engine of a stronger, more united, more sovereign Union.
Economic cooperation is obvious, but it is also “university, academic, scientific”.
The French president’s speech was also tinged with humor: “There are two areas in which Belgium and France will always oppose each other: the first is football,” he said. “The most publicized Franco-Belgian meeting this evening, I must be lucid, it is at the King Baudouin Stadium”. The second fight “is played out through attacks of humor”, he adds, referring to typical “Belgian” jokes, and vice versa. “Long live Franco-Belgian friendship,” he concluded.
Among the prestigious guests of the meal, business leader Bernard Arnault, boss of the LVMH group. But also the Flemish writer Bart Van Loo, history enthusiast, media personality and recognized Francophile, or the Flemish landscape architect Bas Smets, who won the competition to redevelop the surroundings of Notre-Dame Cathedral. On the political level, the Prime Minister of the government for current affairs, Alexander De Croo, made the trip with his wife, as well as the former Prime Minister and current President of the European Council Charles Michel.
The King discovered the future Defense vehicles
The King’s state visit to France highlighted, Monday afternoon, the strategic partnership between the French and Belgian armies, an “absolutely unprecedented” project which should ultimately allow interchangeable units between French and Belgian Brigade battalions. motorized.
The little name of the strategic partnership, sealed in 2018: CaMo, for “motorized capacity”. The heart of the agreement is in fact the purchase, for the Belgian army, of armored vehicles similar to those used by France. Four of these vehicles were presented to the King on Monday afternoon at the Hôtel des Invalides: two types of “Griffon”, one used mainly for transporting troops (a “combat taxi”, notes a soldier), the The other serving more as command posts, a Jaguar, an armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle equipped with a cannon and anti-tank missiles, and a Caesar, a heavy artillery system mounted on a truck.
France has been using the Griffon since 2019, and Belgium should receive the first “at the end of 2025”, with cupolas which, unlike those of the French models, will be installed there by FN Herstal.
“It’s a big step forward, in terms of resources,” underlines Warrant Officer Hanosset, Griffon instructor in the 1st African Hunter Regiment, on the sidelines of the visit. He himself is a Belgian soldier “inserted” into a regiment of the French army, as part of the CaMo partnership. He has several dozen Belgian colleagues who are in the same situation. Following the example of his career, Belgians will be trained in France in the driving and maintenance of these vehicles “until 2028”. “The Griffon instructor training lasts 4 weeks, and to train first-time pilots, it takes three weeks,” he notes.
But the collaboration planned by CaMo goes beyond using the same vehicles and sharing training. “The goal is to be truly interoperable”, between the land components of the two armies, indicates the adjutant. “The work doctrine, equipment, and procedures (communication, combat, etc.) will be the same.” The backbone of the partnership is in fact the communication system that equips all these vehicles.
They are equipped with a central system of networked radios. “Ultimately, if a vehicle detects something with its sensors, it will be able to send the signal to surrounding vehicles, perhaps better equipped to intervene in the face of the threat,” illustrates Christoph Huys, CaMo officer at the Force and Operations Command. Terrestrials (CFOT), based in Lille. In the longer term, the communications system could share the positions of friendly and enemy elements, and propose an appropriate intervention in response, he adds.
The CaMo partnership is part of broader military cooperation. Last May, representatives of the two governments signed an agreement providing for the French purchase of small caliber ammunition from FN Herstal and collaboration for the creation of a future assembly line in France. Another example of the close links between military sectors on both sides of the border: the Belgian company John Cockerill finalized this summer the acquisition of the French Arquus, manufacturer of armored vehicles. He is also one of the builders of the Griffon.
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