Belgium says Europe must take responsibility for its own security

LONDON

The Belgian prime minister said Wednesday that Europe's "long break" from history is "over," stressing that Europe has to take its own responsibility for security.

"As Europeans, we should realize that our long break from history is over and that we have to take our own responsibility for the security of our own continent in a very difficult time," Bart De Wever told reporters in The Hague, where he is attending the annual NATO leaders' summit.

Heads of state and government are meeting in the Netherlands, and increasing defense spending is top of the agenda.

"I think 3.5% over 10 years is a realistic figure. It will not be easy to achieve it, though," said De Wever.

The prime minister went on to say that there are no exemptions, despite Spain’s objection to the target, adding: "Everybody accepts the same text."

"It's a matter of interpretation. You have to do the 5% and the capabilities. And the interpretation of Spain is that they can realize the capabilities without doing 3.5% of the GDP."

He noted that these kinds of figures were achieved during the Cold War, "but we have not been used to that for decades; we will have to take difficult decisions."