Our Walloon Minister for Economy, Pierre-Yves Jeholet, recently outlined Wallonia's ambitious strategy to position Defence as a leading sector in the south of the country.
Against a tense international backdrop, economic prospects for companies active in the arms industry are growing strongly, particularly in Wallonia, which accounts for the vast majority of the sector's jobs and turnover in Belgium.
However, Pierre-Yves Jeholet insists that this development must be structured and controlled. He highlights the strength of the Walloon ecosystem, made up of internationally recognised players such as FN Herstal, Thalès, Sonaca and John Cockerill. To support this growth, the government recently invested €100 million via Wallonie Entreprendre in FN, while planning up to €750 million in industrial investments over five years, a large share of which is dedicated to Defence.
Beyond investment, measures are underway to streamline arms export licensing procedures and make legislation more competitive compared with the rest of Europe. Innovation is also part of the strategy, with Wallonia focusing in particular on its technological expertise in drones.
A “Defence” task force has been set up to support SMEs in the sector, meet the needs of the Belgian army and provide access to European programmes. The aim is also societal, with the potential for thousands of new jobs and growing public acceptance of the defence industry.
Pierre-Yves Jeholet stresses the need to consolidate decision-making centres in Wallonia and to remain vigilant about the regional economic spin-offs.