Further budget cuts threaten security and prosperity, Foreign Affairs chief warns
Belgium’s Foreign Affairs department cannot make further cuts without serious consequences, department head Theodora Gentzis said on Saturday in De Morgen and L’Echo.
The service's operational budget has shrunk by 12.5 per cent over the past 15 years and the number of staff deployed has fallen by 19 per cent. Belgium has 115 diplomatic missions around the world, 15 per cent less than it did 15 years ago.
“At the same time, what is expected of us has increased significantly, especially given the global crises,” Gentzis said, referring to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and war in the Middle East and Afghanistan, which all put pressure on Belgian embassies and consulates.
"If we reduce the resources of Belgian diplomacy, it will have an impact on the country"s prosperity and security," she said. "You have to look at Foreign Affairs as an investment, not as a cost. It is an investment in the prosperity and security of the country."
Gentzis has been head of the department since November and is responsible for administrative and operational management. She previously worked as director-general of European Affairs at the ministry.
Theodora Gentzis © BELGA PHOTO NOE ZIMMER
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