Belgian army has outstanding debts of EUR 80,000

30 July 2008

BELGIUM – Delay in paying has amounted to the Belgian army having an outstanding amount of EUR 80,000.

The army barracks in Brasschaat at Antwerp province almost saw the water supply cut off as a bill had been left unpaid since 2007.

MP David Geerts from the Flemish socialist party says the department of defence has always been a bit slow to pay outstanding bills, but he claims the situation has never as bad as it is now.

"Since October 2007, but especially this year, a large number of invoices has not been paid," Geerts says.

The socialist MP claims the department of defence has no money left, as the defence budget has been spent on foreign missions, including the mission in Afghanistan.

"They apparently prefer kerosene for their fighter jets over water for our soldiers", Geerts concludes. He refers to the expensive Afghanistan mission that received the go-ahead from the government despite experts saying it would cost too much.

[flandersnews.be / Expatica]