Exports by the Flemish defence industry rose sharply last year. Speaking on Thursday, the Flemish Prime Minister Matthias Diependaele (nationalist) said that the total value of defence industry goods for which export licences were granted during 2024 was 140 million euro. This around 60% up on the 87.4 million euro’s worth of defence industry goods that were exported from Flanders in 2023.
66 export licences were granted last year. This 20% more than in 2023.
Flemish defence companies’ exports included tracks for armoured vehicles, target detection systems and aircraft engines. Strategic partners such as the United Kingdom and the United States were the main destination countries.
Number of import licences also up
The number of import licences also increased, with 55 being issued in 2024. The total value of defence industry import into Flanders in 2024 was 8 miilion euro, up from 4.5 million euro in 2023.
The number of transit licences remained stable at 7 with a combined value of 21.5 million euro. 5 of 7 transit licences concerned transit of defence industry goods to Ukraine.
Matthias Diependaele also mentioned exports to Israel. Since 2006, Flanders has refused the export and transit of strategic goods that strengthen Israel's military capacity. Last year, 16 applications were submitted, all for temporary export. Only applications with a proven civilian end-use or for non-problematic end-users outside Israel are eligible for a licence, Diependaele pointed out.