{"id":10976,"date":"2025-12-10T20:08:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T21:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.globaltalenthq.com\/?p=10976"},"modified":"2025-12-15T19:20:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:20:10","slug":"eu-stealing-russian-money-unwise-belgian-pm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.globaltalenthq.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/10\/eu-stealing-russian-money-unwise-belgian-pm\/","title":{"rendered":"EU \u2018stealing\u2019 Russian money \u2018unwise\u2019 \u2013 Belgian PM"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bart De Wever has threatened to sue the bloc if it puts his country at risk by forcing an illegal seizure of Russian assets<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest “very unwise and ill-considered”<\/em> EU proposal to tap frozen Russian sovereign assets would amount to “stealing,”<\/em> Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Wednesday, according to VRT news.<\/p>\n Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed using the assets to back a loan for Ukraine, adding that the decision could be made by a qualified majority of EU members, potentially bypassing Belgian opposition.<\/p>\n Belgium faces the biggest legal and financial risks as the bulk of the Russian money, €185 billion ($216 billion), is held in Belgium-based clearing house Euroclear.<\/p>\n “There really are better solutions than stealing money from the Russian central bank… I find it very unwise and ill-considered,”<\/em> De Wever said, according to VRT.<\/p>\n It’s money from a country we’re not at war with… It would be like getting into an embassy, taking all the furniture and selling it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n De Wever said he’s not ruling out taking legal action against the EU if it decides to push for a decision that is “at odds with legality”<\/em> and “poses great risks”<\/em> to Belgium.<\/p>\n \n Von der Leyen’s proposal seeks to provide Ukraine with €90 billion over the next two years. One of its key points is a long-debated ‘reparations loan’ backed by the frozen Russian assets that would require financial institutions holding the assets to transfer them to a new loan instrument.<\/p>\n\n
\n READ MORE: <\/span>EU risks \u2018deep split\u2019 over push to steal frozen Russian assets \u2013 Economist
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