Draft Flemish Arms Trade Decree: Analysis and recommendations
June 8, 2026On 8 May 2026, the Flemish Government gave its final approval to the draft decree regulating the import, export, transit and transfer of military goods, civilian firearms, essential components and ammunition (Arms Trade Decree) to replace the Arms Trade Decree of 2012. In this report, IPIS and Amnesty International Flanders conclude that the draft fails to ensure effective control of the arms trad
Press release: Flemish government weakens controls on the arms trade
May 18, 2026The Flemish Government has finalized a new draft of its Arms Trade Decree. IPIS and Amnesty International are raising serious concerns, as the proposal significantly weakens controls on the international arms trade and fails to meet Flanders’ international obligations. Both organizations are calling on members of parliament to thoroughly revise the draft.
Peace and security in Belgian foreign policy – Key takeaways of our recent conference at the Federal Parliament
November 3, 2025On October 20th, IPIS, in collaboration with Search for Common Ground, organized a conference at the Federal Parliament on peace and security in Belgian foreign policy. This conference brought together various voices to reflect on the role Belgium can play in a world marked by complex conflicts, as well as the importance of cooperation between the 3Ds: defense, diplomacy, and development.
Belgian arms exports to Israel: The discrepancy between words and deeds in export control policy
March 5, 2024In this report, Vredesactie and IPIS take a critical look at Belgium’s policy on the export and transit of defense-related goods and dual-use goods to Israel. The new Gaza war puts this arms trade policy back in the spotlight. The regional governments, responsible for arms trade, regularly claim to assume the highest standards. And according to current policies, Belgium does indeed have a strin
Belgium’s fight against conflict diamonds: an assessment of the country’s diamond sector controls from a global perspective
May 31, 2021In its new report, IPIS assesses Belgium’s fight against conflict diamonds. The report focusses on the Belgian city of Antwerp, which has played a central role in the global diamond trade for centuries. Yet as the world’s diamond hub, Antwerp not only attracted the best but also the worst of this diverse industry. In no uncertain terms, a series of UN and NGO reports linking Antwerp to bloody civi
National Baseline Assessment – Business and Human Rights in Belgium
March 17, 2021IPIS contributed to the Belgian National Baseline Assessment (NBA). The report covers the findings and recommendations of the NBA. The NBA charts the progress made by Belgian authorities and companies since the launch of Belgium’s first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, in June 2017. The research was commissioned by the Belgian Federal Institute for Sustainable Developme
Colombia, België en de wapenindustrie
June 10, 2002België en andere landen van de Europese Unie toonden zich weinig enthousiast wanneer de toenmalige Colombiaanse president Andrés Pastrana vroeg om steun voor zijn Plan Colombia. Een versie van dat Plan werd immers door de Clinton Administratie herwerkt tot een exportsubsidie voor de Amerikaanse zware wapenindustrie. Pastrana hoopte van Europa een sociaal-economisch luik gefinancierd te krijgen van
Belgische wapenexport in cijfers (121)
April 17, 1999In deze brochure geeft Isabelle Vanachter een uitvoerig overzicht van de Belgische wapenuitvoer van de jongste twintig jaar. Op basis van officiële gegevens, parlementaire vragen en antwoorden en andere beschikbare informatie worden de cijfers beoordeeld en worden schattingen gemaakt van het aandeel van kleine wapens in deze exportcijfers. De lezer krijgt meteen ook een overzicht van de belangrijk
