Legally, nothing prevents the government from opting for the Rafale

A legal opinion drafted by the law firm Eubelius (founded by the current Minister of Justice Koen Geens) states that the Belgian government has the right to examine the French offer for the replacement of the F-16 , reports the RTBF Thursday. France has chosen not to follow the official procedure launched by Belgium to replace its fighter jets.

Instead, he proposed the sale of 34 Rafale aircraft via a strategic government-to-government partnership. The federal executive is very cautious about this proposal, fearing recourse from the US and British candidates, who have chosen to respect the Request for Governal proposal.

However, according to Eubelius, the procedure can not be considered a market public. Belgium could therefore derogate from certain rules on public procurement "whenever it is necessary to preserve the essential interests of Belgium", the opinion states.