Belgian minister accuses US of 'ideological attack' on Europe’s social model

Belgium's health minister on Tuesday accused the US of waging an "ideological attack" on Europe's social model, as a diplomatic dispute escalated following criticism from Washington's ambassador to Brussels.

Frank Vandenbroucke made the remarks in Paris, where he is attending a conference on European healthcare policy, responding to repeated criticism by US President Donald Trump that Europe spends too little on pharmaceutical research while benefiting from lower medicine prices.

He acknowledged that the US invests more in research and development but argued that this is largely because private intermediaries reap high profit margins, the Belga news agency reported.

He also said the EU should take a firmer stance when Washington threatens tariffs against EU countries.

"The European Union is a protective shield against bilateral intimidation. We should make this much clearer to our citizens," Vandenbroucke said.

The comments came a day after US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White sharply criticized the minister and accused Belgium of antisemitism over the prosecution of three Jewish ritual circumcisers in Antwerp.

White described the case as "ABSOLUTELY an issue of antisemitism" on the US social media company X.

He also said Vandenbroucke was "very rude" and claimed the minister disliked the US president.

Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot summoned White for a meeting, calling his remarks "unacceptable."

"Any suggestion that Belgium is antisemitic is false, offensive, and unacceptable," Prevot said, stressing that combating antisemitism and discrimination is a national priority.

He added that ritual circumcision is permitted under Belgian law when performed by qualified physicians and that the case cited by the ambassador is under judicial investigation.

Prevot warned that accusing Belgium of antisemitism amounted to "dangerous disinformation" and said an accredited ambassador must respect the country's institutions and judicial independence.

"Personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate basic diplomatic norms," he said, adding that Belgium remains open to dialogue but that "respect for sovereignty works both ways."