Report 05 Sep 2026

Public Sector - Market View - Belgium

Belgium’s public sector has been driven by security- and resilience-led initiatives, underpinned by higher defense spending, new public data storage guidelines and controls, and stricter cybersecurity enforcement. Government (federal, regional, local), defense, healthcare, and education end users increasingly engage on a risk-first basis, with multi-year frameworks one of the main purchasing approaches to IT and software. Providers with local delivery, security clearances, and compliance services are gaining an edge while pure resellers and offshore delivery will have to adjust to this shift.

Key findings:

  • Defense is one of the most promising areas of opportunity after Belgium committed 2% GDP to defense, a €34bn plan for 2026-2034, and the €3.7bn ODIN program, a new defense innovation initiative from June 2026. This has led IT services providers to boost their clearances and expertise, including Cegeka, which acquired 3Point, a cybersecurity specialist with a strong footprint in defense and public safety.
  • Sovereignty-related consulting and capabilities are growing. Smals, the IT organization for Belgian public services, chose Google Cloud in June 2026 while retaining sensitive data in its own cloud under portability clauses, while Cegeka and KEYES launched a Belgian-controlled cloud (SEAL 3+).
  • Cybersecurity rules are enforced, as of April 2026, essential entities must prove NIS2 compliance, with fines up to €10m.
  • Tight budgets and cautious AI adoption, according to the Federal Digital Agency’s target of up to €100m in savings, keeping legacy applications and infrastructure under pressure. AI adoption starts in back-office processes, while citizen-facing use cases await stronger governance.