Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is meeting King Philippe on Monday to tender his resignation amid the threat of the collapse of his coalition government over attempts to reduce the budget deficit by €10 billion. Politico reports, according to UNN.
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever will meet King Philippe on Monday to offer his resignation. This comes amid the threat of the collapse of the five-party coalition, whose members cannot agree on reducing the budget deficit by €10 billion.
Over the weekend, government representatives tried to reach an agreement on next year's budget. However, the negotiations ended unsuccessfully on Monday morning. Tuesday was considered the unofficial deadline for concluding a deal, as the budget must receive parliamentary approval by the end of the year.
During the negotiations, De Wever sought to demonstrate to financial markets that Belgium is fulfilling its obligations to the European Union. In 2025, the country's budget deficit stood at 5.2% of GDP, and next year it is forecast to rise even further.
The prime minister had previously ruled out starting the new year with a temporary budget that would allow the government to continue spending in accordance with last year's budget.
The main disagreements during the negotiations arose between the Flemish socialists from the Vooruit party and the French-speaking center-right Reformist Movement (MR).
The socialists insisted on raising taxes for citizens with the highest incomes. In contrast, MR representatives rejected this proposal and opposed a broader reform of the value-added tax.
"There were still too many taxes on the table," said Reformist Movement Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval after the negotiations ended. At the same time, he did not rule out resuming the talks as early as Monday.
Budget negotiations in Belgium also dragged on last year. In November, De Wever asked King Philippe to extend the deadline for reaching an agreement. The monarch granted the government an additional 50 days.
If snap elections are held in Belgium, support for radical political forces may grow. According to polls, the far-right Vlaams Belang party and the far-left Workers' Party (PTB-PVDA) are showing strong results.