Formateur De Wever meets King without budget agreement
Federal formateur Bart De Wever met King Philippe on Friday to provide an update on government formation progress. While he did not present an interim agreement on the budget, steady progress is reportedly being made, with negotiations potentially extending into the Christmas holidays.
On Thursday, negotiators from N-VA, MR, Les Engagés, Vooruit and CD&V dedicated the entire day to discussions on migration. This followed several days of tackling the remaining issues in non-socioeconomic dossiers. Earlier in the week, safety and health were addressed.
Despite these efforts, De Wever did not take a partial budget agreement to the Palace. Since the extension of his mandate, discussions have focused on critical reforms in labour markets, pensions and taxation. However, an all-encompassing breakthrough meeting has yet to take place.
De Wever is expected to reconvene the negotiators on Friday afternoon for a session focused on taxation.
Pressure from unions
Meanwhile, tensions are mounting in the public sector as trade unions criticise De Wever’s proposed budget cuts for civil servants, which they argue will undermine essential services. The cuts have sparked widespread opposition, particularly among railway workers. In response, the railway unions have announced a nationwide strike on 12 and 13 January.
Negotiation schedules for the Christmas holidays remain uncertain, but talks are expected to continue over the next two weeks. According to sources, the five parties originally aimed to finalise a coalition agreement before the end of the year. However, as it stands, achieving this goal now appears unlikely.
Bart De Wever and King Philippe © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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