De Wever and ministers sworn in at Palace as new government takes office

New prime minister Bart De Wever and his government visited the Royal Palace for a swearing-in ceremony before King Philippe on Monday morning. Shortly afterwards, De Wever’s predecessor, Alexander De Croo, officially handed over power.

Belgium’s federal government is now in place, almost eight months after the elections held on 9 June. Of the 15 ministers, only four are women. At 27, Eléonore Simonet of MR, the new minister for the Self-Employed and SMEs, is the youngest. 

De Wever’s first day in post continues at the nearby Egmont Palace, where a meeting of the 27 EU leaders is being held. The event, described as an informal brainstorming session, is mainly focused on defence. A lunch is scheduled with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, followed by a working dinner with British prime minister Keir Starmer.

King Philippe and Eleonore Simonet (c) BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT

Alexander De Croo and Bart De Wever (c) BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEMBelgium's new federal government (c) BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS

^{King Philippe swears in Bart De Wever and the new Belgian government at the Royal Palace © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT / Bart De Wever and Alexander De Croo at 16 Rue de la Loi © BELGA VIDEO MAARTEN WEYNANTS}

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