Negotiators move closer to new federal and Flemish governments
The three parties trying to forge a new Flemish coalition are meeting on Saturday, in an attempt to agree a detailed governmental programme for the region. On Sunday, those three parties and two francophone parties will do the same to form a federal government. On Monday, federal formateur Bart De Wever will report their progress to the King.
Two months after the elections on 9 June, Belgium has governments at the German-speaking and francophone levels. In Brussels, the possible coalitions are still unclear. At the Flemish and federal level, the coalitions are relatively clear but the programmes are not.
At the Flemish level, the most likely coalition includes conservatives N-VA, Christian democrats CD&V and socialists Vooruit. At the Walloon and francophone level, there are already two governments, made up of liberals MR and Christian democrats Les Engagés. Those five parties together are expected to form the federal government, which means the coalitions on the different levels would be symmetrical.
The federal government now has to decide on enormous budget cuts and deep structural socio-economic reforms. De Wever, who is likely to be the next prime minister, presented his possible coalition partners with an outline of how he would do it.
These proposals were rejected because they were considered too right wing. For several days, the main negotiators of all parties have been trying to find a compromise. Sunday's meeting should make it clear if this is possible.
On the Flemish level, things are easier, as there is more money and the necessary reforms are less drastic. Cooperation at the Flemish level can also help the talks at the federal level.
The most likely scenario is that the King will ask De Wever to continue the efforts. This doesn’t mean there will be a Flemish and a Belgian government by the end of next week. For both, the deadline is around 20 September, when Belgium has to present its budget and reform plans to the European Commission. If those plans are insufficient, the EU will sanction Belgium because of its huge budget deficit and inadequate policies.
#FlandersNewsService | King Philippe and Bart De Wever © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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