De Wever heads to King without budget agreement as coalition talks stall
Belgium’s efforts to form a new government face another setback as formateur Bart De Wever prepares to meet King Philippe on Tuesday without a budget agreement. Lingering disagreements among the possible coalition parties and rising tensions between key leaders have further complicated negotiations.
Negotiators were expected to engage in intensive discussions over the weekend in hopes of reaching a federal budget deal before De Wever’s royal briefing. However, talks were limited to technical details and bilateral meetings rather than meaningful progress. One negotiator even described it as a “wasted weekend”. No new budget meetings are planned for Monday.
Tensions between the negotiators have been escalating lately, in particular between liberal MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez and socialist Vooruit’s Conner Rousseau. Bouchez publicly criticised some negotiators for reverting to “Vivaldi habits”, referring to the outgoing government and implying resistance to tax cuts. Rousseau countered by emphasising his party’s commitment to fair and social reforms.
Additional taxes
The coalition partners must address a 20 billion euro shortfall to bring Belgium’s federal deficit below 3 per cent of GDP by the next government term. Disagreements persist over how to fund tax cuts and balance the budget. MR, for example, opposes any additional taxes, while Vooruit supports wealth taxes to fill the budget gap.
These stalled talks raise doubts about forming a new government by Christmas. De Wever, of the right-wing N-VA, will report to the King with limited developments, leaving many issues unresolved.
The negotiations are also affecting healthcare funding. The outgoing federal government, led by Alexander De Croo of Flemish liberals Open VLD, had set a Monday deadline for the negotiating coalition parties to agree on the healthcare budget for 2025. This deadline will be missed, which would mean the De Croo government will have to decide on the budget.
Service continuity
The dispute has centred on a proposed 2.5 per cent growth in healthcare spending. The liberal parties have opposed this, arguing it’s not appropriate for a caretaker government to commit to higher expenses.
Vooruit, however, supports more funding for healthcare. If no agreement is reached, the 2.5 per cent growth rate will be enforced as decided by the INAMI/RIZIV management committee, ensuring service continuity.
De Croo has said he will not convene a core cabinet meeting on the 2025 healthcare budget for now, as he wants to contact De Wever before addressing the health budget.
Formateur and N-VA leader Bart De Wever © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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