Belgian PM Bart De Wever Offers Resignation Over Budget Crisis

Belgium’s Prime Minister has resigned over the budget crisis

Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever has submitted his resignation to King Philippe after the ruling coalition failed to agree on the 2027 budget. The monarch has not yet made a decision and has given the parties more time to seek a compromise.

Bart De Wever Photo: Eric Lalmand / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press

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De Wever met with the King on 2 November following the failure of the latest round of negotiations between the five parties of the ruling coalition. According to Reuters, discussions on the budget continued late into the night, but the participants were unable to agree on measures to reduce the deficit.

King Philippe has postponed his decision on the resignation. According to a statement from the Royal Palace, he will hold consultations with the leaders of the ruling coalition parties on 3 November and will meet with De Wever again on 6 November. The monarch called on politicians to put the country’s interests above party differences and to find a compromise.

The main sticking point has been the programme of budget cuts totalling €10 billion by 2029. The parties cannot agree on how to reduce expenditure and increase state revenue.

The Flemish nationalist party N-VA, led by De Wever, and the French-speaking liberal ‘Reform Movement’ (MR) are in favour of cutting public spending, including on healthcare. Their coalition partners – the socialist party Vooruit and the centrist parties – are calling for an increase in the tax burden on the wealthiest citizens. The liberals, for their part, oppose tax rises and changes to the VAT system.

The budget dispute is intensifying against a backdrop of deteriorating public finances. Belgium’s budget deficit in 2025 stood at 5.2 per cent of GDP, whilst public debt exceeds 110 per cent of GDP. Rising debt servicing costs are putting further pressure on the government: the Prime Minister has warned of the risk of a situation where the country would have to borrow money to pay interest on existing loans.

If the coalition fails to agree on a budget in the near future, the government will have to resort to stopgap funding: monthly expenditure will be limited to one-twelfth of the previous year’s budget. The Prime Minister’s resignation, should the King accept it, does not automatically mean that snap elections will be called: the monarch may first attempt to form a new government.

This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.

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