Belgian king refuses Bart De Wever’s resignation

Since then, Philippe has met with the five party leaders who make up Belgium’s coalition government and concluded that there is still a possible path for them to agree under a De Wever premiership.

“Following his discussions with the leaders of the five majority parties, the King noted that each of them wishes to conclude the budget negotiations as quickly as possible … The King also received a formal commitment from the five party leaders that their respective parties are prepared to make concessions in order to reach an agreement within the government,” the palace’s statement said.

While the government is seeking to plug a €10 billion budget gap by 2029, coalition partners are at loggerheads over where to find the cash.

Flemish Socialist party Vooruit is pushing for the highest earners to contribute more, but French-speaking center-right Reformist Movement has ruled that out, and also opposed reforming the value-added tax.

De Wever, who had previously ruled out starting the new year with an emergency budget, this week confirmed that the country would have no choice but to fall back on it again.

Under that system, the government can spend one-twelfth of the preceding year’s budget per month. “This is a terrible failure on the part of the government,” De Wever told members of parliament while announcing he would submit his resignation.

The prime minister will meet the king again in 10 days on Nov. 16 to report on progress, the palace said.