The Prime Minister resigned, but this was not the end of the crisis

This information was announced after nearly an hour and a half of conversation between the head of state and the head of government, who went to the palace to submit his resignation. The monarch could accept his resignation, but his prerogatives also include consulting political parties to end the crisis.

The king calls for an agreement

In a statement, the royal court said that King Philip regrets the lack of agreement and emphasizes that the country cannot afford a prolonged political crisis.

The monarch called on all parties involved to "put the public interest and willingness to compromise above all else."

The king is scheduled to receive De Wever again on Friday. Until then, he is to hold talks with the leaders of the coalition political parties.

Coalition divided over the budget

The current government coalition consists of five parties. These are: the right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) of De Wever, two Flemish parties - the Christian Democrat CD&V and the socialist Forward, and two Walloon parties - the liberal Reformist Movement (MR) and the centrist Engaged.

The coalition partners failed to reach an agreement on the budget during talks held over the weekend. Negotiations lasted until late at night from Sunday to Monday in order to submit the budget to parliament on time. On Monday morning, De Wever announced that he intended to resign from his position due to the failure of the talks.

This isn't the first time this has happened

Government crises in Belgium in the past have already led to a situation in which the state operated on an interim budget.

The previous year, De Wever also had difficulty reaching an agreement on the budget. Ultimately, he asked the king to extend the deadline for talks. Philip gave him an additional 50 days, during which the parties managed to reach an agreement.

This year, De Wever wanted to avoid a scenario with an interim budget, so he set a deadline for an agreement.

Belgium must find EUR 10 billion in savings in next year's budget to meet EU requirements. According to EU budget rules, the budget deficit can amount to a maximum of 3%. GDP and debt - 60 percent. GDP. Meanwhile, according to the forecast published in May by the European Commission, Belgium's deficit in 2026 will amount to 5.2% and the debt - 100%. GDP.

In 2024, the EU launched the excessive deficit procedure against Belgium, ordering it to eliminate its excessive deficit by 2029. This means a rigorous pace in limiting the growth of public spending. According to EU recommendations, the nominal growth rate of net expenditure cannot exceed 2.5%. in 2026 and 2.5 percent in 2027