Belgian king seeks breakthrough in stalled budget talks

Belgian King Philippe is holding talks with the leaders of the country’s five governing parties in a bid to break a deadlock over the 2027 budget, with the prospect of fresh elections looming if no agreement is reached.

Philippe is due to meet the party leaders on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Prime Minister Bart De Wever is expected at the palace again on Friday morning, when it should become clear whether a budget deal remains possible or elections are unavoidable, Nieuws.nl reports. The king does not want new elections.

The coalition parties — N-VA, Les Engagés, CD&V, Vooruit and MR — have been negotiating for weeks over how to make €10 billion in savings in the coming years. Talks have stalled over where the cuts should come from.

De Wever had been due to present the new budget to parliament on 15 October, but that was postponed because no agreement had been reached.

The formal deadline for the budget is 31 December. Without an approved budget, from 1 January the government can spend only one-twelfth each month of certain budget lines, a rule intended to keep the state functioning.