Belgian prime minister offers government resignation after budget talks collapse

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has offered his government’s resignation after overnight talks on the 2027 budget collapsed, leaving King Philippe to decide whether to accept it. The king is holding the resignation in abeyance and plans to consult coalition parties.

De Wever met Philippe at the Royal Palace on Monday morning, arriving shortly after 9.30am and leaving after more than an hour, The Brussels Times reported. The talks followed an unsuccessful weekend of discussions among ministers.

The dispute centres on how to address Belgium’s public finances. De Wever had sought agreement on the budget before the end of the year, but his five-party coalition failed to reach a deal. The Brussels Times reported that three parties had pressed for higher taxes on the wealthiest, while the Flemish nationalist N-VA and Francophone liberal MR opposed that approach.

The palace said the king regretted the absence of an agreement on a credible budget and called on the parties to take political responsibility, warning against a prolonged crisis. Philippe is due to consult party group leaders from Tuesday and meet De Wever again on Friday, according to the Associated Press.

If the king accepts the resignation, new elections are one possibility; another is forming a government based on the balance of power from the previous election. The Brussels Times reported that negotiations could still continue, potentially allowing the parties to meet Tuesday’s budget deadline.

The crisis follows weeks of deadlock over proposed savings and revenue measures. In an earlier round of talks, Philippe met leaders of the five governing parties as they struggled to agree on €10 billion in savings; the earlier account of those negotiations set out the stakes, including the risk of fresh elections if no deal emerged.