Belgian Prime Minister resigns over budget talks failure. King has yet to accept it
- Author:
- Svitlana Kravchenko
- Date:
Getty Images / «Babel'»
Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever has resigned after five parties in the governing coalition failed to agree on a new budget. King Philippe has yet to accept his resignation and has urged politicians to continue negotiations.
This is reported by Bloomberg and the Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS.
De Wever met with the King on November 2 and handed him his resignation. Philippe has decided not to make a decision yet. Tomorrow, November 3, he will hold consultations with the leaders of the government coalition parties, and on November 6, he will meet again with the Prime Minister.
If the king ultimately accepts de Weverʼs resignation, Belgium will either have to form a new government coalition or hold early elections.
The political crisis in Belgium has been triggered by a dispute over the state budget. The coalition has been unable to agree on how to save around €10 billion by 2029. De Weverʼs N-VA party and the liberals from the Reform Movement (MR) are pushing primarily for cuts in public spending, particularly in healthcare.
Instead, the socialist Vooruit and its centrist coalition partners oppose significant cuts in social spending and propose raising more funds through additional taxes, particularly for wealthier citizens.
Last year, Belgiumʼs budget deficit was 5.2% of GDP, and by 2028, according to the countryʼs Central Bank, it could increase to 5.7%.
- Bart de Wever became prime minister of Belgium in February 2025. During his term, the country continued its military support for Ukraine. De Wever himself has repeatedly stated that Belgium “stands firmly” on the side of Ukraine and called the Russian invasion a threat to European security.
- At the same time, in March 2026, he advocated the restoration of normal relations with Moscow and access to cheap Russian energy after the end of the war — a statement that drew criticism from the EU and within his coalition.
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