Federal government negotiations continue under Bart De Wever following extension
Negotiations for the formation of Belgium’s next federal government are continuing under N-VA president and Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever after King Philippe granted him an extension as formateur until 4 November. “His majesty the king received Mr Bart
Negotiations for the formation of Belgium’s next federal government are continuing under N-VA president and Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever after King Philippe granted him an extension as formateur until 4 November.
“His majesty the king received Mr Bart De Wever at the Royal Palace in Brussels, where Mr De Wever reported to him on his mission to form a new government,” the royal palace said in a statement.
“The king asked him to continue his work in order to complete his mission within a reasonable timeframe. Mr De Wever will report back to the king on 4 November.”
The royal audience lasted an hour and was the second interim audience for De Wever since he was reinstated on 2 September. Now that the local and provincial elections have been held, the parties expected to form the future coalition intend to pick up the pace.
The chief negotiators from parties N-VA, MR, Engagés, Vooruit and CD&V met on Wednesday for their first meeting, which was devoted to the working method for the coming weeks.
The formateur wants to reach an agreement by mid-November so that a draft budget can be tabled in parliament before the end of the year and the reforms announced can be launched next year.
CD&V president Sammy Mahdi agreed with the timeline, calling for certain tax measures to come into force on 1 January 2025.
MR’s president Georges-Louis Bouchez likewise urged a speed process, saying “it would be ideal to have a government in place for the first week of December, so that we can vote on the budget”.
There is outside pressure to move quickly, too. Belgium is subject to an excessive deficit procedure and has obtained a deadline from Europe until the end of the year to submit a programme to improve its finances.
In mid-November, the European Commission is expected to present its recommendations for the country. If Belgium delays too long, it risks having a four-year consolidation path imposed, whereas it is seeking a seven-year derogation.
When De Wever resumed his role, it was agreed that he would first devote himself to the dozen or so working groups dedicated to specific subjects ranging from energy, mobility and justice to security, defence and external relations.
Over the past few weeks, the various representatives of the five political parties reviewed the thousands of amendments to the initial notes provided by N-VA, which were reduced to about 200. Progress on issues has been varied, with some advancing well and others categorically rejected by certain partners.
A new plenary meeting between the presidents is scheduled for this coming week. Negotiations will then take place in the "core group" - the principal negotiators from each party - to settle the remaining points of divergence.
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