Belgian PM Bart De Wever Offers Resignation After Budget Talks Collapse
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered his resignation to King Philippe after budget talks collapsed. King Philippe delayed accepting the resignation and launched urgent talks to avert a full political crisis.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered his government's resignation to King Philippe on Monday following the collapse of marathon coalition talks over the 2027 state budget.
The political crisis erupted after five ruling parties failed to bridge deep ideological divides over closing a public spending deficit of approximately 10 billion euros. Monday's deadline left no path forward for the current administration.
King Philippe held a 90-minute meeting with De Wever and chose to suspend his decision on the resignation rather than accept it immediately. The monarch expressed deep regret over the deadlock, emphasizing that Belgium cannot afford a protracted political crisis amid current geopolitical uncertainties.
Starting Tuesday, King Philippe will launch urgent consultations with party leaders to broker a compromise. De Wever is scheduled to return to the royal palace on Friday for a decisive meeting to determine whether the government can be revived or if snap elections will be called.
