Belgian coalition resumes talks on stalled budget
Prime Minister Bart De Wever is trying to get negotiations moving again before Monday.
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever reconvened his coalition's senior figures on Friday for talks on the budget. The discussions are intended to prevent the political crisis from escalating further before De Wever returns to King Filip on Monday.
The five parties in the federal government have been negotiating for weeks over measures to put the public finances in order. According to the broadcaster, the talks centre on a combination of spending cuts, reforms and new revenue. No agreement has yet been reached, putting preparations for the 2027 budget under further pressure.
De Wever previously offered his resignation, but King Filip did not accept it. The king asked the prime minister to continue the negotiations. Since then, De Wever has been holding talks with the coalition partners N-VA, Vooruit, CD&V, MR and Les Engagés.
The government's full core group met again on Friday. According to the Flemish public broadcaster, the aim is to be able to go to the king with a positive message on Monday. It remained unclear whether the parties had achieved a breakthrough on Friday.
Belgium's Council of Ministers did approve several measures on Friday, including the allocation of funds for implementing the European NIS2 directive on cybersecurity. The government is therefore also taking decisions on other matters during the budget talks.
The stakes are greater than a financial package alone. Without a political agreement, the government remains vulnerable and parliamentary work on the budget could be delayed further. At the same time, the coalition parties must agree on how the burden is shared: which spending will be limited, and which groups or economic activities will make an additional contribution?
The Belgian crisis matters to the Netherlands because Belgium is a neighbouring country and EU member state that is closely intertwined with the Netherlands economically and administratively. As long as the negotiations continue, political stability is the main focus; no final decision is yet known on the precise measures or their consequences for Belgian households and businesses.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Belgian coalition is negotiating a budget agreement.
- Prime Minister Bart De Wever continued the talks on 13 November.
- King Filip did not accept De Wever's earlier resignation.
- The prime minister is expected to see the king again on Monday.
- The sources used do not confirm a final agreement or a concrete division of the measures.
Left
Arguments The emphasis is generally on protecting social security and purchasing power, and on higher earners and wealthier people making a larger contribution before public services are cut.
Values Equality, social protection and a balanced distribution of burdens.
Consequences An agreement relying mainly on spending cuts could increase inequality and put public services under pressure; with higher contributions, this approach centres on the question of who pays the bill.
Centre
Arguments The institutional approach stresses that Belgium needs a workable agreement that improves the public finances without further destabilising the coalition or the budgetary process.
Values Administrative continuity, financial sustainability and compromise.
Consequences A broadly supported package could bring stability, but compromise measures may intervene less quickly or less deeply than individual parties would like.
Right
Arguments The emphasis is generally on lower public spending, labour-market reforms and limiting new taxes to keep work and entrepreneurship attractive.
Values Personal responsibility, economic growth and a smaller government.
Consequences Rapid spending cuts could strengthen confidence in the public finances, but could also lead to fewer public services or greater pressure on vulnerable groups.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core of the article is confirmed by Belgian government and VRT sources from 13 November. Unconfirmed details about an agreement or specific amounts have deliberately not been presented as facts.
- confirmed Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever reconvened his coalition's senior figures on Friday for budget talks. — VRT describes the core group meeting again on Friday 13 November. source
- confirmed De Wever will return to King Filip on Monday. — The VRT sources mention a new audience with the king on Monday. source
- confirmed King Filip did not accept De Wever's earlier resignation and asked him to continue negotiating. — VRT describes the rejection of the resignation and the continuation of the negotiations. source
- confirmed The Council of Ministers approved funds on Friday for implementing NIS2 and for cybersecurity. — This is stated in the official report of the Council of Ministers of 13 November. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the budget talks resumed on Friday and that De Wever is expected to see the king again on Monday. The sources used did not confirm an agreement or a concrete division of spending cuts and revenue measures.Sources
- Ministerraad van 13 november 2026 — Federale overheid België
- VRT NWS Terzake – 13 november 2026 — VRT
- VRT NWS journaal – 19 uur, 13 november 2026 — VRT
- Koning Filip weigert ontslag van Bart De Wever als premier — VRT NWS
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „belgië begroting”
- NOS — „belgië begroting”
- Het Parool — „belgië begroting”