De Wever hopes for budget deal before Monday audience with King

Talks stall before Monday audience

Prime Minister Bart De Wever told the Chamber on Thursday, 12 November, that he hoped to share "a positive message" with the King at his next audience, scheduled for Monday, 16 November. The hope comes after budget negotiations failed and nearly brought down the government. On Friday, 6 November, the King refused the resignation De Wever had offered once those talks collapsed. A Palace communiqué said the presidents of the five majority parties had formally committed, during consultations the previous week, to making concessions so that a deal could be reached within the government.

Questioned in the plenary session about that pledge, De Wever voiced doubt:

“I hope that is true!”

He said the next steps were being prepared with the coalition partners but gave no details. Bilateral meetings had taken place earlier in the week, while a restricted committee known as the kern had not yet been confirmed. A meeting with the five majority parties is scheduled for Friday, 13 November, ahead of the audience.

Parties divided over concessions

Sammy Mahdi, president of the CD&V, hopes a budget agreement can be found as soon as possible so that De Wever can go to the King with a deal on Monday. Speaking on the VRT programme Villa Politica, he said there was no day, hour or minute to lose, and that the government must find ten billion by cutting spending and raising revenue.

“The sooner the better. We no longer have the luxury of dragging our feet.”

Maxime Prévot of Les Engagés said everyone must make concessions, though few lines had moved so far in the table presented to the parties. Georges-Louis Bouchez, the MR president, said he was ready to "make deals" and rejected the image of a leader who hands out points without negotiating. Reporting from 7sur7 described a tense atmosphere within the coalition, in which Prévot called for a collective wake-up call.

Opposition and unions press the coalition

Pierre-Yves Dermagne of the PS said De Wever, as N-VA leader, would have been scathing about a prime minister with such a record. Steven Coenegrachts of Anders urged him to govern the country after two years as prime minister. Matti Vandemaele of Ecolo-Groen dismissed the explanations as "the excuses of a kid coming home with a bad report card".

Sofie Merckx of the PTB said the government was ignoring a "new reality" and argued that voters are tired of the same approach:

“People say they are fed up and no longer want the same recipes.”

François De Smet of DéFI called for a real conclave, even if it meant locking the party presidents in the cellar next door. On Monday, 9 November, the federal committee of the CGSP union adopted a motion asking Vooruit, Les Engagés and the CD&V not to rule out leaving the government, citing workers' interests and public services.

What comes next

The next fixed points are the five-party meeting on Friday, 13 November and De Wever's audience with the King on Monday, 16 November.

Whether the concessions described by the Palace turn into a deal before that audience is not yet clear from the reports.