Bart De Wever
Prime Minister at Government of Belgium
Photo: © European Union, 2026, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- yesterday
Germany, Italy and Belgium seek an EU "emergency brake" on new rules
Germany, Italy and Belgium want member states to be able to halt new EU laws seen as overly burdensome for governments and business. The proposal, set out in a letter to Council President António Costa, comes days before the leaders' summit on 15 and 16 October.
- 2d ago
Belgian budget talks stall, De Wever cancels State of the Union speech
Talks among the Arizona coalition partners on a 10 billion euro savings plan have stalled, forcing Prime Minister Bart De Wever to cancel his speech to Parliament. The budget deadline has slipped to late October, or early November at the latest.
- 6d ago
EU finance ministers agree scaled-back plan to centralise stock exchange supervision at ESMA
Finance ministers in Luxembourg exempted Deutsche Börse and smaller venues from direct ESMA oversight, cutting the Commission's original perimeter. Belgium abstained from the vote.
- Oct 6
Brussels clashes after austerity march leave buses burned and dozens arrested
Police in Brussels reported about 30 judicial arrests and 80 administrative detentions after masked protesters attacked officers and set fire to buses during a union and student march against government budget cuts on Friday 9 October.
- Sep 30
Belgium and Engie postpone nuclear takeover agreement deadline to 4 November
The Belgian federal government and energy firm Engie have extended negotiations over the state acquisition of nuclear assets, moving the target date for Heads of Terms from 1 October to 4 November 2026.
- Sep 29
Belgium to transfer three operational F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by end of 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that Belgium will deliver three combat-ready F-16 fighter jets by late 2026 under an accelerated transfer procedure to boost air defense capabilities against Russian attacks.
- Aug 17
Belgium's largest wildfire burns 3,000 hectares, prompts evacuations near German border
Belgium's largest recorded wildfire has burned 3,000 hectares in the High Fens natural park since Friday, prompting evacuations on both sides of the Belgian-German border as EU aircraft join the firefighting effort.
- Aug 9
Meloni condemns Belgian union protest at Marcinelle mining disaster commemoration
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned Belgian union members who silently turned their backs to Italian Senate president Ignazio La Russa during the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Bois du Cazier mining disaster in Marcinelle on 8 August 2026.
- Jul 27
Berlin Pride van attack suspect killed by police in Spandau garden shed after opening fire
The man suspected of driving a vehicle into the crowd at Berlin's Pride march on Saturday was tracked to a garden shed in the Spandau district and killed in an exchange of gunfire with officers, while Belgian and Dutch officials condemned the attack and Belgium's threat assessment body saw no reason to raise its alert level.
- Jul 18
Belgian government clears summer backlog: annualised working time, Israel settlement import ban, and Belfius sale on the table
After an all-night session, Prime Minister Bart De Wever's core cabinet agreed on annualised working time, a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, a lower-than-planned flight tax, and a start to Belfius privatisation talks.
- Jul 14
Six bodies recovered from elevator shaft after fire engulfs Brussels renovation site OXY Tower
A morning fire at the OXY Tower renovation site in central Brussels killed at least six workers on Tuesday, with all victims found inside the building's elevator shaft after flames blocked escape routes.
- May 26
Tragedy in Belgium: School Bus Hit by Train at Level Crossing, Four Dead Including Two Teens
A morning collision between a train and a school bus at a level crossing in Buggenhout, Flanders, resulted in at least four fatalities, including two adolescents. The bus was carrying students from a special education institution.
- May 26
School Bus Hit by Train at Belgian Level Crossing: At Least Four Dead, Including Two Teenagers
A train struck a school minibus at a level crossing in Buggenhout, East Flanders, on Monday morning, killing at least four people including two teenagers. The exact circumstances remain under investigation.
