Belgian PM De Wever Offers Government’s Resignation as Budget Talks Collapse
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered his government’s resignation after talks on €10 billion in savings failed. King Philippe has not accepted it and will consult party leaders.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever went to King Philippe on Monday morning, Nov. 2, and offered his government’s resignation. Weekend talks on the 2027 budget ended early that day without a deal, Politico reports.
The King has not accepted the offer. The Palace says he is postponing his decision and will start consulting coalition party leaders on Tuesday, Politico reports. De Wever is due back at the Palace on Friday, Nov. 6.
The government is not yet gone, and no election has been called. The outcome depends on whether the five parties can agree on a package of about €10 billion in savings.
What Happened on Nov. 2
De Wever’s core cabinet met over the weekend in a last attempt to close the budget. The talks broke up around 2:30 a.m. Monday, and the prime minister left the prime minister’s office on Wetstraat 16 without speaking to the press, HLN reports.
He saw the King at 9:30 a.m. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, Euronews reports. The King cut short a holiday to receive him, AD reports.
The Palace statement regrets that no credible budget was reached. It says the country cannot afford a prolonged political crisis, RTBF reports. It urges all sides to put the general interest and compromise first.
VRT calls it officially a “political crisis.” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot says listing every sticking point would take “an eternity.”
Who Is in the Coalition
The “Arizona” coalition has five parties. It took 234 days of talks to form after the 2024 election, Euronews notes.
| Party | Profile | Reported position in the budget talks |
|---|---|---|
| N-VA | Flemish nationalist, De Wever’s party | Favors cutting spending over new taxes |
| MR | Francophone liberal | Rejects higher taxes on top incomes and wider VAT reform |
| Les Engagés | Francophone centrist | Wants the “strongest shoulders” to contribute more |
| Vooruit | Flemish socialist | Wants higher contributions from the highest incomes |
| CD&V | Flemish Christian democrat | Sides with Vooruit and Les Engagés, VRT says |
Reports differ on the exact line-up. VRT and Euronews put N-VA and MR on one side and the other three parties on the other. Politico says the friction is mostly between Vooruit and MR.
What the Parties Are Fighting Over
The core dispute is taxes versus cuts. Vooruit, Les Engagés and CD&V want €1 billion to €1.5 billion from higher incomes, Euronews reports. N-VA and MR want tighter spending.
MR’s David Clarinval, a deputy prime minister, says there were “far too many taxes on the table” and blames Vooruit. De Wever also tabled a limited emergency budget of €4 billion, but it found no deal, HLN reports.
Opposition parties blame De Wever. Groen’s Matti Vandemaele says he is failing to get his government on the same page, as quoted by Euronews.
What Happens Next
The King has three options. He can accept the resignation, refuse it or hold it in reserve, Euronews notes. For now he is holding it.
If he accepted it, the government would stay on as a caretaker with limited room to act, HLN reports. A new coalition could follow without elections, VRT says. Snap elections are also possible.
Politico notes that polls show strong numbers for the far-right Vlaams Belang and the far-left Workers’ Party. Any early vote could favor the political fringes, it adds.
Why the Budget Deadline Matters
Tuesday was widely seen as the unofficial deadline, Politico reports. The budget must still pass parliament before year-end. RTBF says Nov. 6 is the last date to present a 2027 budget.
De Wever has ruled out starting 2027 on provisional twelfths. Under that fallback, the state spends one-twelfth of this year’s budget each month.
Markets are watching. Belgian government bond yields have risen after the failed talks, Euronews reports. That makes it costlier to refinance the debt.
De Wever has argued that Belgium cannot fund new priorities. In remarks posted on Oct. 22, he said that if Germany lacks the money, Belgium “surely” does too.
Deficit, Debt and the EU Rules
| Indicator | Belgium (2025) | EU reference value |
|---|---|---|
| Government deficit | 5.2% of GDP | 3% of GDP |
| Government debt | 108.1% of GDP | 60% of GDP |
The figures come from Eurostat’s October 2026 release. Belgium’s deficit is expected to rise further next year, Politico says. Some outlets round the debt differently, but Eurostat’s 108.1% is the official figure.
The EU Council opened an excessive deficit procedure against Belgium on July 26, 2024, it announced. In June 2025 it revised the path to end the excess deficit by 2029, the Council said.
Last year’s budget also ran late. De Wever did not resign then but asked for more time and got 50 extra days. A deal for €9.2 billion of savings came on Nov. 24, 2025, VRT reports.
Belgium faced another shock on the same day. A suspected cyberattack hit supermarket fridges in Belgian stores overnight, Clash Report reported. No source reviewed links it to the budget crisis.
Choose Clash Report as a preferred source and see our reporting first in Top Stories.