Addressing representatives of the country's authorities at the annual New Year’s reception at the Palace of Brussels King Filip expressed relief that Belgium finally has a new federal government. ‘Almost eight months after the 9 June elections, the new federal team is finally ready to set to work,’ the king noted. ‘The country eagerly awaited the installation of the fourth government in our federal system’.
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Filip, King of Belgians: ‘Brussels mustn’t become the symbol of gridlock’
Colin Clapson
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King Filip also appealed to the politicians of the Brussels region, who have still not managed to form a new Brussels government. ‘The negotiations are at a dead end,’ King Filip said. ‘Brussels, our beautiful European capital, must be a crossroads, not at a stalemate. It must not become the symbol of gridlock.
For PM Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) it’s a busy day. First, he attended the first meeting of the brand new cabinet. Then it was off to the palace for the New Year’s reception. This afternoon he is heading for parliament to deliver the new government’s first statement.
In his New Year's address to the country's highest authorities, prime De Wever (N-VA) outlined the ‘numerous challenges’ facing our country, but also the response that the new government intends to offer with its ‘strong democratic mandate’.
He mentioned the budgetary situation, the low participation rate in the labour market, the ageing population putting pressure on the healthcare and the pensions system, migration and the geopolitical situation. ‘The coalition agreement that I will soon explain to parliament hopes to respond to this signal,’ Mr De Wever said.