The royal palace has issued a press release on behalf of Filip, King of Belgians, after the Belgian head of state met with prime minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) amid the deepening budget crisis. Belgium’s 5-way federal coalition government is struggling to finalise a multi-year budget as demanded by the PM.
According to the statement "the prime minister informed the king that there are ongoing differences of opinion within his government about the budget, but that the coalition partners want to continue their work. The king took note of the prime minister's findings and urged all parties involved to act with responsibility and bridge their differences so that the country can as soon as possible have a clear budgetary path for the coming years".
The king is not setting any deadlines. But PM De Wever has agreed with key ministers that the budget must be finalised by the Christian feast of Christmas on 25 December, a public holiday in Belgium.
Next year’s budget needs to be approved by parliament in time. Otherwise, key reforms won’t be able to start from the beginning of next year and Belgium will be obliged to operate using a temporary monthly budget that allocates a twelfth of this year’s spending to each month at the beginning of 2026.
Measures that will be delayed include some pension reforms and the introduction of the new capital gains tax.