Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever put his post at the disposal of King Philippe this Monday after going to the Palace to offer the resignation of his government, a step that the monarch has opted to keep in suspense until Friday. The decision is thus postponed after the last round of talks to close the budget, marked by the country’s heavy debt, failed on Sunday.
Belgium’s public debt stands at around 735 billion euros, which is a little over 110% of its Gross Domestic Product, well above the 60% ceiling set by the EU as a reference.
The draft budget on the table included cuts and adjustments of some 10 billion euros through 2029, a figure that has proved impossible to agree on within the so-called "Arizona Coalition," led by De Wever and made up of New Flemish Alliance, the two Christian Democratic formations (Les Engagés, from Wallonia, and CD&V, from Flanders), the Walloon liberal Reformist Movement and the Flemish socialist Vooruit.
The resignation submitted by the Government does not mean the immediate end of the negotiations, although the outlook is very bleak. Until the king adopts a resolution, an unofficial deadline remained in force to close the budget agreement this coming Tuesday, since Parliament must give its approval to the accounts before the end of the year.
If no pact is reached in time and the accounts do not obtain parliamentary backing, the State will be forced to operate with a budget established through provisional monthly payments.