Xinhua
02 Nov 2026, 22:56 GMT+10
Belgian King Philippe will begin consultations with the leaders of the governing coalition parties on Tuesday and receive Prime Minister Bart De Wever again on Friday.
BRUSSELS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation on Monday after budget talks failed, the Royal Palace said in a statement on X, adding that King Philippe had deferred a decision on whether to accept it.
The king will begin consultations with the leaders of the governing coalition parties on Tuesday and receive De Wever again on Friday, the statement said.
The palace said the king regretted the failure to agree on a credible budget addressing current challenges. Amid geopolitical uncertainty and major economic challenges, Belgium could not afford a prolonged political crisis, it said.
The king urged all parties involved to put the public interest and a willingness to compromise first.
The five-party coalition has been seeking an agreement on 10 billion euros (about 11.2 billion U.S. dollars) in spending cuts and tax increases to shore up public finances, but remains divided over the balance between the two.
De Wever's Flemish nationalist N-VA and the liberal MR favor greater spending restraint, including in healthcare, while their socialist and centrist coalition partners want a larger share of the budget adjustment to come from taxes on wealth.
Belgium's budget deficit amounted to 5.2 percent of GDP in 2025, while government debt stood at 108.1 percent of GDP at year-end, according to Eurostat. Both ratios were well above the EU's reference values of 3 percent and 60 percent, respectively.
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationBOSTON/SINGAPORE/PARIS: Binance has pledged to cover losses after hackers stole $6.3 billion from the world's largest cryptocurrency...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1...
KYIV, Ukraine: Residents of a Russian-controlled town in southern Ukraine will receive much-needed food, medical supplies, and other...
ATHENS, Greece: Greek authorities have arrested three people suspected of stealing copper gas pipes from a building in central Athens,...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States is planning new restrictions on Chinese telecommunications companies to prevent scam calls and...
BABA YUSUF, Afghanistan: Afghanistan's opium trade is recovering despite a strict Taliban ban, as poverty pushes farmers back to poppy....
(Photo credit: Evert Nelson) Field Level Media college basketball writers submitted ballots for their Top 25 men's basketball teams...
(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck) Second baseman Brice Turang and left fielder Jackson Chourio of the World Series champion Milwaukee...
(Photo credit: Daniel Dunn) The injury absence of Anthony Edwards has put LaMelo Ball squarely in the spotlight for the Minnesota...
(Photo credit: Benny Sieu) A pair of conference finalists from last season will meet Monday when the Cleveland Cavaliers play host...
(Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel) The Tampa Bay Rays secured ace right-hander Drew Rasmussen for the 2027 season by picking up...
(Photo credit: Adam Cairns) Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, and Trent Mosley had 145 all-purpose yards and a...
