Belgium’s federal government failed again in the early hours of Monday to agree next year’s budget, triggering a possible government crisis, Belgian newspaper De Tijd has reported.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever is likely to offer his government’s resignation when he meets King Philippe later on Monday, sources told De Tijd. The king would likely not accept the resignation immediately, the newspaper said.
The government’s core cabinet broke up at around 1 a.m. on Monday without an agreement, after reconvening at 9 p.m. on Sunday following a weekend of bilateral talks between De Wever and his deputy prime ministers. Belgium has one day left to reach a deal by Tuesday 3 November to avoid falling back on an emergency budget.
The coalition has been arguing for months over about 10 billion euros in budget cuts and tax increases that De Wever says are needed to keep state finances in check. His Flemish nationalist N-VA party and the liberal MR are seeking cuts in healthcare spending, while their socialist and centrist partners have demanded higher taxes on wealth.
Tax is the sticking point. The socialist Vooruit party wants 1.5 billion euros in extra revenue by taxing the strongest shoulders more, through a higher capital gains tax, the stock exchange tax, or both. Les Engagés has proposed raising the capital gains tax to 15 percent. A leaked Les Engagés list of tax measures drew a furious response from the MR two days before the deadline, with the party calling it a “horror list”.
Ministers left the overnight talks giving mixed signals. MR minister David Clarinval said the situation remains “blocked” and that there are still “too many taxes” on the table. Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot of Les Engagés was more hopeful, saying a deal on Tuesday might still be possible, while Deputy Prime Minister Vincent Van Peteghem of CD&V left without comment.
De Wever has warned that a looming spiral of debt and interest costs would force the government to borrow money only to pay the interest on existing loans. Interest rates on Belgian government bonds have risen sharply in recent months, adding to the pressure for a deal.
Readers should note that the reported resignation and the meeting with the king rest on De Tijd’s reporting as relayed by Reuters: neither has been publicly confirmed by the government or the palace, so the resignation remains a reported expectation, not a confirmed fact.
Note: the featured image is a file photo of Bart De Wever from June 2025, not a photograph of Monday’s budget talks.
Sources: Reuters, “Belgian government crisis looms as budget talks collapse, De Tijd reports”, 2 November 2026, https://www.reuters.com/business/belgian-government-crisis-looms-budget-talks-collapse-de-tijd-reports-2026-11-02/ ; BelgiumNow, “Belgian core cabinet ends night of budget talks without a deal as Tuesday deadline looms”, 2 November 2026, https://belgium-now.com/2026/11/02/belgian-core-cabinet-budget-talks-no-deal/
