Belgium's king starts talks with coalition leaders as OECD urges faster deficit cuts

King Philippe began consulting the leaders of Belgium's five governing parties on Tuesday, Nov. 3, a day after Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered his government's resignation over a failed budget deal. The first two leaders to see the king said the coalition can still reach an agreement. Both said every party will have to give ground.

The same day, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a review of the Belgian economy. It urged the country to cut its deficit faster and said public debt will keep rising under current plans. Outside the coalition, Frédéric De Gucht, leader of the Flemish liberal party Anders, again offered his party's votes to any government that would pursue what he called a right-wing economic program.

This story covers what happened on the first day of the king's consultations, where each coalition party stands in its own words, what the OECD said, and the options left before De Wever returns to the palace on Friday. It follows our Nov. 2 report on De Wever's resignation offer. Quotations from Dutch- and French-language sources are translated by 567 Politics unless an English version is linked.

The king's schedule

The king has not accepted De Wever's resignation. He is holding his decision in suspense while he hears from each coalition leader. According to the live coverage by La Libre Belgique and the public broadcaster VRT NWS, the schedule is:

1. Mon., Nov. 2De Wever offers resignation; king holds decision in suspense
2. Tue., Nov. 3Yvan Verougstraete (Les Engagés) and Sammy Mahdi (CD&V)
3. Wed., Nov. 4Conner Rousseau (Vooruit) and Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR)
4. Thu., Nov. 5Valerie Van Peel (N-VA)
5. Fri., Nov. 6, 10:30 a.m.De Wever returns to the palace

Source: VRT NWS

VRT political reporter Bart Verhulst called Wednesday "the day of the difficult customers" (translated), because Vooruit and the French-speaking liberal MR are the two parties furthest apart.

What the dispute is about

The coalition, known as "Arizona" for the colors of its parties, is trying to agree on a 2027 budget and a multiyear effort of about €10 billion by 2029. Talks in the inner cabinet, or "kern," broke down overnight from Sunday to Monday.

Two issues divide the parties, according to Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot of Les Engagés, as reported by VRT. One is whether to raise extra revenue from people with large fortunes. The other is the health care budget.

Vooruit, the Flemish social democrats, wants the budget tables to include €1.5 billion in measures borne by "the strongest shoulders," meaning large fortunes, VRT reported. Les Engagés, a centrist French-speaking party, says €1 billion is the minimum and has offered options such as raising the capital gains tax. MR opposes new taxes. N-VA, De Wever's Flemish nationalist party, blames partners it says blocked a deal with vetoes.

What the first two party leaders told the king

Yvan Verougstraete of Les Engagés was the first to arrive at the palace. "It's not over yet, but everyone will have to take a step," he told reporters at the gates, according to La Libre (translated). "That's what we're paid for, that's what we're elected for. We will play the game until the last second."

He rejected De Gucht's offer of an alternative majority. "We have a team and a coach, and it is with this team and this coach that we absolutely must find a solution in the coming days," he said (translated).

Sammy Mahdi, leader of the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), arrived angry. "I'm angry. Some people don't seem to realize what our situation is and what needs to be done now. There's no room for political games or for letting things drag on," he said, according to VRT NWS's English service. He said MR and Vooruit should "talk at the negotiating table, rather than in television studios." Without a deal, he warned, there is a risk of "Greek-style chaos," a reference to Greece's debt crisis, and markets would judge Belgium harshly.

La Libre quoted him at more length. "Some parties do not understand the urgency of the situation: if we do not find the 10 billion as soon as possible, it will become 11, 12, 13 billion," he said (translated). He called on "the left" and "the right" to drop their taboos, whether on making the state leaner or on taxing "the broadest shoulders," "to avoid the middle class paying the bill" (translated).

Where the other coalition parties stand

Vooruit

Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said his party is not seeking an election. "We are the only left-wing party in the government. Do you think that if party interest came first, we would be in the government? We would not," he said on VRT's Terzake program (translated). "We are a party of solutions, but the solutions must be fair."

He said the effort must include people with large fortunes. "And that effort for people with large fortunes must not be an empty box with measures that can be avoided," he said (translated). La Libre reported that he objected to more than €800 million in further savings on people with long-term illness, to keeping a tax break for top footballers, and to a proposed cut in value-added tax on new homes.

MR

MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez urged calm in a post on X on Monday evening. "It is fundamental to keep calm and composed," he wrote, according to La Libre (translated). He argued that with high inflation and weak growth, public spending must come down, and that "our social model is not going to collapse because we put order back into it." He warned against higher taxes: "no one will accept making efforts and taking risks to always give more to a too often inefficient state" (translated). He said he would make no further statement before meeting the king on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval, also of MR, wrote on X that "the volume of taxes remains much too high" (translated), VRT reported.

N-VA

N-VA leader Valerie Van Peel said she was disappointed that some partners blocked a deal with vetoes and "lack the courage" to put the general interest first, VRT reported. She said the budget had reached an unsustainable state because of "sky-high debts, weak growth and explosively rising social spending" (translated).

CD&V's budget minister

Budget Minister Vincent Van Peteghem of CD&V said there was no point in "sitting on extreme positions" (translated), according to VRT. He said he is preparing, for the second year in a row, a stopgap system called "provisional twelfths." Under it, the government can spend one-twelfth of the previous year's budget each month until a new budget passes. He said he fears for Belgium's credit rating. "Ratings stay very stable for a very long period, and then suddenly they strike," he said (translated).

The opposition

De Gucht of Anders, the party formerly known as Open VLD, said on VRT radio that "Anders has 8 seats at the disposal of any prime minister who wants to take the right measures: cutting costs and reducing the size of the state, because it is far too bloated," in VRT's English translation. VRT reported that this could take the form of a rotating majority, with Anders voting with the government from the opposition benches. VRT later corrected an earlier version that said Anders was ready to replace Vooruit in government; the party would not confirm that. De Gucht said a new election would lead to "450 or 500 days of negotiations" with a caretaker government (translated), according to La Libre.

Paul Magnette, leader of the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS), said on RTL-TVi on Monday: "We are not going to rescue a dying government" (translated), VRT reported. If the coalition fails, he said, it should go back to the voters, though he stressed he was not asking for an election.

Barbara Pas, who leads the far-right Vlaams Belang group in parliament, called the delay a "personal failure" of De Wever and said it was "becoming a pattern" (translated). Her party said an election would be better if the government cannot agree.

Business and unions

Employers' groups VBO, Voka and Unizo, and the self-employed group NSZ, urged the parties to return to the table, VRT reported. "This is not the moment to unleash a political crisis," said Pieter Timmermans of VBO (translated). The socialist union ABVV also asked the parties to keep talking, but said that "a broad majority of Belgians supports an extra tax on large fortunes" (translated). It called a VAT increase and a skipped wage indexation "red lines."

VRT, citing the business daily De Tijd, reported on Monday that financial markets had stayed calm, with Belgium's 10-year bond yield steady at 4.38%.

What the OECD said

The OECD's Economic Survey of Belgium, published Tuesday, said public debt stood at 108% of gross domestic product in 2025 and the deficit at 5.2%, according to Belga News Agency. To stabilize debt at 110% of GDP, Belgium would need further savings of 3.5% of GDP by 2035, on top of the 1.5% already planned by 2029.

The report's advice speaks to both sides of the coalition's dispute. Because taxes are already high, the OECD points first to spending cuts, RTBF reported. It also recommends removing many tax exemptions and designing "a better tax on capital and wealth," which it says "would increase fairness and revenue." It suggests linking the retirement age to life expectancy and introducing a more flexible wage-setting system.

The coalition's numbers in parliament

The five Arizona parties hold 82 of the 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives, based on the 2024 election results published by the Belgian interior ministry. A majority is 76, so the coalition has six seats to spare. Losing any one partner, even CD&V with 11 seats, would leave it short. By our arithmetic, swapping Vooruit's 13 seats for the 8 that De Gucht says Anders now holds would give 77, one more than a majority.

N-VA

24

Vlaams Belang

20

MR

20

PS

16

PVDA-PTB

15

Les Engagés

14

Vooruit

13

CD&V

11

Open VLD (now Anders)

7

Groen

6

Ecolo

3

DéFI

1

Source: Belgian Federal Public Service Interior, election results

Show the numbers

Party	Seats
N-VA	24
Vlaams Belang	20
MR	20
PS	16
PVDA-PTB	15
Les Engagés	14
Vooruit	13
CD&V	11
Open VLD (now Anders)	7
Groen	6
Ecolo	3
DéFI	1

The options before Friday

When De Wever returns to the palace on Friday, the king can accept the resignation or refuse it. If the parties reach a budget deal, the government continues. Prévot of Les Engagés put the chance of a new election at "50/50" on Monday, VRT reported.

A year ago, the same coalition also struggled to find about €10 billion. De Wever asked the king for more time rather than resigning, and the parties agreed on €9.2 billion in savings on Nov. 24, 2025, VRT recalled.

Belgium is not the only European government in a budget standoff this autumn. France's National Assembly is voting on the revenue side of its 2027 budget, as we reported in our story on the Assembly's revenue vote. Germany's chancellor has made an electricity tax cut a priority in the 2027 budget, and EU energy ministers recently discussed taxes and network charges on electricity and gas. Our issues guide and methodology explain how we cover budget disputes and weigh sources.

Key facts

Differing perspectives

How should Belgium's coalition close its budget gap of about €10 billion by 2029?

Each position is summarized as its supporters make it, with equal weight and in alphabetical order. A summary is not an endorsement; the evidence for each is weighed in the story above.

• Both wings must compromise now

  Who holds it: CD&V

  This camp says the budget figures leave no room for political games or delay, and that parties should negotiate at the table rather than in television studios. They warn that without a deal Belgium risks Greek-style chaos, with financial markets judging the country harshly and the whole welfare state put in danger. They call on MR and Vooruit to take a hard look at themselves.

  In their words: VRT NWS (English), quoting Sammy Mahdi (CD&V) ↗

• Cut spending, not raise taxes

  Who holds it: MR; Anders (opposition)

  This side says high inflation and weak growth make it impossible to keep raising public spending every year, so spending must fall. They argue that Belgium's social model will not collapse if order is restored, and that higher taxes would stop people from making efforts and taking risks to fund an often inefficient state. Anders offers its votes to any government that cuts costs and slims the state.

  In their words: La Libre Belgique live coverage, quoting Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR) and Frédéric De Gucht (Anders), in French ↗

• Include a real contribution from large fortunes

  Who holds it: Vooruit; Les Engagés; the ABVV union

  Supporters say the effort is necessary to secure health care and pensions, but it must be fair or it will lose public support. They argue that the burden cannot fall entirely on ordinary workers and pensioners, and that people with large fortunes must contribute through measures that cannot be avoided, not an empty box. Les Engagés also wants tax breaks for professional footballers trimmed.

  In their words: VRT NWS liveblog, quoting Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) and Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés), in Dutch ↗