King Philippe of Belgium has extended the training mission of Bart De Wever, president of the N-VA party, until January 7, expressing his wish for a decisive breakthrough at the beginning of next year, announced Friday the royal palace in a press release.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) — King Philippe of Belgium has extended the training mission of Bart De Wever, president of the N-VA party, until January 7, expressing his wish for a decisive breakthrough at the start of next year, the royal palace announced in a press release on Friday.
The move aims to give negotiators more time to overcome remaining obstacles and form a government capable of responding to current challenges. Since the legislative elections last June, Belgium has been without a federal government. Current discussions focus on the formation of a so-called “Arizona” coalition, bringing together the N-VA, the Reform Movement (MR), Les Engagés, Vooruit and the CD&V.
Negotiations touched on sensitive topics such as migration and taxation, without reaching a final agreement.
The next few weeks will be crucial for Belgium. Negotiators will need to step up their efforts to reach an agreement, not only to form a stable government, but also to meet the European Union's budgetary demands.
Belgium must submit to the European Commission a draft budgetary plan for 2025, accompanied by a multi-year path for cleaning up public finances, including reforms and investments.
