Vooruit says ‘yes’ to further discussions

Vooruit has made its decision: the party is ready to resume negotiations for the formation of a new federal government. This was announced by President Conner Rousseau (Vooruit) in a press release.

Key information

• Vooruit agrees to resume negotiations, judging that Bart De Wever’s new proposal offers openings.
• The tax reduction dear to the MR, however, remains in the text.
• Conner Rousseau remains cautious and does not commit to participation in government.

In the news: Vooruit believes that the concessions of trainer Bart De Wever (N-VA) are enough to return to the negotiating table.

• According to Rousseau, it is essential that Vooruit participates in discussions again. “In times of crisis, only socialists can guarantee a fair distribution of efforts,” he declares. “That’s why we come to the table and take responsibility. »
• For some time, Vooruit has been calling for a new negotiating note from Bart De Wever in which “the burdens would be distributed more equitably”. The party is campaigning in particular for increased taxation of large fortunes and a tax on stock market capital gains. These proposals now seem included, as Rousseau already reported on Thursday: “I read that the broadest shoulders can contribute more, that indexation is maintained and that the distribution of burdens is more equitable. »
• Vooruit’s president is cautiously optimistic: “Until now, it felt like I was playing a one-on-four game, starting with a score of 0-5. It was mission impossible. Today, I feel a desire to take our concerns into account. »

What about the tax reduction?

To be continued: The tax reduction defended by the MR still appears in Bart De Wever’s note.

• In August, negotiations had already been suspended. At the time, it was the MR which slowed down the discussions, its president Georges-Louis Bouchez affirming that it was out of the question to introduce new taxes. The taxation of capital gains had become a symbolic issue, but other measures, such as the increase in VAT or excise duties on fuels, had also posed problems.
• In response, Bart De Wever had drawn up a new note including a general reduction in taxes. This measure raised objections from Vooruit. The resigned former minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) opposed this “tax reduction”, which he considered “an additional tax sinkhole”.
• In its press release, Vooruit states that it wants to “fight for a fair distribution of efforts, with a significant contribution from the strongest shoulders”. It remains to be seen whether the party will also seek to withdraw Bouchez’s proposed tax cut.

The option with Open Vld ruled out

Please note: The Arizona option seems saved for the moment.

• Vooruit’s “yes” does not guarantee the outcome of the negotiations. “If the door, currently ajar, closes again, we will stop,” Rousseau warned.
• This position is, however, a relief for the negotiators. After a week where a coalition including Open Vld in place of Vooruit had been considered, the return of Vooruit to the discussion table particularly reassures the CD&V and Les Engagés. Even the MR and the N-VA still seem to prefer an Arizona coalition to a “Laguna coalition” made up of the N-VA, the CD&V, the Open Vld, the MR and the Engagés.
• However, there remains a critical deadline to form a new government. Bart De Wever hopes that the 2025 budget can be voted on in parliament on time. The Vivaldi government in current affairs is preparing, for November 29, a 2025 budget based on provisional twelfths.