Belgium’s King Philippe has refused to accept Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s resignation and ordered him to resume budget negotiations immediately, temporarily saving the country’s five-party coalition from collapse. The Royal Palace announced the decision on Friday, 6 November, after a week of consultations with the leaders of all five governing parties.
De Wever offered his resignation on Monday, 2 November, after overnight talks on the federal budget broke down without agreement. The five-party “Arizona” coalition — De Wever’s conservative New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Francophone liberal Reformist Movement (MR), the Francophone centrist Les Engagés, the Flemish socialist party Vooruit and the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) — had spent months arguing over roughly €10 billion in cuts and extra revenue needed to bring Belgium’s deficit in line with European Union fiscal rules. The king initially withheld his decision and began consulting party leaders on Tuesday.
After those talks, the palace said the king had found that each party believed budget negotiations could be resumed quickly. “Based on these discussions, the King decided to reject the prime minister’s resignation and asked him to resume budget negotiations immediately,” the palace statement said. De Wever must report back to the king on Monday, 16 November, and all five party leaders have formally committed to making concessions to agree a sound budget path for the next three years.
A €10 billion gap
The European Commission projects Belgium’s public debt will reach 110.5% of gross domestic product this year — the fourth-highest in the euro zone after Greece, Italy and France — with the fiscal deficit expected at 5.2% of GDP, well above the EU’s 3% ceiling.
De Wever acknowledged in the Chamber of Representatives on Thursday that Belgium would begin 2027 under a provisional budget, as it did this year, despite having earlier ruled that out. The collapse of the overnight talks on 1–2 November was the second time a budget fight had brought the coalition to the verge of collapse; a similar standoff in October 2025 ended with a €9.2 billion savings package agreed on 24 November.
Ten days to hold it together
The king’s decision gives De Wever ten days to hold the coalition together and produce a workable agreement. The palace said the king stressed the importance of striking a good balance between preserving social cohesion and stimulating economic growth, and that each party leader had pledged to put compromise and a sense of responsibility first. Belgium’s three main trade unions have called a national demonstration in Brussels on 23 November, adding pressure from the streets.
If the king ultimately accepts a resignation, he could ask other parties to form a coalition or call an early election within 40 days. For now, the government stays in office in full capacity while the talks resume — but the same divisions that broke the negotiations a week ago remain unresolved, and the 16 November audience is the next point at which De Wever must show the king real progress.
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