Bart De Wever delivered his first official speech as Prime Minister, highlighting the majority support the new Arizona government enjoys from both Dutch-speaking and French-speaking sides.
"I am pleased to stand before you with the new Federal Government team. For the first time in sixteen years, we have a government with democratic support from both linguistic communities. This healthy democratic support should finally become the norm," he explained.
He stated that this strong democratic mandate must now be translated into solutions for the significant issues of our time.
He then detailed the "numerous challenges" confronting the country, such as the budget, labour market participation rate, ageing population putting pressure on healthcare and pension systems, migration, and the geopolitical situation.
He highlighted that both the northern and southern regions sent a clear message last June to tackle these challenges, and indicated that the government agreement he would present in Parliament aims to respond to that message.
De Wever promised that the new government would implement a robust recovery policy, adding, "but we will not leave anyone behind". He concluded his speech with the message: "One cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by avoiding it today."
The new Prime Minister will address Federal MPs at 15:00 on Tuesday.
King worried about Brussels
King Philippe pictured giving a speech during a New Year's reception organized by the Royal Family, at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Tuesday 04 February 2025. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
During the ceremony, King Philippe of Belgium welcomed the formation of a new Federal Government. However, he also issued a call to political leaders in the Brussels Region, the only entity still lacking a full executive, to "find paths of convergence."
"Nearly eight months after the June 9 elections, the new federal team is finally ready to get to work. The country had been eagerly awaiting this moment, following the formation last year of four of our federated entities’ governments," the King said in his annual address to national authorities.
“Unfortunately, this is not yet the case in the Brussels Region, where negotiations are currently at a standstill,” Philippe continued.
"Brussels, our beautiful capital of Europe, is a crossroads, not a dead end. It must not become a symbol of gridlock. In the past, its representatives have always managed to find common ground. I am confident they will do so again for the benefit of the region’s residents and our country’s image."
In these times of polarisation, the King emphasised the importance of compromise and dialogue, which are the foundations of the Belgian model.
"Defending one’s convictions is the essence of politics. But in a pluralistic system based on coalition-building, seeking compromise is equally essential. Divergences of opinion enrich democratic debate as long as they do not become sterile quarrels, with each party entrenched in its positions," he stated.
"They must lead to a synthesis and tangible results that meet the needs of the population. I am convinced the new government team will remain attentive to this."
