Belgium's Prime Minister De Wever (N-VA) said the country will not resolve its financial troubles without far-reaching state reform, he said in the Parliament's Constitution and Institutional Renewal Committee on Wednesday.
De Wever argued that the Federal Government is running out of room to repair Belgium's finances, adding that the country can manage "one more round" of budgetary consolidation before institutional reform becomes unavoidable.
"I think we can handle one more round of restructuring, and then it's over," he added.
De Wever, the leader of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA, has long been arguing that Belgium needs another state reform. When he took office as Prime Minister, however, he said that he would need at least ten years to get the federal budget back on track.
The promise of state reform was pushed somewhat into the background. Now, De Wever appears to be taking the bull by the horns much sooner than expected.
'No easy task'
De Wever explained that successive state reforms have gradually shifted powers away from the Federal Government, leaving it with few areas where it can still make substantial savings, while major expenditure, particularly social security, remains at the federal level.
"Everyone realises that this country will never get out of trouble without thorough institutional reform," he told the Committee. "I think this is a general understanding, and I notice that people no longer dispute it."
De Wever recognised, however, that to reach an agreement on another reform of the country's federal structure would be particularly difficult. The parties in both the majority and the opposition have considerably different views on how powers should be divided between the Federal Government and the country's regions and communities.
"It is absolutely no easy task to reach an agreement on a future state structure," De Wever added. "And the question is indeed whether this will still succeed and whether the necessary majorities can ever be found within our system."
In June, he already said in Parliament that securing a two-thirds majority for institutional reforms was "absolutely not evident", during an exchange with far-right Vlaams Belang MP Werners Somers over the planned abolition of the Senate.
Nevertheless, De Wever argued on Wednesday that Belgium's institutional structure would eventually have to be addressed. "We are approaching a very interesting point in the community history of this country."
