The Flemish government will not meet the deadline to present its annual budget, as the negotiations have been suspended after one of the ministers became unwell.
Hours before Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) was supposed to take the stage in the Flemish parliament to present his government's fiscal plans for next year, the talks between the coalition parties were suspended indefinitely.
Following a night of negotiations, Flemish Minister of the Interior Hilde Crevits (CD&V) and a Chief of Staff for Vooruit became unwell. An ambulance was seen near the seat of the Flemish government at the Place des Martyrs in Brussels.
"We are suspending the budget discussions," Diependaele wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, follwoing the suspension of the talks. "Health always comes first, whatever the circumstances. I wish my colleague Hilde Crevits and the staff member concerned a speedy recovery."
"A great deal of hard work has been done over the past few weeks and days, and we are close to reaching an agreement. We will resume discussions with the full government as soon as possible."
The Flemish government was discussing a proposed budget from Diependaele when the medical emergencies happened. Talks over the reported €3 billion in cuts needed to balance the budget for next year had stalled over the weekend, with Diependaele holding one-on-one meetings with representatives of each coalition party during the night from Sunday to Monday.
We pauzeren de begrotingsbesprekingen. Gezondheid gaat altijd voor, in welke omstandigheid dan ook. Ik wens mijn collega @crevits en de betrokken medewerker alle beterschap.
Er is de voorbije weken en dagen hard gewerkt en we zijn dicht bij een akkoord. We nemen de draad met de… pic.twitter.com/WgzpJT32NW — Matthias Diependaele (@MDiependaele) September 28, 2026
Diependaele called the proposal his "best and final offer".
Diependaele will ask the Flemish Parliament to delay the presentation of next year's fiscal plans, the so-called September declaration.
