Bart De Wever (N-VA) reiterated in the Chamber on Wednesday just how important it is for the government to reach an agreement on the multi-annual budget.
The Prime Minister did not sound particularly optimistic. “We are already in injury time, and all I can say is that I hope the majority parties will be willing to put their differences aside and reach an agreement.”
The federal government’s top officials met on Tuesday evening to discuss the budget until after midnight. The Prime Minister had hoped to force a breakthrough, but this proved unsuccessful. After several hours, he had to switch to one-to-one talks with the Deputy Prime Ministers.
A new round of talks will be held later on Wednesday. Sources within government circles suggest that De Wever intends to push ahead in order to reach an agreement by Thursday.
De Wever had come to the Chamber to answer questions from the opposition about the delayed budget for 2027.
"I have little to report to you, and that is, of course, regrettable," he said. "I can understand your concerns about holiday pay and the index, but a debt crisis is the end of the world. At that point we will have to see what to say to those groups who cannot bear even the slightest hardship today."
The Prime Minister also reiterated the responsibility of his predecessors. "We are facing a ‘Wall of Darkness'. Expenditure has risen by more than 60 billion euros since the start of the century. Interest payments and rising pension costs are the nooses that have been left for us to deal with. To argue that this is our fault is a responsibility that I do not accept."
