Belgium's budget talks ended without an agreement on Sunday evening, with coalition partners still divided over PM's latest proposal.
After holding bilateral talks with coalition partners, De Wever met senior ministers for four hours on Sunday evening. However, several parties said considerable work is afoot before an agreement could be reached.
"What was on the table tonight was unacceptable," one participant said. "We made that quite clear. We need a budget that is fair and credible, boosts the economy and strengthens social cohesion. We are not there yet. We need to get back to work, with a different balance."
The latest proposal reportedly drops plans to raise the standard VAT rate from 21% to 22%, although changes to the VAT rates applied to certain products remain under discussion.
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Other measures being considered include changes affecting management companies and rental income through the calculation of cadastral income.
In healthcare, negotiators are discussing changes to increased reimbursement arrangements, patient co-payments and measures concerning people on long-term sick leave.
Some participants remain hopeful that De Wever could deliver a government policy statement during Thursday's parliamentary plenary session, although others consider that prospect overly optimistic.
While an earlier proposal had been rejected by the centre-right MR party, the latest version has drawn objections from the coalition's more left-leaning partners.
De Wever is expected to resume bilateral talks on Monday afternoon in an attempt to bridge the remaining differences.
