Belgium set for new government after months of negotiations

1/2/2025 12:06

Political parties in Belgium agreed on Friday to form a new government, the office of Belgian King Philippe said, ending almost eight months of complicated talks that followed the election victory of Flemish nationalist party N-VA.



N-VA leader Bart De Wever, 54, is expected to become prime minister and lead a broad five-party coalition, which also includes Christian democrats and socialists from the Dutch-speaking north of the country as well as liberal and centrist parties from the French-speaking south.



Coalition talks dragged on for months as parties struggled to agree on the budget cuts, tax hikes and pension reforms, De Wever insisted on to improve the government finances of the euro zone's sixth largest economy.



During almost 32 hours of non-stop negotiations that ran into Friday evening, the parties finally managed to agree on these measures and other sticking points.



These included an agreement to increase defence spending in the coming years to the minimum level of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) agreed among NATO countries, and to limit asylum migration, newspaper De Tijd said, citing sources close to the talks.



De Wever presented the pact on Friday evening to King Philippe, but gave no details to reporters waiting outside the Royal Palace in Brussels.