Belgian king rejects PM's resignation

BRUSSELS

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attends an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025.

Belgium's King Philippe on Nov. 6 refused Prime Minister Bart De Wever's offer to resign and gave the governing coalition more time to thrash out a new cost-cutting budget, the palace said. 

"The king has decided to reject the prime minister's resignation and has asked him to resume budget negotiations immediately. The prime minister will report back to the king on Nov. 16," a statement said.

De Wever, a Flemish conservative, offered his resignation on Nov. 2 after coalition partners failed to reach agreement on the 2027 budget.

King Philippe held off from accepting the resignation and spent the week consulting parties in the center-right governing alliance in search of a compromise.

De Wever told parliament a day ahead of his audience with the king on Nov. 6 that 2027 would begin under a stopgap budget based on the previous fiscal year.

He described the failure to adopt a full 2027 budget as a "serious setback" for the government.

De Wever is seeking budget savings of 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) by 2029 to curb Belgium's deficit, which exceeds 5 percent of GDP.

Proposed measures have included spending cuts, notably in healthcare, and a VAT increase that is opposed by one of the coalition members, the francophone liberal Reformist Movement (MR).

Coalition divisions have deepened under pressure from unions protesting austerity measures.