Budget deal clears major hurdle in Flemish government negotiations

The three parties negotiating the formation of a new Flemish government have reached an agreement on the budget framework, thus clearing a major hurdle in forming the new government. 

Formateur Matthias Diependaele declined to provide specific details on the agreed budgets, stating, “We’ve agreed that discussing these figures publicly would not make the ongoing talks any easier.”

While the budget framework is a breakthrough in the Flemish government formation, several key policy issues still need to be resolved in the coming days. One of the remaining policy issues, for example, is the ongoing debate over nitrogen emissions. 

“We still have some work to do on the unresolved policy issues but we’ve reached a principled agreement on the big picture—the budget. We’ll keep the details at the table for now, as we aim to finalise a new and better Flemish government this week,” said Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau on Instagram.

CD&V president Sammy Mahdi also stressed that there are still important hurdles to overcome, despite the budget agreement.

Diependaele was supposed to present the government’s September Declaration in parliament on Monday at 2:30 PM, thus kicking off the new parliamentary year. There is no question of that now without a new government. Further negotiations are scheduled for 5 PM the same day.

 

#FlandersNewsService | N-VA's Matthias Diependaele © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE

 

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About belganewsagency.eu

Belga News Agency delivers dependable, rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media. The information covers all sectors, from politics, economics and finance to social affairs, sports and culture, not to mention entertainment and lifestyle.

Every day, our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories, dozens of online information items, plus audio and video bulletins, all in both national languages. Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language.

For public institutions, businesses and various organisations that need reliable information, Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs.

Contact

Arduinkaai 29 1000 Brussels

www.belganewsagency.eu