De Wever calls for summer deal ahead of budget talks

Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever has stressed the need for his government to strike a deal on a major package of reforms before the summer break. It would allow budget discussions to proceed smoothly after the holidays.

Speaking at Brussels City Hall during the official celebration of the Flemish Community Holiday, De Wever said agreement is needed on key issues including a capital gains tax, the purchase of new F-35 fighter jets, and reforms to pensions, taxation, and the labour market.

He and his deputy prime ministers met Thursday evening to discuss the reforms, and further talks are scheduled for Monday and Thursday. “These wagons will move forward together”, De Wever said. “Meeting by meeting, we’re getting closer.”

“Meeting by meeting, we’re getting closer.”

The prime minister warned that without a pre-summer deal, the difficult 2026 budget talks risk being undermined by unresolved reform debates. “We’d poison one discussion with the next”, he said, “and then I fear we’ll get nowhere.”

Recent forecasts from the Monitoring Committee suggest that drafting the 2026 budget will be particularly challenging.

Meanwhile, broader socioeconomic tensions are also mounting. The High Council for Employment warned Friday that recent labour reforms, particularly the planned two-year limit on unemployment benefits, could push up poverty levels. While broadly supported by experts, the changes could leave up to 180,000 people without support by 2027, the Council said.

^{Prime minister Bart De Wever © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND}