De Wever Warns Painful Budget Measures Cannot Wait
Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Thursday, 8 October 2026, that painful budget measures were needed now to avert a looming debt and interest-cost spiral that would otherwise leave future generations with a heavy bill. The remarks came as the federal government's budget negotiations remained deadlocked.
De Wever's five-party coalition is seeking approximately 10 billion euros in additional fiscal adjustments by 2029. The talks have exposed disagreements over how much should come from spending reductions and how much from additional tax revenue. VAT reform has emerged as a major obstacle, and healthcare expenditure is also unsettled.
Pressure on the streets was rising the same day. In Liège, hundreds of students held an authorised march toward the train station, while in the Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek about 200 students protested in front of a broadcaster's headquarters, calling for the rich to be taxed to pay teachers' salaries. The student and union movements were set to converge in the national protest on 9 October.
De Wever was scheduled to deliver his annual policy statement to parliament on 13 October. If no budget agreement is reached before then, that timetable itself is at risk. Negotiations are to continue through technical working groups and further meetings between the prime minister and senior coalition figures.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：比利时首相巴尔特·德韦弗肖像。摄影：Paul Van Welden，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
