Prime Minister Bart De Wever and his coalition partners deliberated for about nine hours on Sunday, October 4, over the federal budget, writes The Brussels Times. By 2029 the government has to find at least €10 billion to meet the European budget rules. The prime minister closed the talks at around 9 p.m. According to the paper, the ministers went through the proposal point by point, but the differences were too large. MR and Vooruit do not want measures that make everyday purchases more expensive, and N-VA and CD&V do not want to reverse the agreed cut in labor costs, which costs about €2 billion net. Talks continue in working groups with experts from all parties, which VRT also reported in its live blog. De Wever has to present the revised budget in the Chamber on October 13; on October 15 Belgium has to send its budget to the European Commission.
Without a budget the country falls back on provisional twelfths, as in 2025 and 2026. That slows new policy and is a bad signal to the European Commission and the financial markets. The conflict is about the basis of the coalition agreement: who bears the burden, and whether it is a matter of taxes or of cuts.
A rise in value-added tax could affect the price of everyday purchases, but nothing has been decided on that. An emergency budget limits new spending; which measures would then have to wait is not yet clear.
The coalition parties that want to protect labor costs say the cut is needed to keep jobs and competitiveness and that savings must be found elsewhere.
Parties that do not want to raise value-added tax think a fair distribution must also involve the strongest shoulders, and that the cost must not fall on the ordinary shopping basket.
Nine hours of talks without a deal is not a failure in itself: working groups are the normal next step. What matters is whether in three days it is about figures or still about principles. Watch two dates: October 13, when De Wever has to speak in the Chamber, and October 15, when Europe expects a budget.
The Brussels Times, VRT NWS (Oct. 3–5, 2026)
Nine hours of talks on Sunday, still no deal on the 10 billion: labor costs and value-added tax remain stumbling blocks
The federal De Wever government again looked on Sunday for at least €10 billion by 2029. Talks continue in technical working groups. A deal by Tuesday’s State of the Union on October 13 is not a given.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever and his coalition partners deliberated for about nine hours on Sunday, October 4, over a budget in which at least €10 billion has to be found, The Brussels Times reports. The prime minister closed the meeting at around 9 p.m. All proposals were discussed, but the differences remained too large for a deal. In its live blog, VRT likewise headlined that the differences are “still too large” and that talks continue in working groups with experts from all parties.
The biggest stumbling blocks are value-added tax and labor costs. According to The Brussels Times, MR and Vooruit do not want measures that make everyday purchases more expensive, while N-VA and CD&V do not want to go back on the agreed cut in labor costs, which costs the budget about €2 billion net. De Wever has to present the revised budget to the Chamber on October 13. By October 15 at the latest, Belgium must submit its budget to the European Commission. The government wants to avoid starting 2027 once again on provisional twelfths, as in 2025 and 2026. DailyDrop has not yet seen an official figure on the size of a possible deal.