Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) confirmed on Sunday that he will not give a State of the Union on Tuesday, October 13, because “so far” no agreement on a new budget has been found in the federal government (RTBF, De Morgen, HLN). He says the talks continue “given the seriousness of the situation” and that he does not accept a scenario of provisional twelfths (RTBF, HLN). De Morgen reports that he also warns of an emergency budget. Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) calls the situation “extremely serious” (Le Soir). According to HBVL and HLN, the talks are stuck on the “no” of MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez, as long as VAT is in the prime minister’s table; Bouchez himself says VAT is “by no means the only problem” (RTBF). According to the VRT, the talks between the prime minister and the parties produced nothing and there is above all distrust between the coalition partners.
Without a budget the government cannot plan its spending, and the policy statement is pushed back. An emergency scenario with provisional twelfths means that the government spends at most one twelfth of the previous budget each month, without new measures.
In the short term you will notice little, but any VAT increase or new cut could later hit your wallet, your pension or your services. DailyDrop cannot give a list of confirmed measures.
The prime minister and his allies say an agreement is needed to keep the deficits under control and that an emergency scenario is not an option.
The MR says a VAT increase is out of the question, and the opposition criticises the postponement of the policy statement.
The postponement is a political signal, not a solution. Watch whether VAT comes off the table, whether a new date for the State of the Union is set and whether the Walloon and federal budgets get in each other’s way.
RTBF, De Morgen, HLN, Le Soir, HBVL, VRT NWS (Oct. 11, 2026)
No deal on the budget: De Wever cancels Tuesday’s State of the Union and rejects provisional twelfths
The prime minister says the federal government still has no agreement on a new budget. MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez keeps saying “no” as long as VAT is on the table.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) confirmed on Sunday that he will not give a State of the Union on Tuesday, October 13, because “so far” no agreement on a new budget has been found in the government (RTBF, De Morgen, HLN). He says the talks continue “given the seriousness of the situation” and that he does not accept a scenario of provisional twelfths (RTBF, HLN). De Morgen writes that he also warns of an emergency budget. Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V) calls the situation “extremely serious” (Le Soir).
According to HBVL and HLN, the talks are stuck on Bouchez’s “no”, as long as a VAT increase is in the prime minister’s table. Bouchez himself says VAT is “by no means the only problem” (RTBF). Wetstraat journalist Bart Verhulst of the VRT says the first talks between the prime minister and the parties produced nothing and that above all the distrust between the coalition partners of the Arizona coalition has to go; “there was hardly any discussion of substance”. A budget is also on the way in Wallonia: the Dolimont government presents its agreement on Monday (RTBF, La Libre). DailyDrop does not know the exact deficit or the list of measures; figures on them are not confirmed.