400 days later: Brussels struggles to start talks on government deadlock
The six parties – MR, PS, and Les Engagés on the French side; Open VLD, Groen and Vooruit on the Flemish – will now work towards a coalition agreement by September.
Talks had been at a standstill as the francophone Socialist Party (PS) refused to govern with Flemish nationalists N-VA – Prime Minister Bart de Wever's party. But Flemish liberals Open VLD insisted that N-VA should be included in a government coalition.
Belgian politics is divided between French and Dutch -speaking language communities. But the federal system is particularly complicated in the Brussels region, where political groups from both sides are needed for a majority in the regional government.
With an unusually awkward distribution of votes in the 2024 elections, it is mathematically difficult to form a majority without PS or N-VA. But these parties are almost diametrically opposed and PS has been intransigent in its resistance to the Flemish nationalists.
On Friday 11 July, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez announced that discussions between PS and his party had resumed to find a 'solution' by Belgium's national day on 21 July.
Previous efforts to get parties to negotiate had blown up, with long-standing feuds preventing constructive dialogue. But with the region's debt swelling to €15 billion, at the same time its credit rating has been downgraded, the financial situation is clearly unsustainable.
On Sunday, MR and N-VA reached an agreement: N-VA will not take a seat in the coalition. To appease them, MR would sacrifice a state secretary position in the future government, which would be replaced by a figure from civil society not affiliated with any party.
This person is expected to be a French-speaker 'compatible' with N-VA positions, Belga News Agency writes, through which the party will have some indirect influence.
But despite initial optimism that talks could resume, progress was again held up on Monday as N-VA sent a representative to the negotiations. The talks were promptly cancelled, Bruzz reported.
Orlando Whitehead contributed reporting.
(vib, ow)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
an hour ago
- Euractiv
France says it can't stop destruction of US contraceptives
France says it has no authority over the fate of a large, still-usable stockpile of USAID-funded contraceptives that are set to be destroyed on French soil. In a statement to AFP on Friday, the French health ministry said it had 'no means to requisition' the contraceptives, which belong to USAID, the US international aid agency. 'Since contraceptives are not considered essential medicines and this is not a case of supply shortages, we have no means to requisition the stock', the ministry said. On 23 July, press reports revealed that the US administration planned to destroy a stockpile of contraceptives worth an estimated €10 million, which had been stored in Geel, Belgium. The products are now being transported to France for incineration by specialist waste companies. The contraceptives were part of USAID's global reproductive health programmes, which were drastically scaled back after the Trump administration cut the agency's operational budget earlier this year. Consequently, many of its aid activities, including the distribution of contraceptives, have ceased to function, rendering its role in this field largely defunct, according to NGOs familiar with the matter. Calls to stop the incineration On Thursday, Sarah Durocher, president of France's Family Planning Association, said that part of the stockpile may already have left Belgium. 'We were informed 36 hours ago that the removal of these boxes of contraceptives had begun', she said on Thursday. Durocher has called on incineration companies to refuse to destroy the stock and 'to oppose this senseless decision.' Several NGOs have tried in recent weeks to negotiate with the US government to purchase or repurpose the contraceptives, some of which remain usable until 2031. "We were informed by the US administration that our offer had been rejected, and we learned then that the government had decided to destroy the products - meaning that offers from our partners were also declined", International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) told Euractiv. The cost of incinerating the contraceptives is estimated at €150,000, a price the US government appears willing to pay rather than opt for donation or resale. "We've been aware of these stockpiles since April and have worked tirelessly to find a solution and negotiate with the US, but our efforts have been blocked at every turn. This leads us to believe that the decision is not about money, but is instead driven by an extreme ideological stance. It's about power and control", IPPF added. The French delegation of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has called on the European Commission to intervene and prevent the destruction, questioning its legality under EU treaties and legislation. While the Commission confirmed that it had taken note of the letter and was monitoring the situation, it did not answer Euractiv's question on whether it would intervene in this case. The European Commission should be more outspoken about the senseless destruction of life-saving contraceptive supplies", IPPF concluded. (bms, de)
Euractiv
4 hours ago
- Euractiv
European allies start airlifting aid into Gaza
A coalition of European countries, including Germany and France, started airlifting aid into the Gaza Strip on Friday, amid increasing pressure on Israel to allow for more deliveries via the land route. European countries had announced their participation in the operation earlier this week after Israel's government had agreed to allow more aid to enter the region to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation caused by its ongoing military operation. Germany said it had run two flights, dropping off 34 pallets containing 14 tonnes of food and medical aid, provided by a charity based in Jordan. Spain said it had dropped off 12 tonnes of food. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that his country had also participated, with the UK expected to join in eventually. Macron stressed, however, that "airdrops are not enough." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also noted that "sufficient quantities of relief supplies can only be provided to the people by land." Israel had blocked most aid into Gaza since the first phase of a negotiated truce with Hamas ended in March 2025. However, it had reached a deal with the EU in July to slowly resume humanitarian aid deliveries. It has, however, only sparingly allowed for aid to enter the Gaza Strip via land, leaving the population in danger of mass starvation and prompting increasing criticism from European countries. Israel had occupied the region after Gaza-based Hamas led an incursion into Israeli territory on 7 October. The massacre by Hamas militants and the ensuing Israeli military operation have cost the lives of thousands of civilians. "In our talks, we are urging the Israeli government to allow the UN and international aid organisations safe access and, above all, safe distribution," Wadephul said. Germany's top diplomat is currently completing a two-day visit to the region, leading crucial talks with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which will determine whether Germany supports sanctions against Israel at the EU level, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The chancellor had announced Germany's participation in the air lift earlier this week, which he called a 'Luftbrücke' (or 'air bridge'), evoking the air drops conducted by the allies to supply West Berlin after it was blocked by the Soviet Union after the Second World War.
Euractiv
2 days ago
- Euractiv
France wants deadlines for Commission's DSA investigations on Big Tech
French authorities also want to strengthen the enforcement powers of national oversight bodies to help combat disinformation risks, per an internal position paper seen by Euractiv.
