Belgian Government Seeks 10 Billion euro in Budget Talks

Belgium’s top federal ministers are meeting to work on the country’s budget, with the government facing the difficult task of finding around 10 billion euro in savings.

The talks come at a tense moment for the federal government. Just one day earlier, the ministers failed to reach an agreement on whether 13 Palestinian students with scholarships should be allowed to come to Belgium to study or conduct research at Belgian universities.

Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot had strongly criticized N-VA and MR over their opposition to the plan. CD&V and Vooruit also expressed their frustration.

Despite the tensions, Prévot joked about the situation when he arrived for the budget meeting, saying the atmosphere was “super.”

The federal government is not the only government looking for savings. The Flemish government is also working on its budget and wants to keep it balanced by 2027.

Flemish Finance and Budget Minister Ben Weyts of N-VA said the current budget exercise could be the biggest the government has ever faced.

Flanders already made savings of around 1.5 billion euro last year. This time, the government may need to find around 2 billion euro more.

Weyts warned that all government departments will have to contribute. He also called for a closer look at subsidies in Flanders, saying spending on subsidies has grown too much.

With such a large budget effort ahead, Weyts said there will be less room for political demands, vetoes and red lines.