King Philippe has not decided whether to accept Bart De Wever's cabinet resignation.
Why it matters: The failed talks leave Belgium without agreement on its 2027 federal budget and keep the five-party coalition's fiscal negotiations unresolved.
- Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered his government's resignation on Monday, November 2, 2026, after overnight budget talks failed.
- King Philippe will consult governing-party leaders beginning Tuesday, November 3, and De Wever is due back at the palace on Friday, November 6.
- The five-party Arizona coalition is negotiating about €10 billion in savings or new revenue by 2029.
- The government has resisted provisional twelfths, temporary monthly spending limits used when a full budget is not approved.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever offered the resignation of his government to King Philippe on Monday, November 2, 2026, after an overnight meeting failed to produce agreement on the 2027 federal budget, The Associated Press reported.
The king has not yet decided whether to accept the resignation. He will consult the leaders of the governing parties on Tuesday, November 3. De Wever is scheduled to return for another audience on Friday, November 6.
The dispute centers on how to close a multiyear fiscal gap. The Arizona coalition - De Wever's N-VA, the French-speaking liberal MR, Vooruit, CD&V and Les Engagés - has a reported objective of about €10 billion in savings or new revenue by 2029, according to The Brussels Times. That figure is a negotiating objective, not an agreed package or finalized budget measure.
N-VA and MR favor spending restraint and structural reforms, while coalition partners want wealthier taxpayers or other revenue measures to contribute more, the report said.
The government has resisted provisional twelfths - a system that limits spending to monthly portions of the previous budget when lawmakers have not approved a new one. That resistance matters because it keeps pressure on the parties to reach a full 2027 budget rather than rely on an interim spending framework.
By the numbers
- €10 billion - coalition objective for savings or new revenue by 2029
- 5 parties - members of Belgium's Arizona coalition
- November 6, 2026 - date set for De Wever's next audience with the king
Yes, but: The €10 billion figure remains a negotiated coalition objective, not an agreed set of measures or a final budget provision.
What's next: King Philippe will consult governing-party leaders on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. De Wever is scheduled to return to the palace on Friday, November 6.