---
title: "Bart de Wever Resigns: Belgian Coalition Fails to Agree on 2027 Budget"
description: "Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever submitted his resignation to King Philippe on November 2 due to the failure of coalition budget negotiations for 2027. The monarch postponed accepting the resignation and called emergency consultations; follow-up is set for November 6."
date: 2026-11-02T12:05:06.807Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/bart-de-wever-resigns-belgium-budget-crisis
tags: [belgium, bart-de-wever, budget-crisis, coalition-government, king-philip, europe-politics]
author: "Marina Slivenko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Bart de Wever Resigns: Belgian Coalition Fails to Agree on 2027 Budget

![Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever against the background of the national flag and the European Union flag](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/02/bart-de-wever-otstavka-belgiya-byudzhet-krizis/bart-de-wever-otstavka-belgiya-byudzhet-krizis-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Bart de Wever submitted his government's resignation to King Philippe on November 2, 2026
- The cause was the failure of the five-party coalition's negotiations on the 2027 budget: failing to find 10 billion euros
- King Philippe postponed accepting the resignation and initiated emergency consultations with coalition leaders
- A follow-up meeting between the king and de Wever is scheduled for November 6; early elections are possible if they fail

Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever officially submitted his government's resignation to King Philippe on November 2, 2026. The move came after a five-party ruling coalition failed to agree on the federal budget for 2027 following two months of protracted negotiations. The press service of the Royal Palace of Belgium confirmed that the head of the cabinet personally met with the monarch to announce his resignation. According to RBC-Ukraine and several other outlets, the collapse resulted from fundamental disagreements within the coalition: the right wing insisted on severe cuts to social spending, including healthcare and pension funding, while center-left factions demanded shifting the deficit burden onto tax increases for wealthy citizens. As a result, the cabinet was unable to find the additional 10 billion euros needed to bridge the budgetary gap.

### Budgetary Impasse: The 10 Billion Euros That Could Not Be Found

Negotiations on the 2027 budget lasted for about two months and reportedly turned into a marathon in the final nights before the resignation without yielding a compromise. The five parties forming the coalition majority in the House of Representatives failed to devise a unified mechanism to reduce the deficit. The divergence was not merely quantitative but ideological: the conservative-liberal wing of the coalition, to which de Wever himself belongs, viewed cutting social items as the only acceptable path, while social democrats and greens rejected any cuts in healthcare and the pension system, favoring progressive taxation. Consequently, neither side made concessions, and the cabinet effectively entered a state of paralysis weeks before the budget approval deadline.

### King Philippe's Reaction: Delay and Emergency Consultations

King Philippe of Belgium accepted the resignation request but did not enact it immediately. The monarch left the document "under review" and initiated urgent consultations with the leaders of all five coalition parties. A statement from the palace press service emphasized that "in the context of significant geopolitical uncertainty and serious economic challenges, the country cannot afford a prolonged political crisis." The monarch urged all stakeholders to "put the general interest and readiness for compromise first." A follow-up meeting between the monarch and Bart de Wever is scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026. Palace representatives stated that the Royal Palace "expressed regret" over the current situation and noted the unacceptability of protracted political crises for state stability.

### What's Next: Belgian Practice and the Risk of Early Elections

Belgium's political tradition dictates that the monarch often rejects the first resignation request, giving the prime minister an additional chance to find a way out of the deadlock. This practice apparently formed the basis of King Philippe's decision to postpone accepting the resignation. However, if the coalition fails to forge a budgetary compromise during consultations ending on November 6, the country will face the prospect of early parliamentary elections. For Belgium, where forming a government after elections historically takes months, such a scenario would mean an even longer period of political uncertainty—at a time when, as the palace phrased it, the geopolitical situation does not allow for prolonged pauses.

### Context: De Wever's Stance on Frozen Russian Assets

De Wever's resignation comes against the backdrop of his recent public statements, which have already sparked resonance in Ukrainian and European discourse. The Belgian Prime Minister recently stated that the European Commission does not plan to propose new mechanisms for using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's needs. Even earlier, when the confiscation of these funds was being discussed in Brussels and national capitals, de Wever publicly expressed doubt that Russia would lose the war against Ukraine, pointing out that the frozen funds would have to be returned after the conflict ends. Furthermore, according to him, Moscow openly threatened Belgium with "eternal retribution" if the assets were confiscated. These remarks, made amid the budget crisis, further complicated the political picture around the prime minister and increased pressure on his coalition.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Премьер Бельгии Барт де Вевер подал в отставку из-за бюджета](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/prem-er-belgiyi-bart-de-vever-podav-vidstavku-1793620572.html) - Primary source: Royal Palace press service statement, November 2 audience, resignation delay, quote on geopolitical uncertainty, context on Russian assets.
- [Политический кризис в Бельгии: премьер подал в отставку](https://rtvi.com/news/politicheskij-krizis-v-belgii-premer-podal-v-otstavku/) - Confirms two months of negotiations, the 10 billion euro amount, and the failure of budget coordination.
- [Премьер Бельгии Де Вевер подал королю прошение об отставке](https://www.osnmedia.ru/world/premer-belgii-de-vever-podal-korolyu-proshenie-ob-otstavke/) - Clarifies: 5 coalition parties, divergence of right and center-left, request 'under review', follow-up meeting on November 6, Belgian practice of rejecting the first request, risk of early elections.
- [Премьер-министр Бельгии Барт де Вевер решил уйти в отставку](https://www.bfm.ru/news/622667) - Brief confirmation of the resignation filing and the cause—failure of 2027 budget negotiations.

## FAQ

### Why did Bart de Wever resign?

The reason was the inability of the five-party coalition to agree on the 2027 federal budget. Over two months of negotiations, the right and center-left wings failed to reach a unified mechanism to cover the 10 billion euro deficit.

### Did King Philippe accept the resignation immediately?

No. The king left the request "under review," initiated emergency consultations with coalition party leaders, and scheduled a follow-up meeting with de Wever for November 6, 2026.

### What happens if the coalition fails to find a compromise?

According to Belgian political practice, if the second request also fails to yield results, early parliamentary elections are possible, which in Belgium can take several months.

### What is the amount of the budget deficit they failed to agree on?

According to RTVI and OSN Media, the cabinet failed to find an additional 10 billion euros to cover the 2027 budget deficit.