WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE BELGIUM BRUSSELS - The Brussels Times - BELGIUM IN BRIEF - Monday 25 november 2024

 

View this email in your browser BELGIUM IN BRIEF The conditions are right for another inauspicious Monday, with Bart De Wever once again meeting King Philippe to tell him there is no agreement for a Federal Government. The five parties that would form the coalition have now taken 169 days to figure out a deal they all would be willing to sign up to. How much longer they need to find this vital compromise is unclear.  What is clear is that financial imperatives will soon require political action, deal or no deal. So while formation discussions wear on ad infinitum, the caretaker government also meets today to discuss how the country's vital services continue to function without a new budget. In a television interview on Sunday, former State Secretary for the Budget Eva De Bleeker said that with the year ending in a matter of weeks, forming a new government that can draft a new budget will be "technically impossible".  As a result, Belgium will start 2025 with a system of provisional twelfths, that allows the last government to spend one-twelfth of the 2024 expenditure every month. It is expected that this system will be in place for at least the first three months of next year.  But although the twelfths system happens by default, it still contains elements that require input from serving ministers. This notably is the case with the health insurance budget, which will be in place for an entire year. But on this point parties in De Croo's caretaker government are divided, in disagreement over how much the budget can be raised.  Which leaves Beglium in the unenviable position of both the former and prospective governments wrangling over how to tax and how to spend.  Belgium in Brief  is a free daily roundup of the top stories to get you through your coffee break conversations. Want to sign up?  Click here . 1. Day 169 without a Belgian Government: Deadline extended again Key components of the government agreement are still not resolved and De Wever has two more weeks. But a budget for the start of 2025 has been ruled out.  Read More . 2. ‘Sculptura’ festival: National Lottery withholds funds amid complaints Several artists were left empty handed months after the event despite sponsorships from public Belgian and EU institutions.  Read More . 3. EU Council approves 2025 budget ahead of MEP vote "We have kept enough financial margin to respond to unforeseen circumstances."  Read More .   4. Belgian State Bonds: Who can buy them and how? The window has opened to invest in the latest round of Belgian State bonds, but who is entitled to purchase bonds, and where do you buy them?  Read More . 5. Two women killed by partner or ex every month in Belgium In Belgium, there are still no official figures on the number of women killed by their (former) partners.  Read More . 6. Prince Laurent demands access to social security on top of €388,000 endowment Prince Laurent is taking the Belgian State to court over access to social security – which he is not entitled to as he receives an annual €388,000 endowment.  Read More . 7. Making housing affordable: Brussels urged to simplify building regulations "We are facing a dangerous cocktail of increasing demand and decreasing supply. And that, of course, has the effect of prices being raised."  Read More .