Jan Jambon, federal negotiator for N-VA, has urged the five Arizona coalition parties (MR, Les Engagés, N-VA, CD&V, and Vooruit) to "take responsibility" in ongoing government formation talks.
"These five parties must do this," he told VRT on Sunday. He stressed that "any other scenario would be worse" and urged the leaders to "moderate their explosive statements" in the media.
Although the Arizona coalition appears back on track with Vooruit’s return to negotiations, an interview with MR president Georges-Louis Bouchez in Het Laatste Nieuws, where he opened the possibility of replacing Vooruit with Open VLD, dampened enthusiasm. Nevertheless, the parties will resume discussions on Monday afternoon, aiming to negotiate six days a week.
Taxation, one of the contentious issues, might not be addressed immediately. Other topics will be prioritised initially to rebuild trust.
"There are parties wanting the wealthy to contribute more, while others caution against worsening the economic situation,” Jambon noted.
"The notion that the wealthiest should bear part of the burden is justified. But we already have the highest tax burden in Europe. As far as we are concerned, taxes cannot increase further, and those with the lowest incomes should receive more. These principles are accepted, and their implementation needs to be finalised at the negotiation table," insisted the N-VA negotiator.
Regarding bombastic statements, Jambon advised they be shelved. "Every decree in the media makes things harder," he remarked.
According to Jambon, "everyone must now take their responsibilities". Other options, such as a government with Open VLD or new elections, are "less stable" and a "worse scenario".
Regardless, forming a new government by 1 December and passing a budget in Parliament this year will be extremely difficult, Jambon acknowledged.
"The schedule is very tight. If it doesn’t work out, we will need to work with provisional twelfths for a short period," he concluded.
