Negotiations to form Belgium's next Federal Government resumed on Monday after a clash between MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez and several CD&V members over the envisaged tax reform resulted in a lost weekend.
The government formation process is nearing 200 days and will again be disrupted as Christmas and the end-of-year celebrations eat up more time before formator Bart De Wever (N-VA) is due to see the King again. To compound the delay, the 'Arizona' parties did not meet last weekend after comments by Bouchez reportedly shocked several negotiators on Friday.
"I will personally see to it that you need to find another job and can no longer become Finance Minister," Bouchez reportedly lashed out at Vincent Van Peteghem, outgoing Finance Minister and one of the CD&V negotiators, Belgian media report.
When CD&V leader Sammy Mahdi got involved, Bouchez reportedly told him "If you ever manage to win an election, then you can speak to me."
'A low point'
The argument broke out during a discussion regarding tax reform in which an old frustration of Bouchez came up. As Finance Minister of the outgoing Federal 'Vivaldi' Government, Van Peteghem made it virtually impossible for software developers to be remunerated via copyright – something Bouchez has always strongly opposed. He now wants to water down these restrictions, but lost his temper.
"It was intense, I was watching it with growing astonishment," said Theo Francken, one of N-VA's negotiators, on Flemish television on Sunday morning. Another negotiator called it "a low point." De Wever opted to pause negotiations so that partners had time to calm down.
"Bouchez should start being more careful. Several party leaders around are absolutely fed up with his way of doing things," one anonymous negotiator told De Standaard. "He's clearly not stupid but the way he attacks people, so personally and harshly, is really not acceptable. It is good that De Wever intervened to restore calm but now we have lost another two days."
While two wasted days might not seem like much in light of the 198 days the formation has already dragged on for, all party leaders want to move forward to start the new year with a new Federal Government as soon as possible. After Monday's talks, the negotiators will take a two-day Christmas break on Tuesday and Wednesday before continuing discussions on Thursday.
MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
Bouchez himself said on Friday that it "would be ideal" to have a government before the first plenary session of the new year in the Parliament, on 9 January.
Meanwhile Pierre Wunsch – Governor of the National Bank of Belgium – argues that the political arm-wrestling is "not yet problematic". "There still seems to be a political majority to implement the necessary reforms, especially regarding the labour market. There is a broad consensus on what needs to be done."
Wunsch believes that an extra month of negotiations is not ruinous as long as the political will to implement these reforms is there. "The quality of the coalition agreement is more important than the timing."
It remains to be seen whether De Wever manages to steer the talks back into calmer waters. He is expected back at the Royal Palace after the Christmas holidays to give the King – who "hopes for a decisive breakthrough at the start of 2025" – a progress report about the negotiations on 7 January.
