The seven possible coalition parties for the new regional Brussels Government met on Friday morning to be updated on the urgent financial situation of the region from the Brussels Debt Agency.
Upon his arrival at the regional parliament, Flemish liberal negotiator Frédéric De Gucht stated that this would be the last meeting of the seven parties.
Open VLD maintains its stance of joining the government only with a coalition of Dutch-speaking parties which includes Flemish nationalists N-VA, as agreed in December.
Therefore, it is not appropriate to discuss a 2025 budget proposal or plan for a multi-year budget with this group of seven, as it will not form the future coalition in his view.
Instead, through the caretaker government, they can work on a 2025 budget project to ease things for the next full-term government responsible for setting multi-year budget policies, he said.
However, PS leader in Brussels, Ahmed Laaouej, emphasised his desire to proceed with the seven-party format.
"There is a coalition proposal on the table that includes all exclusives. In the preformation phase, we are expected to work as seven on the 2025 budget and the multi-year plan," Laaouej said.
Others, such as Elke Van den Brandt, did not share this optimism. Nevertheless, "according to a liberal saying, Optimism is a moral duty," quipped Benjamin Dalle (CD&V).
