Belgium: what will the new government bring?
A new government has been formed in Belgium under the leadership of Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever. His N-VA party, which seeks greater autonomy for the Flanders region, has formed a coalition with the liberal MR, the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. Commentators discuss what lies in store for the country.
A special kind of patchwork
The Tages-Anzeiger analyses the political situation:
“In Belgium, the EU will be dealing with a conservative-Christian-democratic-liberal government with social democratic elements. It favours nuclear power and limiting migration in coordination with the EU. Within the EU, the party of the new head of government De Wever belongs to the camp of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but in terms of its programme it is more in line with Europe's conservative parties. It has strictly adhered to the firewall against right-wing extremism for years. So there can be no talk of Belgium being governed by the far right in future.”
Many open questions
Le Soir questions the stability of the coalition:
“Does the length of the negotiations guarantee a left-right balance of the programme (making the wealthy pay vs. no tax increases), which could give it a certain durability and even wider acceptance? Or, on the contrary, does it reveal the great fragility of a coalition that could break down given the antagonisms between its members, the ideological differences that have been resolved only superficially or blows from the outside? We'll have to wait to find out more about the content of this government programme before those questions can be answered.”
Get off to a constructive start
La Libre Belgique is optimistic:
“The coalition offers Belgium a unique opportunity to fundamentally reform our country so it can tackle the economic, social and technological challenges it faces. ... The De Wever government must succeed in its three goals: reducing the unemployment rate, addressing the job shortage and making our administrations more efficient. Union and political resistance will be formidable. The Arizona coalition cannot afford to get bogged down in confrontation. Starting Monday, it must sow the seeds of a constructive social dialogue.”
Flanders has the upper hand now
Even without separatist plans there will be a Flemish turn in the country, warns De Standaard:
“With what divisive argument can the N-VA continue to pursue Flemish autonomy when the federal state will serve Flemish interests and put crucial ministries such as budget, pensions, finance, public health and migration firmly in experienced Flemish hands? ... Meanwhile, the Walloons, who fear De Wever because he could still split the country, fail to see the scale of the takeover he is planning, now also in Wallonia and Brussels.”