Crisis in Belgium

Breaking up is hard to do

2011-12-10T21:23:00.001+01:00

So Belgium finally has a new government. 89 of the 150 deputies of the Lower House gave the first government of Mr. Elio di Rupo their support in the first confidence vote today. But do not rush into hasty conclusions. The 541 days that were needed to negotiate this government are surely an excellent argument to say that Belgium is on the brink of collapse. But they show at least as

Day 541, at last

2011-12-06T18:17:00.001+01:00

Belgium has at last a new government, after 541 days of negotiations since the parliamentary elections of the 13th of June 2010. It is a coalition of six parties: French-speaking socialists (PS, 26 seats of the 150 in the Lower house), French-speaking liberals (MR, 18 seats), Flemish christian democrats (CD&V, 17), Flemish socialists (SP.A, 13), Flemish liberals (OpenVDL, 13) and

YES, a new government

2011-12-01T21:47:00.001+01:00

Negotiators for a new Belgian government have finally achieved a definite agreement for a new government. It took 535 days to get that far, a world- and probably intergalactic-record. The new cabinet could take up its task next Monday, the 5th of December, day 540 after the elections of the 13th of June 2010.The message was sent out shortly after 9 pm on Wednesday evening: the six

And now, the end is near ...

2011-11-26T17:08:00.001+01:00

After two week of often violent discussions negotiators for a new Belgian government finally concluded an agreement Saturday at noon on the budget of 2012 and socio-economic reforms in the next years. The expectations are that Belgium could now have a government at last, somewhere next weekend, after more than 500 days. Shortly before the noon news-shows on television the five party

Back to Ciergnon

2011-11-22T21:12:00.001+01:00

The 77-year old King Albert of Belgium held consultations with political leaders today to resolve the new crisis in the government negotiations after ‘formateur’ Elio di Rupo handed in his resignation on Monday. The King will probably tomorrow make a decision about accepting the resignation or not, 528 days after the last elections. Di Rupo went to see the King in Ciergnon, the

Between Greece and Germany

2011-11-13T10:31:00.001+01:00

Five weeks after reaching an historic institutional agreement, Belgian government ‘formateur’ Elio di Rupo is wrestling with the issue of economic reform and budgetary cuts on his way to form a new cabinet, now already 517 days after the last elections. As the pressures mount from both the EU and the financial markets, he is nevertheless asking for more time. Friday late in the

Yes, a global agreement on institutional reform

2011-10-09T20:54:00.000+02:00

At 1 a.m. on Saturday morning the negotiators for a new government in Belgium finally agreed on the last issue in a large package deal on the institutional reform of the country. It took Belgium 480 days of negotiations to reach that stage, in some way even more than 4 years. This should clear the way for a new government, that might take its powers before the end of the month. It

Just a few details to fix ...

2011-10-05T21:46:00.000+02:00

The eight political parties that have been negotiating a new government in Belgium, seem now bound to succeed. They are about to conclude a package deal about many of the institutional questions that have been pending for the last decade. Towards the end of the week, after about 480 days of negotiations, they still have to tackle all the other issues, including budget cuts for next

All smiles

2011-09-15T09:18:00.000+02:00

Negotiators for a new Belgian government reached an agreement last night on the thorny issue of the break-up of the electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, the largest electoral district in Belgium and the only one with both Flemish and French-speaking voters. This is an issue that caused the fall of the last government and has remained unsolved for 48 years. After 459 days

Still in the slow lane

2011-08-28T15:47:00.000+02:00

After almost ten days of new negotiations, the process of forming a new Belgian government seems to get stuck again. This will probably mean that the caretaking government will have to prepare the budget for 2012 to keep of the Eurocrisis. After it was accepted on the 21st of July to get around a table again with eight parties, negotiations to form a new government in Belgium

Rest, in peace

2011-07-26T20:54:00.000+02:00

Negotiations for a new Belgian government have been suspended until the middle of August. This decision was taken last week after what may start to begin to look maybe like a small breakthrough. But we shall have to wait until about day 428 after the elections to have confirmation that this little hope materializes. Two weeks have passed since the Flemish nationalists rejected the

A resounding njet

2011-07-07T21:27:00.000+02:00

In less than ten minutes on Thursday afternoon Bart De Wever, the leader of the Flemish nationalists, shot down almost all the proposals his counterpart Elio di Rupo made three days ago, in the first serious attempt to propose a government program. After 390 days Belgium is back to square one. De Wever had called for a press conference in a meeting room of the Flemish Parliament at 2

A man, a plan

2011-07-04T20:40:00.000+02:00

Fourty eight days after he was appointed for the second time and 386 days after the last elections, Elio di Rupo, one of the winners last year, finally presented what looks like a reasonable and detailed proposal for a government program. The final round of the longest government negotiations ever in Belgium and the world seems now to have started. Di Rupo, the leader of the

One year after

2011-06-13T18:25:00.000+02:00

Patience is wearing thin, the European Commission (picture: José-Manuel Barroso) said One year after the general elections of the 13th of June 2010, Belgium still has no new government. The good news is that after eleven months talks have started about tackling the huge budget cuts that have to be made. The European Commission fired a forceful warning shot on that issue last week.

Something moving ...

2011-05-17T20:28:00.000+02:00

King Albert the Second announced Monday evening at 8:30 pm that he appointed Elio di Rupo, the leader of the French-speaking socialist party in Belgium, to be the 'formateur' of a new Belgian government. As di Rupo is a key figure in the negotiations and the nomination of a 'formateur' is normally the last stage in the formation of a government, this might be a decisive step out of the

Opening the floodgates to separatism

2011-05-12T21:23:00.000+02:00

After 71 days Wouter Beke, the president of the Flemish Christian democrats, today handed in his resignation as the chief negotiator in the attempts to form a new Belgian government. And as was feared, the two main antagonists, Elio di Rupo and Bart De Wever, did not come up with a clear and common proposal what should come next. Beke (picture) went around noon to King Albert. He handed

In the summertime ..

2011-05-08T14:01:00.000+02:00

After 329 days without a new government in Belgium, the next ten days will be the last wherein it is still possible to start the procedure to hold new elections before the summer-holidays. The talk therefore is more and more that the caretaking government will continue till October 2012, when national elections could be held together with local ones. Meanwhile the threat of the Flemish

Caretaking at war

2011-03-27T18:13:00.000+02:00

No progress has been signalled since Wouter Beke, the president of the Flemish Christian democrats, was put in the driver’s seat at the beginning of March to form a new Belgian government. In the meantime an acrimonious debate grew about the question how much care a caretaking government can take. Wouter Beke has been seeing quite regularly the main antagonists, Elio di Rupo and Bart De

A big hug from Downing Street

2011-03-20T12:19:00.000+01:00

Few open reactions have been noticed in Belgium or Britain on the visit of Bart De Wever at Downing Street n°10. The Flemish nationalist leader was received by prime minister David Cameron with a delegation of his party for forty minutes on Thursday evening. The news was broken by two Belgian newspapers and the radio on Friday morning. The British press, nor the press service of the

At last a Christian democrat

2011-03-02T22:14:00.000+01:00

King Albert II of Belgium on Wednesday afternoon appointed Wouter Beke, the 36-year old president of the Flemish Christian democratic party, as the new royal negotiator. He will try to negotiate a way out of the impasse of the Belgian government negotiations that failed to produce a new government for 263 days. Beke succeeds to Didier Reynders who for a month led the negotiations but

Six months deadlock

2011-02-27T16:39:00.000+01:00

Nothing substantial is to be announced about the still ongoing negotiations to form a new Belgian government. A new celebration might be upcoming these days: it is six months now since the last time that all parties of a potential coalition sat together around the same table. It was at 3:30 in the morning of Sunday the 29th of August that Elio di Rupo, the leader of the

Congratulations

2011-02-17T21:56:00.000+01:00

The Flemish nationalist leader Bart De Wever met with informateur Didier Reynders on Thursday afternoon, after the former had accused the latter of making proposals throught the media but without consulting him. No comments were made afterwards. Reynders mission has been prolonged with another fortnight by King Albert on Wednesday. Progress is not really in sight, and elections are

A small rebuke

2011-02-14T19:38:00.000+01:00

The Parti Socialiste, the main party in French-speaking Belgium, on Monday imposed some limits on the proposals of informateur Didier Reynders. Its main demand was that the Flemish socialists should continue to participate in the negotiations. Elio di Rupo, the president of the PS, insisted on Monday after a meeting of his party bureau that he will only negotiate about institutional

Reshuffling the cards

2011-02-13T17:33:00.000+01:00

After ten days in charge the outgoing Finance minister Didier Reynders is exploring new coalition formula’s in the endless negotiations for a Belgian government. The big news is that up to now the idea has not been rejected by anybody. Reynders came out of his ministry on Saturday noon (picture: belga) to make a statement to the press shortly after he had met the last of the party

Background: the shape of things to come

2011-02-06T20:52:00.000+01:00

There has been a lot of speculation in the Belgian press about the chances of the new informateur Didier Reynders to force a breakthrough in negotiations for a new Belgian government. By sending out the outgoing leader of the French-speaking liberals, King Albert II for the first time in seven months is trying another scenario for a new coalition, although it is as yet not clear

Last Waltz?

2011-02-02T22:33:00.000+01:00

King Albert appointed a new ‘informateur’ on Wednesday afternoon: Didier Reynders, the outgoing leader of the Frenchs-speaking liberals, and the minister of Finance for the last twelve years. He has two weeks to see if he can organise a new start in the deadlocked negotiations for a new Belgian government. After six days of consultations king Albert finally decided to sent out a

Square one again

2011-01-27T08:51:00.000+01:00

King Albert II will start consultations again today about the way to form a new Belgian government. The attempt to make a centre-left coalition of seven parties finally collapsed yesterday after 227 days of negotiations. For the second time this month the royal negotiator Johan Vande Lanotte (picture) offered his resignation to king Albert on Wednesday at 4:30 pm. This time the king

A big demonstration, but for what?

2011-01-23T21:12:00.000+01:00

About 35.000 people demonstrated on Sunday in Brussels to urge politicians to form a new government in Belgium. It was a remarkable success for an initiative that had been taken only a few weeks ago by five students, who via Facebook made clear that they were fed up with the stalemate in political negociations. Although it was cold and it rained in Brussels, many young people had come to the

Menage à trois

2011-01-11T21:37:00.000+01:00

King Albert reappointed Johan Vande Lanotte in the late afternoon to seek a way out of the political crisis in Belgium. He will have to work ‘in close collaboration with the leaders of the two greatest parties’, Bart De Wever and Elio di Rupo. On Monday King Albert had already asked outgoing Prime Minister Yves Leterme to take the ‘necessary budgetary measures’ to calm down the

Staring into the abyss

2011-01-06T10:50:00.000+01:00

Royal negotiator Johan Vande Lanotte will report to King Albert II at 4:30 pm today. It is very much likely that he will hand in his resignation. The proposals he put on the table of the seven parties that want to form a new Belgian government were considered too much for the French-speaking parties and too few for the two main Flemish parties. Vande Lanotte expected an answer to his

Small step, great step, but for whom?

2011-01-05T17:16:00.000+01:00

After 74 days of consultations the royal negotiator Johan Vande Lanotte has finally put a 62-page-proposal for all issues of institutional reform on the table of the seven parties that still pretend to want to form a new government in Belgium. It is a well-balanced proposal for a classic package of small measures of institutional reform, very much comparable to the last one, in 2001.

Agony

2010-12-18T18:00:00.000+01:00

Negotiations for a new Belgian government are becoming extremely foggy. This week some hope flared up after it seemed that a first vague agreement on the Finance Law had been reached. But it rapidly proved to be no real breakthrough. The royal negotiator then decided, after briefing the King, to take care of his sick mother again. The week started tumultuous when the German weekly Der

Time for grandma

2010-12-09T20:59:00.000+01:00

The negotiations for a new Belgian government were suspended at 3 pm this afternoon, until Monday, it was announced. The reason given for this is that the health situation of the mother of the royal negotiator, Johan Vande Lanotte, has seriously deteriorated. Vande Lanotte saw the leaders of the French-speaking parties together on Thursday morning for no longer than one hour. Afterwards

A tale of impotence

2010-12-05T23:20:00.000+01:00

After 175 days of talks and hesitations the negotiations for a new Belgian government seem to have entered the realm of absurdities. Each day it gets more obvious that the two leaders who were raised on the shield by the voters in the parliamentary elections of June the 13th are too afraid of their own shadow to make a compromise. New elections are almost certainly inevitable. Johan

New proposal, new wrangling

2010-11-26T11:00:00.000+01:00

After five weeks of talks and studies the royal negotiator Johan Vande Lanotte finally tabled a proposal on Wednesday the 24th of November. The good news is that this one was not immediately torn apart. But two days later the wrangling has definitely started again. As he had announced last week Vande Lanotte sent a concrete proposal for institutional reforms (but without the thorny issue

Creeping ahead

2010-11-17T21:40:00.000+01:00

Twenty seven days after being appointed, the Royal negotiator Johan Vande Lanotte is nearing the point where he has to bring together the seven parties that want to form a new Belgian government together again around the same table. It is almost ten weeks ago since this happened the last time. Vande Lanotte had the first of a series of long discussions with each of the parties today,

No new elections yet

2010-11-02T22:12:00.000+01:00

After twelve days the new Royal negotiator, Johan Vande Lanotte, announced on Tuesday evening that he was making slow progress in his efforts to form a new government in Belgium. As he indicated that he would need still at least ten days, it is now certain that no new elections can take place before the middle of January 2011. Vande Lanotte (picture from belga news agency), a former

A wise man from the sea

2010-10-21T20:44:00.000+02:00

After 130 days of political crisis King Albert appointed a new mediator on Thursday afternoon: Johan Vande Lanotte, former deputy prime minister and former president of the Flemish socialist party, the fifth largest group in Parliament. About this appointment the palace willingly neglected to consult the largest party and winners of the last elections, the Flemish nationalist. Johan

Another one bites the dust

2010-10-19T08:26:00.000+02:00

Bart De Wever, the leader of the Flemish nationalists, has failed in his attempt to form a new Belgian government. After 127 days since the elections took place, the shouting across the linguistic border inside Belgium is rapidly escalating De Wever was appointed ‘clarificateur’ by King Albert on the 8th of October. His mission was limited in scope and time: in ten days he had to find it

Another failed attempt

2010-10-17T22:14:00.001+02:00

The three French speaking parties that negotiate a new Belgian government reacted negatively on Sunday evening to a 48 pages large proposal of the royal mediator Bart De Wever. He had shortly before announced that he had tabled a text of compromise, with clear choices. De Wever made his proposal public at 4 pm on Sunday. In it he elaborated on the proposals that had been tabled six weeks

The first written words, after four months

2010-10-16T16:03:00.000+02:00

After a short round of consultations this week, Bart De Wever will tomorrow deliver a concrete set of proposals about institutional reform to the seven parties that have been negotiating for a new Belgian government since June. The seven will have to react on Monday noon at the latest. De Wever, the leader of the Flemish nationalist party, was appointed by King Albert on Friday the 8th

Who’s to be the next prime minister?

2010-10-09T10:45:00.000+02:00

King Albert II of Belgium has sent out Bart De Wever, the leader of the Flemish nationalists, to restart the negotiations for a new Belgian government. On Friday evening he appointed him for a limited mission that should end on the 18th of October. In what preceded the decision, it became clear that a battle for becoming the next prime minister has put up an additional difficulty.

Knock Knock who's there?

2010-10-06T07:53:00.000+02:00

King Albert II of Belgium accepted on Tuesday evening the resignation of the two mediators he had appointed one month ago to find a way out of the stalled negotiations for a new Belgian government. It is now high probable that he will sent out the leader of the Flemish nationalists, Bart De Wever, who broke down the latest round of talks. André Flahaut, the president of the Lower House,

At last, an ultimatum

2010-10-03T21:35:00.000+02:00

Bart De Wever, the leader of the Flemish nationalists (NVA), launched Sunday afternoon an ultimatum to the French-speaking parties that negotiate with him for a new Belgian government. If they do not accept by Monday that the regions should get at least 50 % of their incomes from own tax revenues, he ‘will see if it’s worth to continue the negotiations’. The statement from the

Raising the stakes again

2010-09-28T20:42:00.000+02:00

One week after a new infinitely small breakthrough in the negotiations for a new Belgian government, Bart De Wever, the leader of te Flemish nationalists, raised the stakes again. Some are getting nervous about it. De Wever (picture: teaching at Ghent university today) gave a rare interview on Flemish radio Tuesday morning. In it he described the negotiations as a ‘catch 22’-situation. ‘

An agreement to talk

2010-09-20T22:25:00.000+02:00

After two weeks of shadow boxing the two main parties that want to form a new government in Belgium agreed on Monday to start talks again. A ‘high-level working group’ will begin tomorrow with discussing a new Finance Law. In a week time the Flemish nationalists want to evaluate the progress made. Few hopes were left when the two winners of last elections – Bart De Wever, president of the

An exercise in political fiction: and what if Belgium would split?

2010-09-19T18:58:00.001+02:00

For forty months now the federal government of Belgium has been immobilised by the central dispute of institutional reform. Yes, in between, the banking crisis was managed, and the budget deficit was even held slightly better under control than in the neighbouring countries. But every bit of fundamental reforms, so much needed because of the greying of the population, the migration questions

Still the same

2010-09-18T22:35:00.000+02:00

(The Feast of Wallony in Namur: fine weather and no enflaming statements) Negotiations for a new Belgian government are still not making progress. The only positive news is that after a day of acrimonious accusations on Thursday, a semblance of calm between the two main actors seems to have returned. The beginning of autumn next Tuesday will also be day 100 since the elections of June

The sound of silence

2010-09-12T22:16:00.001+02:00

(The Law Street, with parliament and the ministeries 80 years ago, almost as quiet and empty as these days. The three regions celebrate all their Monument day these weeks.) Two weeks after the talks to form a new government in Belgium broke down, nothing seems to happen. The most optimistic guess is that behind the scenes new talks are carefully prepared. The new ‘mediators’, André Flahaut

Cooling down

2010-09-05T13:14:00.002+02:00

At 9:30 pm on Saturday King Albert II appointed André Flahaut (see the belga-picture), the president of the Lower House, and Danny Pieters, his collegue at the Senate, as mediators in the search for a new Belgian government. The move signals that time is needed to heal the wounds of the previous round of negotiations. In the 24 hours between the resignation of Elio di Rupo and the new

Game over

2010-09-04T11:10:00.000+02:00

Elio di Rupo, the ‘preformateur’ in Belgiums government negotiations, finally handed in his resignation to King Albert on Friday the 3th of September. The King is now looking for a way out, and might send Bart De Wever, leader of the Flemish nationalists (NVA, see picture) into the field. In the five days since he failed to reach a compromise, the leader of the French-speaking socialists

Dead end

2010-08-29T21:51:00.000+02:00

After almost two months, the informal negotiations about institutional reform in Belgium – still the preliminary phase (without written agreements) for the real government negotiations – seemed to have ended in deadlock on Sunday morning at 3:30 a.m. The presidents of the seven parties and ‘preformateur’ Elio di Rupo ended ten hours of discussions and three days of political armswrestling

Background: Three years of immobility

2010-08-28T17:04:00.000+02:00

Herman Van Rompuy (l.) en Yves Leterme (r.) with president Sarkozy, immediately after the former was nominated as the first president of the European Council in November 2009 In the three years between the electoral victory of the Yves Leterme and Bart De Wever in June 2007 and the new elections in June 2010,

Breakthrough?

2010-08-25T21:00:00.000+02:00

Negotiations between Flemish and French-speaking parties for a new government seem to have reached a breakthrough on Tuesday evening with an agreement on the principles of a new Finance Law. But one day later different lectures appeared in the press, on an agreement of which there is no written version Shortly before 7 pm on Thursday the 24th, news got out that 'preformateur' Elio di Rupo (

Background: the parliamentary elections of June the 13th

2010-08-24T20:48:00.000+02:00

Parliamentary elections on the 13th of June caused a political earthquake in Belgium. In Flanders for the first time the Flemish nationalist – who before never were second or even third party – suddenly became the biggest party, far ahead of the other parties. In French-speaking Belgium voters rallied around their traditional stronghold, the Parti Socialiste. Like always Flemish parties

Turning around

2010-08-23T13:18:00.005+02:00

Elio di Rupo, the 59-years old president of the French-speaking Parti socialiste(on the right in the picture), will meet with delegations from seven political parties again this afternoon. Di Rupo was made ‘preformateur’ by king Albert II on the 8th of July, to see if an agreement between Flemish and French-speaking parties in Belgium was possible before a new government could be formed. Di

Crisis in Belgium (revisited)

2010-08-23T13:08:00.004+02:00

It is time to start up this blog again, as Belgium is heading towards a another political crisis, deeper maybe than the one of 2007. I started my story three years ago as an exercise in blogging and reporting in English (and for my students in journalism at that time) and ‘in an attempt to explain to people abroad why my country, Belgium, is going through one of its most difficult political

End of a crisis, at least for a moment

2007-12-21T11:12:00.000+01:00

There is, at least formally, a new government in Belgium. The political crisis is over, for the time being. The subject for this blog no longer exists. So we bring it here to an end. Or should we say: we just take a break? The very fragile coalition that has been put together by Guy Verhofstadt for officialy no longer than three months, can break apart at any moment. The new crisis will then

At last, some kind of government

2007-12-19T18:09:00.000+01:00

Outgoing prime minister Guy Verhofstadt (picture) succeeded at last, on Wednesday morning at 1.30 a.m., to form a new government in Belgium, 192 days after the elections of June the 10th. The new coalition of liberals, christian democrats and Walloon socialists, will start as a so-called ‘interim-government’ for three months. Guy Verhofstadt received Joëlle Milquet, the leader of the Walloon

Power struggle in Wallony

2007-12-18T18:27:00.000+01:00

The attempt of Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt to start a new cabinet after 191 days without government ran into trouble on Tuesday. A power struggle between the two main Walloon parties, the socialists and the liberals, made compromise almost impossible. Verhofstadt met the four party presidents of the Flemish Christian democrats and liberals and of the Walloon socialists and liberals

From Christmas to Easter

2007-12-17T22:03:00.000+01:00

King Albert II appointed on Monday afternoon the outgoing prime minister of Belgium Guy Verhofstadt (picture) to form and lead a provisional government until Easter. The government has to take themost urgently needed measures for the country. It will consist of the two liberal parties, the Flemish Christian democrats and the Walloon socialist, at least. Verhofstadt, who had been sent out by the

Still the same

2007-12-08T20:00:00.001+01:00

The outgoing prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, seems to have failed in his attempt to form quickly a caretaker government for a few months. He now has to concentrate his ‘information-mission’ on finding a way to start negotiations on constitutional reform. Guy Verhofstadt, 54, was hailed as the saviour of the country by almost the whole of the Belgian press – in both Flanders and

ON LOCATION: The decline and fall of Burgundy

2007-12-05T21:29:00.000+01:00

Like each drama, the Belgian crisis is a long story of unusual events on many locations. But do not expect the normal elements of a nationality crisis like bloodshed, riots or huge demonstrations. Most of the scenery had to do with hotels, castles and restaurants. After all, Brussels was once the capital city of the dukes of Burgundy, who in the fifteenth century for more than 100 years

Enter the prime minister

2007-12-04T18:55:00.000+01:00

The outgoing prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt (picture), started Tuesday his consultations to seek a way out of the political crisis. In an unusual step king Albert asked him to do so the evening before. Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium since 1999 and a Flemish liberal, was received by King Albert on Sunday and twice on Monday. The king seems to have consulted Didier Reynders,

"A deep crisis of the regime"

2007-12-01T20:00:00.000+01:00

After two full months of negotiations Yves Leterme, the strongman of the Flemish Christian democrats, handed Saturday afternoon for the second time his mission as formateur of the next government back to king Albert. On the 174th day without a government it is now obvious that Belgium is going through one of the worst political crises of its 177 years of existence. Yves Leterme received this

Seconds from disaster (part two)

2007-11-30T19:51:00.000+01:00

Formateur Yves Leterme (picture: belga press agency) has made this evening what seems to be his last proposal of a procedure for constitutional reforms to the four parties of a possible orange-blue coalition. He wants an answer tomorrow in the morning. Leterme held the whole week long discreet negotiatons with his potential coalition partners, the Flemish and Walloon Christian democrats and

No landing, no crash

2007-11-28T10:02:00.000+01:00

For a few hours on Monday it looked like the orange-blue parties had finally reached an agreement about handling nationalistic issues under a new government. Then the Flemish nationalist N-VA decided that the last proposals of formateur Leterme were not enough. Yves Leterme, the two assembly presidents and the four party presidents of Flemish and Walloon Christian democrats and liberals met

Seconds from disaster

2007-11-25T14:30:00.000+01:00

The landing of the negotiators of the orange-blue coalition has been postponed once again. Negotiations are shrouded in mystery, but the few indiscretions that get through augur ill. Such is the complexity of Belgian government negotiations that 167 days after the elections of June the 10th, two go-betweens – the assembly presidents Herman Van Rompuy (Flemish Christian democrat) and Armand De

Last call for orange-blue

2007-11-18T11:32:00.000+01:00

Although officially negotiations are at a standstill, formateur Yves Leterme is discreetly trying to make a final attempt to form an orange-blue coalition. The next week might really be the decisive one. Two days after the latest nationalistic incident about three French-speaking mayors in three villages near Brussels that lie in the Flemish region, Didier Reynders, the leader of the Walloon

A major row

2007-11-15T14:55:00.001+01:00

Walloon parties reacted angrily on Thursday, after the Flemish minister of the Interior, Marino Keulen (Flemish liberal of the VLD), decided not to confirm the nomination of three French-speaking mayors in Flemish villages around Brussels. Meanwhile attempts continue to be made to start negotiations between Flemish and Walloon parties. Keulen (picture) announced his decision on

Another royal initiative

2007-11-12T20:23:00.000+01:00

Boy, what a mess King Albert II of Belgium for the first time in three months formally consulted the presidents of other parties than the liberals and Christian democrats. The deadlock on the nationalistic issues between Flemish and Walloon parties seems greater than ever. King Albert II received the presidents of both Flemish and Walloon greens and

Who's turn to take a U-turn?

2007-11-09T21:16:00.000+01:00

The royal intervention of Thursday in government negotiations in Belgium seems to have had only limited effect. The parties that officially still want to form an orange blue coalition, were pressed from all sides and once again infighting. ‘What a U-turn!’ was the almost unanimous tone of the articles in the Flemish newspapers Friday morning after the royal statement of Thursday afternoon. In

A royal intervention

2007-11-09T08:50:00.000+01:00

King Albert II confirmed the Flemish Christian democrat Yves Leterme as formateur on Thursday afternoon. But he also proposed to let two assembly-presidents form a committee of so-called ‘wise men’ to discuss constitutional reform. First reactions were clearly more skeptical on the Flemish than on the Walloon side of the Belgian divide. The day was full of rather emotional Walloon reactions on

Crisis, it seems

2007-11-08T09:16:00.000+01:00

On the 150th day of government negotiations in Belgium, tensions rose to a new high. In a key vote in a commission of the Lower House on a proposal about the electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde Wednesday, the Flemish parties used their numerical majority to push the Walloons aside. A break of four days in the negotiations for an orange-blue coalition should have brought rest in the

A break before the endgame

2007-11-01T11:19:00.000+01:00

Yves Leterme: a welcome break Negotiators for the orange-blue coalition are taking a break until Monday. Before they left for sometimes far-away destinations, they spinned that they had almost reached a government agreement. Except for the most controversial items. The Flemish Christian democratic formateur Yves Leterme and his fellow-negotiators from four parties (Flemish and Walloon

Raising the stakes

2007-10-28T20:47:00.000+01:00

The presidents of the Flemish christian democrat and liberal parties have put what amounts to an ultimatum on the negotiating table for an orange blue coalition. Or haven’t they? While formateur Yves Leterme and the negotiators in the parliament building last week continued to give press conferences about new agreements on different policies for the next government, nationalist tensions were

Preparations for the final clash

2007-10-23T21:01:00.000+02:00

In the last week negotiators of the orange-blue parties around formateur Yves Leterme added almost a chapter a day to the agreement for the next government. But as the end is nearing, tensions over the final hot issues start inevitably to rise again. To the outside world Leterme and his fellow-negotiators (see the picture, taken in one of the rooms of the parliament building)–with no longer

Land in sight

2007-10-16T21:00:00.000+02:00

Go, comrades, and conquer ... After four months of hesitation, negotiations for an orange-blue coalition are finally getting into full swing. The socialist parties have settled for a new role as his majesty’s federal opposition. Formateur Yves Leterme and the four presidents of the christan democratic and liberal parties reached an

Final Fantasy on Belgium

2007-10-13T09:32:00.001+02:00

Hundred and twenty five-days without a government have stimulated the creativity of many Belgians. This has not resulted in a flow of angry and passionate messages, as might have been expected in a nationality-crisis. No, in a very much Belgian way, many of its inhabitants start to expose the irony, the absurdity and the plain surrealism of the situation. And they practise nowhere more than in

2007-10-13T09:31:00.001+02:00

Charming – and already nine months old - is Ik hou van jou/je t’aime, playing a children’s tune of the national anthem, the Brabançonne, with lyrics in both Ducth and French, showing all sterotype-images of the country, but in the end leaving the question open if Belgiums is a non-country to love or to laugh at.

2007-10-12T20:56:00.001+02:00

A little juwel is Hey Yves Leterme, a lyric written in Dutch by two young popular radio-presentators Peter Van de Veire and Sofie Lemaire, of the Flemish broadcast Studio Brussel. They sing the text on the fragile music of ‘Hey There Delilah’ from the US-band Plain White T’s. And it is all about poor Yves Leterme, the Flemish christian democrat strongman, who had a huge triumph on election day,

2007-10-12T20:55:00.001+02:00

Not bad either is Belgique en crise, a slightly ironic video on the tones of ‘Non, non, rien à changé’, the nineteen-seventies hit of the French children-band Les Poppys. And although it is in French, it clearly was made by a Flemish director, a certain Marcia.

2007-10-12T20:54:00.001+02:00

The last one, De Nieuwe Brabanconne, starts as a classical Flemish satire on everything Belgian (beginning with the national anthem of course), but ends in a tribute to the King, from which it cannot be detected if it is ironic or not. Never try to understand Belgium. Its inhabitants have given up on this a long time ago.

Some progress, at last

2007-10-09T22:00:00.000+02:00

Yves Leterme (center) with Joëlle Milquet (on his left) and Didier Reynders, at 3.30 a.m. this morning Two months after their last agreement the orange-blue parties have reached a new compromise about one part of the policies of the next government. But even formateur Yves Leterme conceded that the success of this

Laying a bridge over troubled water

2007-10-03T21:47:00.000+02:00

Yves Leterme has started his second mission as formateur with the utmost caution. Not the least because the agreements his predecessor Herman Van Rompuy seemed to have achieved last weekend, fell apart less than two days later. At least about the form the new formateur has learned the lessons royal scout Van Rompuy teached during the month of his mission. Yves Leterme now keeps an almost

Back to July the 15th

2007-09-29T22:56:00.000+02:00

Yves Leterme, the strongman of the Flemish christian democrats, has been appointed formateur again by king Albert this evening. Leterme arrived at the royal castle of Ciergnon at 9.30 pm. One hour later the palace issued an official statement in which it was confirmed that the former chief minister of Flanders was designated to form the new government. The decision of the King was largely

Smoke!Smoke!But is it white?

2007-09-29T20:24:00.000+02:00

Good news at last, high up in the Ardennes? After exactly one month royal scout Herman Van Rompuy has terminated his mission. The official message from the royal palace suggests it was successful. But some doubts remain. Exactly one month after he was sent out, the sixty year old former deputy prime minister Herman Van Rompuy (CD&V) reported for the fifth and last time about his mission to

Breakthrough, or the end of the road?

2007-09-25T23:01:00.000+02:00

The mission of royal scout Herman Van Rompuy is nearing its end. With a last round of poker he wants to force an ultimate breakthrough.Van Rompuy spoke more to the public during one hour as a guest lecturer at the University of Ghent Tuesday (picture) morning than during previous 27 days of his mission. But he was careful to avoid any

The sound of silence

2007-09-21T22:40:00.000+02:00

I hope Mr. Van Rompuy overthere is bringing me some good news at last (King Albert II, on the right) The moment of truth is nearing for royal scout Herman Van Rompuy. But probably not yet for Belgium. Monday it will be exactly one month since Herman Van Rompuy’s predecessor Yves Leterme abandoned his attempt to form a new Belgian

Background: is this the real life, is this just phantasy?

2007-09-17T22:18:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow a hundred days will have gone by since the elections of June the 10th in Belgium, and negotiations for the formation of a new government have still not really started. But how worrying, how deep is the Belgian crisis? Since a few weeks foreign correspondents in Brussels – there are a few thousands of them, mainly to cover the European commission and parliament – have started to file

Orchestrated manoeuvres (2)

2007-09-14T23:35:00.000+02:00

Royal scout Herman Van Rompuy was Friday once more invited to push his own party leader Yves Leterme gradually aside. But the latter received unexpected help from an adversary. Flemish and Walloon newspapers Friday brought the story that both Walloon parties and the Flemish Liberal VLD had Thursday proposed to Van Rompuy that he restarted the negotiations on social-economic issues, as

Anyone who speaks Belgian?

2007-09-13T22:10:00.000+02:00

The governor of the National Bank of Belgium, the ever softly speaking Guy Quaden, warned Thursday in an interview with the newspapers De Tijd and l’Echo that the long duration of the political crisis could affect the economy of the country. Only a government can take up the budgetary measures needed this and next year to confront the cost of the graying of the population, he said. And how

Orchestrated manoeuvres in the dark

2007-09-11T21:45:00.000+02:00

Still no clues are filtering out of the negotiations that royal scout Herman Van Rompuy is holding. But some of the sideshows are worth mentioning. On the 12th day of his mission and the 93th day since the elections of June the 10th, details about the attempts of royal scout Herman Van Rompuy to form a Belgian government are still very sketchy. On Monday he reported to King Albert, but neither

Old quarrel, new twist (2): a short history of the conflict between Flemish and Walloon conflict (background)

2007-09-09T11:04:00.000+02:00

The language conflict in Belgium seemed almost solved around 1990. But the growing economic gap between Flanders and Wallony added new fire to the nationalistic tensions.In 1989 for the first time long and difficult negotiations were held about dividing parts of the national treasury into regional ones. This led the then chief-minister of Flanders to say that ‘Belgium is a country with two

Old quarrel, new twist (1): a short history of the conflict between Flemish and Walloons (background) ,

2007-09-08T10:36:00.000+02:00

Language incidents on the territory of what is today Belgium have existed at least since the middle Ages. But the nationality-conflict between Flemish and Walloons, as it unfolds today, is not much more than a century old. Belgium as in independent state came into existence in 1830 after its territory had been a military vacuum and the most intricate diplomatic headache of Western Europe for

All quiet on the Belgian front

2007-09-07T23:22:00.000+02:00

The British weekly The Economist might have given up on Belgium, but royal scout Herman Van Rompuy is still trying to bring together a federal government. The Economist let the bells toll on Belgium Friday. It must have been more than a generation ago that the weekly chose the country as the subject of its second leader, but it sure was to announce its obituary. States are not eternal, the

Background: the core of the stalemate

2007-09-06T09:02:00.000+02:00

What are the issues that have hampered the formation of a new Belgian government for now almost three months? Two disputes seem almost unsolvable.The central issue is how much devolution Belgium can swallow without becoming itself irrelevant as a state, and where the financial responsibilities in this process of devolution lie. A

Greens not to the rescue

2007-09-04T16:58:00.000+02:00

Only half a day after the Walloon greens showed a slight willingness to negotiate a paricipation in the new Belgian government, the idea seems to have been buried. The Walloon liberals reacted first and rather positively. ‘If a party puts some demands on the table before accepting to negotiate, it shows its willingness to negotiate’, said Didier Reynders, president of the MR. But the two

Greens to the rescue

2007-09-03T20:23:00.000+02:00

The party bureau of the Walloon green party Ecolo showed its willingness today to negotiate a participation in the new government. It thus confirmed that the attempt to form a purely orange-blue government is gradually given up. Scout Herman Van Rompuy had met Jean-Michel Javaux, (picture)the federal secretary of Ecolo (Greens don’t have party presidents), last Friday. Today – on Monday morning

Background: the elections of June the 10th

2007-09-03T16:01:00.000+02:00

Parliamentary elections were held in Belgium on June the 10th after the coalition of (Flemish and Walloon) liberal and socialists parties under prime minister Guy Verhofstadt (Flemish Liberal, or Open VLD) almost finished its term of four years. To understand the elections you have to know that Flemish parties almost exclusively present candidates in the Flemish districts and Brussels, and