Brussels (TDI): Bart De Wever assumed charge as prime minister of Belgium on Monday.
He is the first Flemish nationalist Prime Minister who belonged to the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA).
A coalition government is formed in Belgium after 8 months of negotiations and discussions between the coalition parties.
The five coalition parties include the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), the left-wing Vooruit, the liberal Mouvement Réformateur (MR), and the centrist Les Engagés.
This coalition is called “The Arizona Coalition” which holds 81 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives.
The coalition parties reached an agreement on Friday, after eight months of negotiations over the issues of budget cuts, pension reforms, and high taxes to improve the financial situation of the government of Belgium.
The new government aims to introduce new policies that will help the government to manage finances better.
It includes reducing pensions on early retirements, increasing pensions for late retirees, and limiting the benefits during unemployment.
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In a statement, The N-VA said “We will have a government that will clean up the budget, implement a fair social policy, reward work, implement the strictest migration policy ever, abolish the nuclear phase-out, and invest in safety,”.
Ursula Von Der Leyen; President of the European Commission congratulated the new Prime Minister and the new government in Belgium and hoped for good cooperation on European competitiveness, migration, and security agenda.
After the inauguration ceremony, Bart de Wever participated in a meeting with several European Union leaders.
This summit was focused on the defense and security of the European countries.
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Bart de Wever emphasized the importance of maintaining the NATO alliance with the United States.
Moreover, Bart de Wever announced an increase in the defence budget for Belgium by 2 percent.
