France
Two budgets, two dead ends
On Monday, Bart De Wever handed his resignation to King Philippe, with no deal on the Belgian budget; the king has been consulting since this morning. In Paris, the formal vote on revenue planned for this Tuesday will not take place: the text is deemed void, article 49.3 or ordinances await.
· N° 13
Bart De Wever, the Belgian prime minister, walked into the Palace on Monday morning with his resignation: his government found no agreement on the budget, stuck in Parliament. King Philippe received it without accepting it, called for compromise and began consultations this Tuesday morning. In Brussels, the press runs through the scenarios; none fits in one sentence.
The king receives, without accepting
In Paris, the same Monday evening, the National Assembly voted, in a sparse chamber, cuts in VAT on electricity, pay television and cognac that it knows to be temporary. The revenue marathon is not over, and this Tuesday’s formal vote is cancelled: rewritten by amendments, the text has become “void and incoherent”, writes Le Monde. What remains is article 49.3, which passes a text without a vote, or ordinances.
A vote for the archives
Further east, one country managed to say yes. On Sunday, Bulgaria elected Iliana Iotova president, by a wide margin, the first woman in the job, a supporter of dialogue with Moscow against a pro-European rival. Sofia has a head of state, Brussels is looking for a government, Paris for a budget.
Two countries, two budgets, the same scene: a parliament that cannot say yes. Meanwhile the European Commission has already cut its 2028-2034 cake: 2 trillion euros, 48% to national and regional plans, 23% to the Competitiveness Fund, 11% to Global Europe, 3% to Erasmus+, below. A Belgian mayor and a French mayor are nevertheless closing theirs for January. Who, the street or the chamber, decides what we pay next year?
Based on Le Monde, Le Soir, VRT, LCP and Touteleurope.eu