News

Cieltje Van Achter critical of Brussels coalition deal: “Vivaldi is back”

13 February 2026

More than 600 days after the elections, seven parties have finally reached an agreement on a new Brussels Government: MR, PS, Les Engagés, Groen, Vooruit, Anders and CD&V. That means without N-VA — despite being the third-largest party on the Dutch-speaking side. “So Brussels is getting another …

Bart De Wever: “Climate policy must not mean deindustrialisation”

12 February 2026

Following the informal European summit on competitiveness in Alden Biesen, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever sounded the alarm about the future of European industry—the backbone of our prosperity. “We need to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. But if that leads to Europe’s deindustrialisation, …

Axel Ronse: “The European pay transparency directive is a blow to our competitiveness”

11 February 2026

Belgium must transpose the European pay transparency directive into national law by 7 June 2026 at the latest. The directive aims to narrow the pay gap between men and women — a laudable objective. But according to Axel Ronse, leader of the N-VA group in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, …

Prime Minister Bart De Wever lashes out at Brussels coalition talks excluding N-VA

11 February 2026

In the HLN podcast Het Rapport van de Wetstraat, Prime Minister Bart De Wever reacted sharply after seven parties entered into talks to form a Brussels government without the N-VA. What particularly sticks in his craw is Anders’ sudden willingness to come to the table without the N-VA—apparently …

New rules on safe third countries adopted by the European Parliament

10 February 2026

Today, the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved the agreement setting out the conditions for applying the new rules on so-called “safe third countries.” Member States will now be able to determine whether a non-EU country qualifies as a safe third country. “With this new legislation, we are …

Johan Van Overtveldt on the ECB: “Price stability must remain at the heart of monetary policy”