Even without a government for 400 days, Belgium is growing: GDP is up by 2,4%. Without an executive, however, the debt also rises, and rises to 100% of gross domestic product, in third place in the European Union. However, according to the most recent news, a clearing seems to finally be on the horizon. On the day of the Belgian national holiday, eight political forces reached an agreement capable of bringing the country out of the crisis in a few weeks, leading to the formation of a new executive. The result stems from the decision to exclude N-Va, the Flemish separatist party, the main obstacle to the negotiations so far, from the negotiating table. Transversal, since they involve both French-speaking and Flemish political forces.
There is, however, a weak point: the attraction exerted by the secessionist party, which emerged victorious in the last elections in Flanders, over the other Flemish formation, the Christian-Democratic one (CD&V), which only reluctantly agreed to participate in the table by breaking with fellow countrymen from N-Va. However, the new situation improved the position of the negotiator designated by King Albert II, the socialist Elio di Rupo. Just a few days ago, mediation seemed to have stalled definitively, so much so that di Rupo resigned, which was later rejected by the king.
However, together with that of the socialist exponent, today's news could also strengthen the fortunes of his public finance consolidation program, a rigorous plan worth 22 billion euros by 2015. Objective: to avoid ending up under the scrutiny of the ratings, reports of which have lately kept so many euro area countries in check. The endgame postponed to mid-August, after what the king himself called a "well-deserved truce".
