00:02Belgium's Prime Minister Barthes de Weyfer was at the Royal Palace on Monday morning
00:06to offer his government's resignation to King Philippe following failed overnight budget talks.
00:11Following a meeting that lasted one and a half hours, the King announced he was considering
00:16the Prime Minister's resignation and will meet with other coalition parties on Tuesday
00:20before deciding whether to accept it. De Weyfer's coalition has been locked in
00:25protracted coalition talks to agree a federal budget for next year, with the government seeking
00:3110 billion euros in savings by 2029 to reduce the country's high deficit. The government's
00:38right-wing parties want to clamp down on public spending, while the centrists and socialists
00:43propose increasing taxes on higher incomes and a VAT hike. A similar budget impasse also occurred
00:50last year when De Weyfer received a 50-day extension to reach an agreement.
00:55The latest government crisis takes place under pressure from trade unions, which have been
00:59mobilizing for months against austerity measures, while protests have brought tens of thousands
01:04of people into the streets.
