Conservative leader Bart De Wever was sworn in on Monday as Belgium’s new prime minister, following a hard-fought coalition deal that marks a significant rightward shift in the country’s politics.
After seven months of negotiations, De Wever became the first nationalist from Dutch-speaking Flanders to hold the position. His coalition has pledged stricter measures on irregular migration, reinforcing his law-and-order stance.
The 54-year-old, who has moderated his previous calls for Flanders’ independence, took the oath of office before King Philippe in Brussels before heading to an EU leaders' meeting on defense and transatlantic relations.
De Wever reaffirmed Belgium’s commitment to increasing its defense spending to NATO’s two-percent GDP target, up from the current 1.3 percent, stating that Europe had been complacent on security matters and that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “woken us up.”
Amid trade tariff threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump and pressure for increased military spending, De Wever stressed the importance of maintaining strong EU-U.S. ties.
His N-VA party is aligned with the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which includes parties led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Czech leader Petr Fiala. The ECR now has three prime ministers in the European Council and participates in the governments of seven countries.
Hard-right parties have gained traction in Europe, performing strongly in last year’s European Parliament elections and recent national and regional polls in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.
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