The federal government has unveiled a new agreement to finalise the 2026 budget and outline the main direction for economic policy in the coming years. While these steps will help reduce the public deficit, further action will be necessary to stabilise the debt ratio
Expect political fragmentation to continue in the Netherlands as a government with less than four parties seems unlikely. While coming from a comfortable position in terms of economic growth and public finances, political indecision risks undermining the Netherlands’ favourable medium-term outlook
After years of unchecked budgetary slippage, Belgium’s federal government is now attempting to launch its most ambitious fiscal consolidation effort since the 1990s. The signal is clear: it’s time for action. Yet, despite the urgency, a rapid stabilisation of the debt ratio remains unlikely
As a new fiscal discipline, we need a new fiscal target that can take into account macroeconomic conditions, guiding net domestic fund demand to be around -5%. The previous fiscal target of achieving a primary balance surplus was flawed because it aimed to achieve a surplus regardless of macroeconomic conditions, making it impossible to sustainably expand the size of the economy.
Total construction outlays declined 0.2% during January. Residential spending ended a three-month streak of gains and fell 0.5% during the month. Although single-family spending continued to expand, multifamily and home improvement spending both dropped.
