Emergency government with a limited mandate

The concept

An emergency government with a limited mandate is a partial political agreement: instead of negotiating a comprehensive programme for 5 years, the parties agree only on a restricted set of urgent matters. This government would have an explicitly limited mandate in both time and scope.

What this government could do

The matters identified as urgent by institutional actors (Brupartners, Court of Auditors, parliamentarians):

1. Pass a real budget — exit the provisional twelfths system and enable new investments
2. Absorb European funds — Belgium (and Brussels in particular) risks losing structural funds if projects are not committed within the deadlines
3. Renew critical management contracts — STIB, Port of Brussels, regional agencies whose contracts are expiring
4. Unblock the PADs — the frozen Master Development Plans (Gare du Midi, Heysel/Mediapark)
5. Restart social dialogue — enable Brupartners to engage with an authorised government interlocutor

What this government would NOT do

• No institutional reforms
• No major new policy programmes
• No appointments to non-essential political positions

Why this is conceivable

Although there is no formal precedent in Belgium, the concept is not without foundation:

• At the federal level, "partial agreements" have already been concluded during caretaker periods (occasional budget votes, COVID legislation)
• In the Netherlands, the concept of "partial formation" was discussed during the long formation of 2021-2022
• The pressure of European funds creates an objective deadline that could force a minimal agreement

The obstacles

The main obstacle is political: accepting an emergency government means admitting that a comprehensive programme cannot be agreed upon. This can be perceived as an admission of failure by the parties, who often prefer to continue classical negotiations.

Moreover, the question of the composition of such a government (which parties, which ministers) remains as complex as for a classical coalition — the problem of allocation is not solved, merely reduced.

Legal basis

There is no specific legal framework for an "emergency government" in Belgian law. This type of government would rest on:

• A voluntary political agreement between parties
• A vote of confidence in the Brussels Parliament (majority required)
• Possibly, a motion explicitly setting out the limits of the mandate

Legally, a fully empowered government resulting from a vote of confidence can do anything that the Constitution and special acts allow — the "limits" of its mandate would be political, not legal.