Brussels regional government talks are set to resume Monday with six parties meeting to finalize a new coalition deal following more than a year of political stalemate.

“After several weeks of respectful and constructive discussions, negotiations aimed at forming a Brussels government will be able to resume this Monday with six parties, namely MR, PS, Les Engagés, Groen, Open VLD, and Vooruit,” MR told La Libre on Sunday.

A breakthrough came Sunday when the liberal MR and Socialist PS reached a key agreement that could pave the way for a functioning Brussels government to take office.

It would mark the end of months of political paralysis in the Belgian capital, where governance has stalled amid protracted coalition talks. Brussels is currently grappling with a record regional debt of around €15 billion, which is projected to rise to €16 billion by the end of 2025, raising concerns about a looming financial crisis.

The deal explicitly excludes the Flemish nationalist N-VA party, led by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, from formally joining the coalition. However, as a compromise, MR has proposed ceding its secretary of state post to a nonpartisan figure from civil society who is acceptable to N-VA.

“This will make it possible to gain the confidence of the democratic parties represented in the Brussels Parliament. The goal of this approach is to establish a fully functioning Brussels government as quickly as possible to address the challenges facing the Brussels-Capital Region,” the party said in a statement.

Leader of the centrist Les Engagés party Christophe De Beukelaer, one of the six involved in the talks, called the agreement a “positive step that finally gives hope that BXL can soon have a fully functioning government.”

“The people of Brussels deserve it,” he added.

On July 11, MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez announced that discussions had resumed between his party and the Socialists, and said the objective was to find “a solution” by Belgium’s national holiday on July 21.

A recent investigation by the Brussels Times revealed that regional authorities allegedly misused up to €250 million in EU loans — originally intended for metro and transport projects — to help cover budget shortfalls.

In May, De Wever said he was “worried” about the situation in Brussels and warned he would consider placing the region under IMF-style financial guardianship if it requested additional funding from the federal government.