Belgian prime minister rejoices over the long-awaited budget deal, which he compared to a “Herculean task” in lengthy Greek analogy.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Wednesday invoked Greek mythological hero Hercules as he toasted striking a long-awaited budget deal.
“We aren’t exactly on Mount Olympus yet in this country and I’m not standing here with a divine feeling … But at least the government has the courage to climb the path of Arete,” De Wever told lawmakers in the Belgian parliament. “We did not opt for laziness, but for the Herculean task of a multi-year budget.”
According to the ancient Greek tale known as The Choice of Hercules, the young man is approached by two figures. Kakia (vice) offers him a life of ease and pleasure, while Arete (virtue) promises a more demanding path of discipline and hardship, but one that leads to true honor and lasting glory.
Belgium’s contentious budget talks were deadlocked for months as coalition parties haggled over a multi-year strategy to plug a €9.2 billion budget gap by 2029. They finally struck a deal Monday on the budget and related reforms, which helped avoid a government collapse.
Ditching the Greek classics, De Wever opted for a more modern metaphor as he summarized his relief at finalizing the accord: “The exercise was anything but easy. After all, the low-hanging fruit has long since been picked away.”
Attention now turns to the EU effort to pressure the unwavering De Wever into unfreezing the €140 billion in Russian assets held in Belgium that the bloc wants to use to help fund Ukraine’s war effort.
Call it The Odyssey.