Conservative Bart De Wever has been sworn in as Belgium’s new prime minister, after striking a hard-fought coalition deal that moves the country to the right
The agreement, struck late on Friday after seven months of negotiations, makes De Wever the first nationalist from Dutch-speaking Flanders to be named Belgian premier.
The 54-year-old, who in recent years has backed off on calls for Flanders to become an independent country, took the oath of office before King Philippe, in a ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels.
From there, he was expected to head straight to a gathering of EU leaders a few blocks away for talks on defence and transatlantic relations.
