Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has promised AFP’s EU correspondent Raziye Akkoc an exclusive interview with his cat, Maximus — joking he would only respond to questions “triggered” by the pet.
“If you have a question about my cat, I’ll gladly answer it,” De Wever told journalists at an EU leaders’ meeting in Cyprus.
“I want a question about Maximus, the cat. You promised me,” he added.
At summit doorsteps, journalists are often under pressure to squeeze meaningful answers out on sensitive topics from EU leaders who often seem less comfortable speaking English. In Cyprus, De Wever was nonetheless pressed on Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc. He pointed to the need for a merit-based “onion” model with different layers of integration for Kyiv.
De Wever also struck a more nuanced tone on outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. “There’s a little bit too much euphoria that Viktor is no longer there,” said De Wever, a member of the Flemish nationalist New Flemish Alliance (ECR).
“He was, of course, often a difficult partner, but never an impossible partner,” De Wever said, indicating that Orbán’s political approach, shared by Slovak PM Robert Fico, would outlast his premiership. De Wever was more forthcoming in Dutch, calling for an end to the “senseless” war that Russia can never win but also a relationship with Russia.
As an icebreaker, Akkoc — Agence France-Presse’s Brussels-based reporter — tried a lighter angle. “So we can get an interview then? With the cat?” she asked.
“I can allow you to come and visit him,” De Wever replied, sharing his personal email address at premier.be with gathered reporters. “Now everybody knows it, unfortunately,” he added.
Maximus Textoris Pulcher is a Scottish Fold — a breed banned in both Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region because of a genetic mutation linked to pain and deformities. The cat also has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), meaning it cannot mix with other cats and is kept indoors at 16 Rue de la Loi, the Belgian prime minister’s official residence. The cat has its own webpage.
