Impressed by the number of students mobilised to strike and demonstrate on 15 March, prime minister Xavier Bettel invited representatives of Youth For Climate Luxembourg (YFCL) to meet for talks on Monday afternoon.

The YFCL delegation presented Bettel with a series of demands, including a “a radical change of the political, economic and societal system.” This is necessary, the group argues, because politicians, both at global and local level, are still prioritising economic growth rather than tackling climate change.

YFCL also wants the Luxembourg government to stop its “pragmatic climate policy” and follow a policy driven by a vision for a better future. “Climate change is an existential threat and we cannot fight it when we constantly adopt ultra-pragmatic positions,” YFCL said in a statement after the meeting. Thirdly, the group believes that Luxembourg could be an exemplar of climate change policy worldwide. “We are convinced that this is the nation branding that the Luxembourgish government should pursue.”

Bettel told the delegation that he was keen to organise a series of meetings between students and relevant government ministers to further hear their concerns. YFCL welcomed the suggestion, but also stressed that the meetings should focus on the social changes it believes are required to combat climate change. “The technical and scientific solutions should be treated by experts,” the group said. It also wants all future legislation proposals to be judged according to two criteria--their impact on people‘s wellbeing and on the environmental. “We regret, however, that the prime minister did not sufficiently take this point into consideration,” YFCL concluded.

YFCL has said it will continue student strike actions in pursuit of its goals and of putting pressure on politicians to act. “We do not want to be instrumentalised by politicians.”