On 27 December, prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) sent on the topic of mandatory vaccination. Following the weekly meeting of ministers the government has tasked an independent group of experts to provide a scientific point of view on whether an obligatory vaccination is necessary to put an end to the pandemic.

The group of experts will be formed by Dr. Vic Arendt from Service national des maladies infectieuses, Prof. Claude P. Muller from Luxembourg Institute of Health, Dr. Gérard Schockmel from Hospitals Robert Schuman, Dr. Thérèse Staub from Service national des maladies infectieuses and Prof. Dr. Paul Wilmes from Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg.

A catalogue of questions will also be sent out to the “all concerned actors” highlighted Bettel in a Tweet.

The questionnaire will tackle legal issues as well as questions of societal and ethical nature.

The collected input will be used as the foundation for a debate in parliament the date of which is yet to be set by the MEPs. The government will thus look to find a solution that corresponds and does justice to all residents. This move also indicates an effort by the government to increase transparency on how the pandemic is being handled.

The spread of the Omicron variant and the increase of positive cases in recent weeks has motivated the government to explore the option of a mandatory vaccine.

“We need an answer on this question. An answer based on facts,” said Bettel in his Tweet.

Updated on 9 January at 17:40.