Cordula Schnuer: It’s a short year for the chamber. How many projects are still waiting to be voted?

Fernand Etgen: There are a lot of projects in the legislative process. The number of bills has consistently increased over the last years. At the moment, we still have 211 draft laws pending [as of 1 March 2023, editor’s note]. That’s a lot, but they will be cleared bit by bit as the opinions by the state council come in.

Are there files that have a particular priority?

Because the constitutional reform was voted at the end of last year, there is a series of measures that must come into effect on 1 July. That’s a top priority for the chamber. There are other texts where there are constraints, for example, because of a court verdict that must be respected. Every minister sees their project as a priority. But the work in the chamber isn’t only legislative. It’s also important that it fulfils its supervisory function, and there are a number of interpellations and debates that should still be held.

What will happen to draft laws that aren’t voted before the summer break?

It will be up to the next parliament to either continue with them or take them off the agenda. Projects that will stay on the roll call will perhaps be amended. That won’t happen from one day to the next. It takes some time. But that’s up to the next session.

You’ve already said that you’d be interested in holding this mandate again. Why does it tempt you?

I’ve been lucky to hold different offices. I was a town councillor, alderman, mayor, deputy, minister and chamber president. This is the beating heart of democracy. Having the post of president in this house is very special. But as for what happens in the next legislative period, first we have elections, then coalition talks that will determine which party puts forward a candidate. It will depend on my result as well. But it’s a great post.

Without wanting to discuss foreigner voting rights, what challenges does the chamber face to engage an international community when most of them cannot get involved in national elections?

It’s important that we are a parliament that doesn’t only represent citizens but that talks to the people, encourages them to participate. That makes the chamber stronger as an institution but also our society. We are in a country where only a part of the people has the right to vote. That is what it is. But it’s about strengthening citizen engagement. We see the success of the petitions. It’s a way for people to express concerns that would otherwise never be discussed in this building.

The representativeness of the chamber is being called into question, and rightly so. We must think about this--how the chamber can represent the country in all its facets, not just nationality but also different sectors of the economy or jobs. It’s complex. More than double the number of people can take part in the elections for the Chamber of Employees than the national elections. It’s an important topic that we must address.

An alternate version of this article first appeared in the  of Delano magazine.