On 20 November, the EPP, S&D and Renew groups in the European Parliament agreed on the appointment of the six executive vice-presidents of the von der Leyen 2 commission, and validated the controversial candidacies of Spain’s Teresa Ribera and Italy's Raffaele Fitto. The Hungarian commissioner-designate Olivér Várhelyi was also confirmed, but with a portfolio that was stripped of crisis preparedness powers. He loses control of the Health Emergency Response and Preparedness Authority (Hera), as well as the management of sexual and reproductive health rights. All these competences have been transferred to the portfolio of the Belgian commissioner for preparedness, crisis management and equality, Hadja Lahbib (Renew). The plenary vote of the College of Commissioners is scheduled for 27 November in Strasbourg. The commission will take office on 1 December.

At its plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament will also be discussing the European budget, the Russia-North Korea alliance vis-à-vis Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Middle East, Cop29 and violence against women.

In the Chamber of Deputies, the focus will be on the budget: members of the finance committee (on 26 November), the culture and sport committee (on 27 November) and the civil service committee (on 28 November) will be examining the text as well as the various opinions issued by professional chambers over the last few days. There will also be talk of raising the social minimum wage and the Council of Europe.

Monday 25 November

Government. From 25 to 29 November 2024, the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade  and the minister of the economy, SMEs, energy and tourism will lead, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, an economic mission to the People’s Republic of China. They will go to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. This economic promotion mission, the first to China since 2016, aims to deepen political and commercial relations with China and to support Luxembourg companies already active in China. The business delegation will be composed of around 70 representatives of Luxembourg companies and institutions. Given the activities already in place, the mission will mainly focus on the sectors of logistics, the automotive industry, clean technologies, and financial and legal services. The programme of the economic mission includes, in addition to high-level political interviews, company visits, discussions with business leaders, seminars and the holding of the “Luxembourg-China Business Forum” in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as B2B matchmaking events organised by the Chamber of Commerce.

European Council. Meeting in Brussels of the EU ministers responsible for youth and education. On the agenda are global prospects for young people living in rural and remote areas, and the adoption of a recommendation on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education.

Council of the European Economic Area. The 59th meeting of the EEA Council is being held in Brussels. The EEA Council will discuss the overall functioning of the EEA Agreement and hold a policy debate on strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of the area.

European Court of Auditors. The EU’s financial watchdog publishes an audit report on food labelling in the EU. When it comes to food labelling, the EU has a sophisticated and complex system that includes both mandatory and voluntary information, health and environmental claims and a wide range of labels and logos. For example, there are over 200 eco-labels in Europe, many of which are used for food products. EU rules require food information to be accurate, clear and easily understandable, and not misleading. The audit report examines whether food labelling in the EU helps consumers to make informed decisions when shopping. The auditors looked at the EU legal framework and how consumer understanding of labels is monitored. They also looked at the checks carried out to ensure that food businesses comply with labelling rules and do not mislead consumers.

Chamber of Deputies. Exchange of views with Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, member of the committee on the human rights of parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Tuesday 26 November

European Council. Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting in Brussels.

European Parliament. On Tuesday, MEPs debate the EU’s 2025 budget. They are expected to approve an agreement with the member states on the project on Wednesday.

Chamber of Commerce. The last of the professional chambers to take part in the exercise, the Chamber of Commerce will publish its opinion on the 2025 budget.

Wednesday 27 November

European Commission. Following the agreement reached between the EPP, S&D and Renew groups in the European Parliament, MEPs will vote at the plenary session in Strasbourg to validate the College of Commissioners of the von der Leyen 2 commission.

Government. At the invitation of the Saarland minister for the interior, construction and sport, Reinhold Jost, Luxembourg’s minister for home affairs  (CSV) will make a working visit to Saarbrücken. On the agenda is cross-border cooperation in the fields of police and civil security. An experience report on the management of bad weather and flooding at Whitsun 2024 and a visit to the police command and situation monitoring centre are also planned.

Government.  (CSV), minister for agriculture, food and viticulture, will present the “Agri-Innovatioun” contact point for farms undergoing innovation and diversification. This single point of contact will assist farms wishing to innovate and diversify their primary production. Two innovative agricultural products will be presented at the conference: grape seed oil from Domaine L&R Kox, which is currently under development, and a range of buckwheat seeds, flour and pasta produced by the Ourdaller SC agricultural cooperative.

Government. Celebration of the 60th anniversary of wide-gauge navigation on the Moselle.  (DP), minister for mobility and public works, Heike Peitsch, ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Luxembourg, and Claire Lignières-Counathe, ambassador of France to Luxembourg will be in Grevenmacher for the event.

Chamber of Deputies. The members of the labour committee will examine bill 8549, which will set the minimum social wage for 2025 at €2,637.77 gross per month. A rapporteur will be appointed.

Chamber of Deputies. Exchange of views with Léon Delvaux, principal adviser for the coherence of trade relations at the European Commission’s directorate-general for trade.

Thursday 28 November

European Council. Two council meetings are scheduled in Brussels, a Competitiveness Council which will examine the follow-up to the Draghi report and a General Affairs Council devoted to cohesion policy.

European Union. The European Court of Auditors publishes a special report on the measures taken by the EU to combat harmful tax regimes and corporate tax evasion. The audit covers three key legislative acts and other instruments, namely the directive on combating tax avoidance, the fifth amendment of the directive on administrative cooperation (Dac6) and the directive on tax dispute settlement mechanisms, as well as the EU Code of Conduct for business taxation, which is not legally binding. The auditors closely examined the work of the European Commission, as well as that carried out in five member states (Ireland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands).

Government. The labour ministry, the Labour and Mines Inspectorate (ITM), and the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) at the University of Luxembourg are presenting a website dedicated to the history of the Luxembourg mining industry and its workers. The website, which will be officially launched on 4 December 2024, is part of an overall project devoted to the 150-year history of the Labour and Mines Inspectorate. Ultimately, this ambitious project will culminate in the publication of a book in 2026 tracing the institutional development of the ITM, working conditions, health and safety at work, and accidents at work.

Chamber of Deputies. As part of Luxembourg’s presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from November 2024 to May 2025, the Chamber of Deputies will welcome representatives of the 46 member states of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for a meeting of the PACE Bureau and Standing Committee. The following day, Friday 29 November, a breakfast meeting of the “Women @ PACE” group will be held in the presence of the . This meeting will focus on the situation of women in Afghanistan and rape as a weapon of war.

Friday 29 November

European Council. Continuation of the Competitiveness Council begun on 28 November.

Chamber of Deputies. Also as part of the Luxembourg presidency of PACE and in anticipation of the 70th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention, the Chamber of Deputies is organising a round table entitled “The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe: a platform for intercultural dialogue.” Programme and registration .

This article was originally published in .