What’s the big deal?
The government, trade unions and employer groups are meeting on Friday for a tripartite. The three-party talks to seek policy consensus at times of crisis were born during the 1970s’ steel and oil crisis. Referred to as the Luxembourg model, the tripartite seeks to get all social partners on the same page. It was activated during the pandemic to determine aid measures and made a comeback last year to tackle the energy crisis.
aimed at getting all three sides in agreement about the economic forecasts underlying the debate. For trade unions, purchasing power and tax reform are likely to feature high on the agenda. Employers will meanwhile defend companies from bearing too high a financial burden amid rising prices and payroll increases due to indexation.
Whether any particular agreement will be reached on Friday is anyone’s guess. Talks could stretch into the weekend or next week. A press conference is foreseen but no time has been given. You will read more about the outcome on Delano.
With prime minister (DP) celebrating his 50th birthday on 3 March, hopefully someone remembered to order cake.
From parliament
· As unions want income tax brackets to be adjusted for inflation together with the index, a . Luxembourg has one of the biggest tax wedges between singles and couples who are married or partnered. A 2023 reform was supposed to change this but was shelved during the pandemic. The petition has already cracked the 4,500-signature mark to be debated in parliament with 36 more days to go.
· While the CNS since February is , this is not the case for remote sessions. The health service during the pandemic began reimbursing teleconsultations for a number of services, but this does not include psychotherapy. Social security minister (LSAP) in answer to a parliamentary question said the CNS is reworking its catalogue for reimbursement to find more permanent solutions for virtual consultations.
Number of the week
Foreigners eligible to vote who have not yet registered in their commune Delano
More than up to vote in this year’s local elections. EU and non-EU nationals can elect their local mayor and town councillors on 11 June. The deadline to register is 17 April, with a lot of room for improvement on the current numbers.
Elections
· The running in the Luxembourg City elections, with Serge Wilmes the party’s pick for mayor. Wilmes currently serves as alderman on the town council.
· In the run-up to the national elections in October, déi Gréng have to allow the party to nominate a candidate for prime minister for the first time. Justice and culture minister is a favourite for the post.
· Campaigning hasn’t yet kicked off, but parties are gearing up to point fingers already. The ADR this week accused the government of withholding data on crime statistics, saying the interior security ministry had failed to answer several parliamentary questions on the topic. For example, the ADR had requested to know how many stabbings there were last year, with the ministry saying this data wasn’t available. The party also accused the government and police of a lack of transparency on investigations around serious incidents.
International relations
· Luxembourg is moving closer to Finland and Sweden on renewable energies. Energy minister (déi Gréng) attended meetings in Stockholm this week, signing a deal to contribute €40m to a new EU Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism. Transport minister (déi Gréng) was also in the Swedish capital to talk about the future of electric vehicles and green hydrogen.
· Luxembourg’s army next month will deploy 25 soldiers to Romania, Bettel confirmed this week during a visit by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis. The decision was first announced in November last year as part of plans to boost Nato’s presence on the EU’s eastern border to Ukraine.
· A Luxembourg police officer will be posted to Armenia as part of a European mission in the country to strengthen its border forces and help normalise relations with Azerbaijan. The agreement comes after a visit by foreign minister (LSAP) to Armenia last week.
· To support Turkey as it rallies from a series of devastating earthquakes, the government sent a second shipment of humanitarian aid worth €500,000 to the country. This includes sleeping bags, hygiene kits and generators as well as special boxes to transport medicines and blood transfusions.
In other news
Asselborn (LSAP) was this week. He posted an update on his Facebook account this week that he is on the mend and hopes to be back in action soon.