There were plenty of other news in the headlines this week though, with Delano giving you a bite-sized overview of some of the top stories of the week as well as some items that didn’t hit the front page.
What’s the big deal?
The world this week marked one year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine. Throughout the week, Delano published articles to shed a light on different aspects of this conflict, from how and the LUkraine association’s calls for a to an (LSAP) about the future of the conflict and Europe’s role in supporting Ukraine.
A solidarity march is planned in Luxembourg City on Saturday 25 February. The march will start at 2pm from the central train station and will end in the Luxembourg City centre.
Top stories on Delano
· Nearly three-quarters of job vacancies declared with Adem require applicants to speak French, with the jobs agency calling language skills an “” to job market access for international candidates.
· Taxes are in union demands for the upcoming tripartite meeting. Labour unions have demanded that tax brackets should also be adjusted for inflation, arguing that not enough for the index ends up in people’s pockets. Finance minister (DP) appears set against such a change.
· In a bid to tackle its housing crisis, Luxembourg this week hosted a , with housing minister (déi Gréng) presenting a slate of measures, from making affordable housing more accessible to higher tax credits for first-time buyers, and changes to a controversial rent reform bill.
Number of the week
Rate of foreigners registered to vote in the local elections Delano
Only 11.7% of foreigners in Luxembourg’s local elections so far. The deadline to register is 17 April and non-nationals can do so online via or at their local commune. Luxembourg last year scrapped a 5-year residency requirement, meaning that even new arrival have the right to vote. The ballot is open to foreigners from all nationalities, including non-EU countries.
Speaking of elections, political parties told Delano’s sister publication Paperjam that they would be this year. All parties at the start of the year signed a fair elections pledged that limits campaign spending.
Diplomatic relations
· Sri Lanka this week of its independence as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations with Luxembourg.
· Prime minister (DP) on 22 February visited Slovenia, meeting with the country’s premier Robert Golob to discuss bilateral relations and economic cooperation. They also discussed the EU’s expansion in the Western Balkans.
· Economy minister (LSAP) and embarked on a visit of Senegal from 22 to 25 February to strengthen economic ties, notably in the areas of cybersecurity and health technology.
· Foreign minister (LSAP) meanwhile travelled to Armenia from 22 to 23 February to meet with high-ranking officials but also NGOs working in the area of human rights and democracy.
Policy
· The Ilga LGBTQ+ advocacy group this week said that Luxembourg has made on policies to protect its LGBTQ+ community.
· The OECD published a to help Luxembourg develop policies to improve life-long learning and help fill its skills gap and labour shortage.
· Labour minister and minister for equality between women and men (both LSAP) this week presented a document that should encourage companies to hire women and give them .
In other news
To boost its public finances, Luxembourg issued , increasing public debt to €21.9bn, or 26.4% of GDP, below a 30% cap agreed by coalition partners in 2018.