Once a year, the head of government appears before the Chamber of Deputies for the State of the Nation address. (CSV) is therefore expected this Tuesday 13 May at 2pm by MPs, as well as figures from the business world and all the country’s citizens.
Audacious, clear and concrete answers
For , president of the Union des entreprises luxembourgeoises (UEL) and vice-president of the Fédération des artisans (FDA) since 2021, “concrete answers” are expected “on topical issues that are part of the government programme and have now been widely discussed and for which all solutions are on the table. We need strong responses, concrete reforms on pensions, the modernisation of labour law and absenteeism. On these three issues, we need to be bold. We’ve talked enough, now we have to act, even if it won’t be politically easy. The solutions exist, but they won’t necessarily please everyone. The government was elected on a programme. It is this programme that now needs to be put into practice.” According to Reckinger, following the 2024 announcements, “something concrete came out of the housing roundtable. We’re getting out of the impasse and I hope it will come to fruition.”
, director general of the Chamber of Commerce, says he expects three things from the prime minister’s speech: “That he will announce a clear course, that he will strengthen confidence and that he will call for action. The clear direction must be that of a pro-business country where wealth creation remains at the centre. We must continue to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation to help increase productivity and growth. The country must remain pro-business because of this fragile geopolitical context. As far as confidence is concerned, we need to reassure people of stability and predictability. As for the call to action, faced with its priorities, the government must provide relevant answers to the questions why, how, to what extent and by what means. If we have these three points, I think it will be a good speech that can inspire the public and entrepreneurs and give them confidence. For me, the current priorities are and , which I see as the sovereignty niche of the future. And let’s not forget improving the country’s competitiveness and attractiveness.”
, president of the CGFP union representing public sector workers and the Chambre des fonctionnaires et employés publics (CHFEP), admits that “we weren’t expecting too much. We had already been hoping for more information on tax and pension reform for several weeks, but nothing specific has emerged. Will the prime minister use his State of the Nation address to finally be clearer? We’ll see... Housing remains a major problem in the country and despite the plan presented last year, there have been no spectacular changes for young people in particular. And social dialogue must once again become a priority for this government too.”
Fight against poverty: a concern for the parliamentary majority
The MP for the coalition party (CSV), expects that “the prime minister, on behalf of this government, will once again clearly put his finger on four priorities that I consider fundamental: economic development, which involves competitiveness and administrative simplification, defence, internal security and the fight against poverty. As far as the fight against poverty is concerned, I don’t feel that a very concrete programme or strategy has yet been launched. Compared to last year, a good number of the measures announced have been implemented, particularly in the area of security where home affairs minister (CSV, editor’s note) has tabled numerous bills in parliament. We need to keep up the pace,” insists the MP.
“Although ‘traditional’ and ‘annual,’ the State of the Nation address is of an importance that should not be underestimated,” says MP and DP president . “Whilst the title this speech bears suggests that the main objective is to discuss the current state of the country, the speech should--above all--offer a clear future vision of how the country will develop in the short, medium and long term. Following the announcements concerning the ‘Sozialdësch,’ we see the speech as an opportunity to restart discussions on social dialogue. The same applies to the subject of pensions, on which discussions should very soon conclude with concrete proposals from the competent ministry. In addition, the issues surrounding the housing market and the rise in energy prices due to the recent crises remain topical subjects. Combating poverty and maintaining a dignified life for all will therefore remain objectives to be pursued.”
Oppositions sceptical
What does the deputy mayor of Dudelange (LSAP) expect from Frieden’s speech on Tuesday? “To be honest, not much. The rhetoric hasn’t changed, nor has the ideology: we keep repeating that growth is essential to finance social measures and transitions. A militaristic discourse is used, which also serves as an excuse to avoid any real projection into the future. It’s always the same alarmist tone, with no positive impetus, but which keeps people under stress and feeds an atmosphere of anxiety. What can we expect from a government that navigates without purpose, vision or ambition, content to manage the moment?”
“Defence and security are certainly important issues that require a serious response. But this must not overshadow the concrete emergencies that people face in their daily lives,” continues Biancalana. “The first of these is housing. So far, no significant measures have been taken, apart from those that protect the interests of investors and developers through tax breaks. Added to this are other urgent areas of work: re-establishing a social dialogue worthy of the name, respecting low-income employees and pensioners, finally clarifying the government’s intentions on pensions, building real strategies for the energy and digital transitions... and the list goes on: education, health, social cohesion…”
For MP (déi Gréng), “there is still some vagueness on certain issues such as pensions or even housing. Bills were tabled by the previous minister [Henri Kox (dei Gréng), editor’s note], the Council of State issued its opinions months ago, but nothing has happened yet on the taxation of empty homes, for example. I’m expecting some announcements on defence, for example, but I’m not expecting much on climate change, a subject that has been neglected by this government. The poverty plan is still lacking and is also still overdue,” insists the former justice and culture minister.
(ADR) “expects the government to state clearly what the long-term goal is, and how it imagines Luxembourg’s future. I expect an ambitious but realistic vision for the nation and a strategy to guarantee economic stability and competitiveness, retain our sovereignty, respect the values that have made Luxembourg what it is, and avoid turning Luxembourg into a state with a million inhabitants.” The priority issues for the ADR MP are: insecurity, mobility, housing.
Pensions, defence, competitiveness, housing, social dialogue... Many subjects are expected subjects but only Frieden’s speech on Tuesday 13 May will answer everyone’s questions.
This article was originally published in .