This is the major political event of the week in Luxembourg: the State of the Nation address. It’s an opportunity for the prime minister to take stock of his government’s progress and--above all--to set the priorities for the coming months. The speech is eagerly awaited by MPs and members of the government alike. For some weeks now, ministerial communication has been on hold, with (CSV) reserving priority for major announcements. It’s an assumed primacy. The prime minister is “a very active captain”, he told Paperjam .

He assumes his leadership--and his style. (CSV) took advantage of the exercise to give a lot of figures, whilst  (DP) set out broad guidelines. Last year, Frieden mixed concrete announcements with targets. At the time, he had announced a reduction in the rate of corporation tax and the neutralisation of 2.5 additional index brackets in the tax scale--measures that came into force 1 January--the allocation of a budget of €2.5bn to implement the national energy and climate plan (PNEC) or the maintenance of the cap on electricity prices for certain households. He had also outlined for his ministers in the areas of administrative simplification, housing, energy transition and social issues. And the very next day, to detail the details and timetable for implementing the measures announced. Paperjam followed this timetable in its .

Amongst the measures announced but not yet put into practice, there is the adoption of a national plan to prevent and combat poverty, for which the family affairs ministry of family affairs is responsible, as well as the universal healthcare coverage project that was due to be studied in the autumn. This subject was dropped in favour of a possible reform of the pension system. Frieden, at the time, outlined this reform, whilst calling for debate. “Many people have been retired for almost as long as they have paid contributions. Our system is healthy today, but it also needs to be protected for future generations. The system therefore needs to be discussed as a whole, also taking into account our demographic and economic development,” he said at the time.

Social security minister (CSV) in March  would be tabled before the summer, covering the organisation of the transition from working life to retirement. Frieden, this week, is expected to say more. He is also expected to give an update on the plan to combat poverty. On 14 May, the floor will be given to MPs, who will react to the various announcements. The ministers will then take over to translate the prime minister’s commitments into draft legislation.

Monday 12 May

Government. Presentation by the minister for the environment, climate and biodiversity, (CSV), of the new “Klimabonus Mouer a Wiss” subsidy programme for private landowners of wetlands and flower meadows located in the countryside. This subsidy programme is part of the government’s drive to strengthen its commitment to preserving ecosystems and the services they provide to society, climate mitigation and adaptation to the effects of climate change.

Chamber of Deputies. The Caritas special committee receives Pit Bouché, vice-chairman of the Caritas board of directors.

Council of the European Union. Eurogroup meeting in Brussels. On the agenda: progress on the banking union, preparations for the meeting of the European Stability Mechanism in June and launch of the digital euro.

Council of the European Union. Meeting of the education, youth, culture and sport council on 12 and 13 May in Brussels.

Council of the European Union. Informal meeting in Warsaw of the energy ministers.

Government. The ministry of health and social security is holding its spring conference on a major public health issue: stepping up mental health prevention from the first 1,000 days of life, a crucial period for a child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Through talks by experts, professionals in the field and institutional representatives, this event will highlight the challenges involved in the early identification of neurodevelopmental disorders and the importance of a coordinated approach between the health, social and educational sectors.

OECD. The OECD publishes the Inventory of Export Restrictions on Industrial Raw Materials. The inventory provides annually updated data on the scope, type and evolution of export restrictions identified for 65 industrial raw materials and 82 producing countries. The 2025 edition, which covers the period up to the end of 2023, is intended to help establish whether export restrictions contribute to raw material shortages and price rises, to understand, if so, how they do so, and how public action can ease tensions while guaranteeing the security and efficiency of critical material supplies.

Tuesday 13 May

Government. Luc Frieden delivers his State of the Nation address to the Chamber of Deputies.

Government. Ahead of the annual session of the Committee of Ministers organised as part of the Luxembourg presidency of the Council of Europe in Luxembourg, the Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession will be officially opened for signature.

Council of the European Union. Economic and financial affairs council meeting in Brussels. Ministers will discuss VAT and competitiveness.

Wednesday 14 May

Chamber of Deputies. MPs debate Frieden’s State of the Nation address the previous day in a public session.

Court of Justice of the European Union. The court delivers its judgment in the case between the European Commission and The New York Times (T36/23 Stevi and The New York Times v Commission). The case follows the refusal of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to provide the newspaper with the text messages exchanged with Pfizer boss Albert Boula boss of Pfizer about the delivery of 1.8m doses of covid vaccines. The court will decide whether the text messages are official EU documents and can therefore be consulted by all citizens. On 17 July 2024, the court--ruling on a comparable case brought by four MEPs, including Luxembourg’s  (déi Gréng/EFA/Greens)--condemned the commission for refusing partial access to advance purchase contracts and purchase contracts concluded between the commission and the pharmaceutical companies concerned for the purchase of covid vaccines.

European Commission. Presentation of the omnibus project for agriculture led by European Commissioner  (CSV/EPP).

Council of Europe. The 134th annual session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe takes place. The foreign ministers of the 46 member states of the organisation are expected in Luxembourg. On the agenda is the organisation’s role in the new geopolitical context as well as in the environmental field--following on from the Reykjavik Declaration. Ministers will also discuss cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union. At the end of the meeting, Luxembourg will hand over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers to Malta.

Thursday 15 May

Chamber of Deputies. New day of public sessions during which MPs will look at occupational illnesses, the army, the European defence industrial strategy, aid for research; the future of the financial centre and electronic signature of administrative acts.

Council of the European Union. Foreign affairs council dedicated to trade meets in Brussels. Ministers will hold a policy debate on EU-US trade relations and report on ongoing trade negotiations.

OECD. The OECD presents the report “How Are Children’s Lives in the Digital Age?” This report provides a broad picture of children’s lives in the digital environment across OECD countries. It presents internationally comparable indicators on the use of digital tools and life in the digital world, and makes recommendations to simultaneously achieve the goal of protecting children from digital media and enabling them to use these media profitably and autonomously, whilestcontrolling the risks.

Friday 16 May

Council of the European Union. The sixth meeting of the European Political Community will bring together leaders from across the continent in Tirana, Albania, on the theme “A new Europe in a new world: unity--cooperation--common action.” Leaders will first meet in a plenary session devoted to security and a shared vision of Europe’s future. Three high-level roundtables will then be held on the following themes: Europe’s security and democratic resilience, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine; competitiveness and economic security; the challenges of mobility and youth empowerment. The EU will be represented by the president of the European Council, António Costa, who will co-chair the meeting with the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama.

This article was originally published in .