The figure is part funded by private partners Post, SES and the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, which will bring €2.5m to the table, in addition to other sponsors.

The theme of the expo is “Connecting minds, creating the future”, and Luxembourg’s contribution, “Resourceful Luxembourg”, will focus on circular economy construction techniques. Designed by architects Metaform, it covers three floors and includes a tubular slide.

Responding to a parliamentary question from Marc Goergen (Pirate Partei) on Wednesday, economy minister Etienne Schneider (LSAP) said the budget included construction and recycling of the pavilion.

According to Schneider, the pavilion will be constructed from materials of which at least 70% can be used again afterwards. Some of the internal equipment of the pavilion, meanwhile, will be rented. “All in all, it is worth keeping the project as sustainable as possible,” Schneider wrote.

Goergen raised concerns about the safety of workers involved in constructing the building. Schneider stressed that companies working on the construction were “not only subject to local labor law, but also the rules that the organizer of the World Exhibition imposes. Labor law and the UAE have evolved in recent years, social and labor protection of salaries has been strengthened.”

Luxembourg’s budget is among the average earmarked by some of the 192 or so countries which have pledged to participate in the expo in 2020. According to Gulf News, Germany has budgeted €50m, France’s “Lumière lumières” will set it back €28m, of which €8m will come from private sponsors, Belgium has earmarked €13.5m for its “Green Ark” pavilion and Switzerland has budgeted €13.25m for its pavilion.

The World Expo takes place from October 2020 to April 2021 and is expected to attract around 25 million visitors.