Frank Engel at last week’s CSV conference. The party’s new president has suggested giving EU citizens the right to vote in national elections if they fulfil certain conditions Matic Zorman

Frank Engel at last week’s CSV conference. The party’s new president has suggested giving EU citizens the right to vote in national elections if they fulfil certain conditions Matic Zorman

An interview with public radio 100,7 on Sunday, the day after he was elected the new president of the CVS party, has landed Frank Engel in hot water with the ADR.

In the interview Engel said he could imagine giving EU citizens the right to vote in national parliament elections under certain conditions--if they have lived in Luxembourg for a certain number of years and have mastered the language, for example. Which is not too dissimilar to the current requirements to gain Luxembourg citizenship and the right to vote in national elections--foreigners have to have lived in the grand duchy for at least five years and must pass a Luxembourg language test (or take a course of 20 hours of language lessons if they have been resident for over 20 years).

“I am opposed to giving the right to vote to every foreigner who has arrived and has been here for a little while and thinks it might be exciting,” Engel said. But he did say he was in favour of having a more intense rethink about “union citizenship” and making it relevant to political engagement, across the whole EU.

Also speaking on 100,7, the ADR’s Fernand Kartheiser questioned whether the CSV took seriously the result of the 2015 referendum, which saw 80% of the Luxembourg electorate answer with a resounding “Nee” to giving non-Luxembourgers the right to vote in national elections. “It seems as though the referendum was not important for the CSV, which is something we certainly cannot accept.” Kartheiser said he was not surprised by Engel’s statement as he had in the past supported the idea of a federal European Union that would supersede national states.

“Citizens of the union already have the right to vote in European Parliament elections,” Kartheiser said. So, there is no reason to open up voting in national elections, he argued. “If we open parliament seats to others, there would be no longer by any political representation of the Luxembourg people.”

Asked whether there is any chance the ADR would consider a further opening up of voting rights, Kartheiser said: “We are open in the sense that everyone is welcome to come here and integrate and exercise their right to vote, but they should obtain Luxembourg nationality in order to do so. And a good knowledge of the Luxembourg language is indivisible from nationality.”

UEL interested but won’t launch debate

Jean-Paul Olinger, director of the employers’ association Union des Entreprises Luxembourgeoises, gave Engel’s comments a cautious welcome. In a telephone interview with 100,7 radio he said there was no point in attempting to have another referendum so soon after the 2015 result. “But why not try another approach?” Olinger asked. Citing the so-called democratic deficit--“85% of private sector employees do not have a Luxembourg passport,” he said--Olinger emphasised the need for more positive developments to help integrate non-Luxembourgers.

“It’s always a question to consider, how long should we wait [after a referendum] before launching a debate with civil society,” Olinger added. But he was adamant that while the UEL would gladly join in any formal discussions about voting rights of foreigners, it would not launch the debate. "It is up to government or parliament to do that."

Laura Zuccoli of foreigners’ rights association ASTI welcomed Engel’s proposals more warmly. She told 100,7 that it was important to discuss voting rights because the coalition agreement had failed to address the subject.