Six new petitions went live at the end of October, tackling plastic cutlery, rubbish collections, pedestrian crossings, special leave for natural disasters, road signs and smoking indoors.
Petition 1110 calls for a reform to the law on smoking in public bars and cafés, saying it is too strict. “Restaurant and pub owners should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want a smoking or non-smoking establishment. The option of ‘zoning’ should also continue to be available to them. The market principle of ‘supply and demand’ would provide a satisfactory solution for smokers, non-smokers, hosts and employees,” the petitioner writes.
Smoking in public bars and cafés was banned in Luxembourg from 1 January 2014. The ban was extended on 1 August 2017 to areas close to children’s playgrounds and in vehicles in which a child aged under 12 is travelling and e-cigarettes were also included among the banned products covered by law.
The petition comes just after another petition to protect the rights to smokers on terraces during mealtimes fell short of reaching the 4,500 signature threshold required for prompting a parliamentary debate. While yet another petition pushing for smoking to be banned on terraces reached the threshold.
Other petitions
Petition 1117 calls for a ban on disposable cutlery not made from biodegradable material. The call comes after the EU approved legislation banning 10 single-use plastic items, including plastic cutlery, by 2021.
Petition 1119 calls for additional extraordinary leave to be given to victims of natural catastrophes, such as the flooding at the beginning of June 2018. “Affected people must, in addition to their working lives, take care of supplementary tasks (cleaning the home, visits from insurance professionals and requests for quotes)”, the petitioner writes.
Petition 1112 calls for signs for villages to give the name in Luxembourgish first, then French and German in a smaller size.
Petition 1088 wants to increase the number and capacity of public rubbish bins and ashtrays and encourage the public to sort their own waste. “The purpose of this petition is to raise public awareness, because waste thrown into the wild, multiplied by thousands of others, can turn out to be an ecological and economic disaster,” the petitioner writes.
Petition 1106 calls for the creation of one or several pedestrian crossings on route d’Arlon, in Strassen. “There is a high number of vehicles at certain times of the day and crossing becomes very difficult in some places,” the petitioner writes, noting it is particularly bad around the Total petrol station.
Who can sign a petition?
Anyone may sign a petition in Luxembourg provided they are aged 15 or over and have a social security card for Luxembourg. Petitions which garner 4,500 or more signatures will be debated in parliament.