Bill 7469 was introduced in response to a European Court of Justice ruling that the current conditions were too restrictive and contravened European law.

The existing criteria came after a 2013 ECJ ruling in which Luxembourg’s exclusion of children of cross-border workers from student aid was deemed discriminatory. Currently, non-resident students such as the children of cross-border workers can benefit from grants and loans in the same way as residents provided a parent has worked in Luxembourg for five or more years over a seven-year period leading up to the request for student finance.

The bill proposes to increase the possible timeframe in which the five-year clause can be met from seven to ten years. Two additional options are being considered which would provide access to young people who have a parent who has worked in Luxembourg for at least ten years, regardless of how recently. Also a non-resident student could benefit from financial aid if they had spent five or more years in the Luxembourg education system, provided a parent was working in Luxembourg at the time of applying.

According to figures published by parliament, non-resident students make up approximately a third of all students benefiting from student aid, with 11,410 non-resident students benefiting for the year 2018-2019, out of a total 29,499 grants. The total spent in student aid that year was €28.6m in grants and €133.1m in loans. The previous year, Luxembourg issued €117.4m in grants and €199.1m in loans.

André Bauler (DP) is the rapporteur of the bill.