After the general elections on October 14, the 3 parties who were in Government retained a majority in Parliament. It took them only 7 weeks of negotiations to find an agreement on the government program and the new cabinet. After signing the coalition agreement and the approval by the Democratic Party, the Socialist Party and the Greens, HRH the Grand-Duke appointed the new Government on December 5th.
The new government will be very much in the continuity of the former government:
The former Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (Democratic Party) will be the new Prime Minister of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. He will also be in charge of a new Ministry for Digitization.
Socialist Etienne Schneider will remain Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy.
The Green Party, after gaining seats in Parliament, will also name a Vice Prime Minister in the person of Felix Braz, post that they did not hold in the former government. Jean Asselborn (Socialist), the longest serving Minister of Foreign Affairs in the EU remaining in his post.The Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna (DP), a frequent traveler to China, will stay on. So will the minister in charge of Transports and Infrastructures, François Bausch (Greens), also a good friend of China since the establishment of the Silk Road by Air.
The government program was dubbed “very ambitious” by the 3 parties involved. Indeed, the Prime Minister explained that Luxembourg was in a better shape than 5 years ago, and the population should benefit from it.
An increase of the minimum salary will help consumption. Public transport will be for free and investments in that field will remain high. Further measures in favor of the environment will be taken: for example, beyond measures in the field of electric vehicles, 25% of agriculture should be organic by 2025. Good news also for companies: corporate taxation will continue to be reduced.