The so-called maison relais, foyers de jour, mini-crèches and parental assistants play an important role in implementing Minister Claude Meisch’s education policy to provide every child with equal starting chances and educational prospects.

The annual press conference of the DP parliamentary group pertaining the last parliamentary session was dominated by the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the direct consequences of the war in Ukraine.

If someone asks mewhere I live, I’d rather say Hamiville than Heesdref, which many confuse with Heeschdref near Walfer, chuckles Agny Durdu in front of her office on the main street. She grew up on the farm nearby. Today she lives there with her mother and brother.

Since the beginning of March, Monique Smit-Thijs has succeeded Frank Colabianchi as mayor of Bertrange.

The closure of the Ettelbrück maternity hospital has shown us that the shortage of doctors is already having serious consequences for citizens.

The persistently high prices of gasoline and the horrid daily news regarding gas supply make most of us feel our dependency on fossil fuels.

The DP has two councilors in the commune of Wiltz; Jean Jacquemart and Amel Cosic, who replaced Guy Herbinno in 2020. Both can rely on a dynamic and motivated local DP association, which will compete with a strong team in the municipal elections next year. The association has about 100 members.

Early in 2020, when the launch of a new DP section in the communes of Consdorf, Bech, Beaufort, Berdorf and Waldbillig was first being discussed, no one had ever heard of Covid-19 in Luxembourg. Even with the surge of the pandemic the local Liberals were not deterred from their plan and founded the new DP section ‘Schwaarz Iernz’ 2 years ago in June.

The south of the country -and in particular Esch-sur-Alzette -are at the heart of the European year of culture 2022.

Even before World War 2, liberal politicians shaped the city of Differdange. Especially Emile Mark, who had been Mayor for 23 years. After the war, however, it was not until 2002 that socialist dominance in the industrial city came to an end.

The war in Ukraine and our solidarity with the Ukrainian people comeat a price. Livelihoods and jobs are at stake because ofthe current energy crisis and high inflation. The DP takes these concerns seriously.

After the covid measures were loosened, the time had finally come for the big DP family to reunite. In Hollerich, ou members and elected officials were able again to have a chat, laugh and enjoy a drink together.

Many of our members from all over the country, but especially from the East, met again on Easter Saturday with Moselle wine and Crémant at the Bernard-Massard winery.

At the first national congress since the Covid pandemic where physcial presence was again possible, our party elected a new leadership.

The DP Centre congress took place on 21 April at the Atert Centre in Bertrange.

The regional congress of the DP South took place on 2 June in Sanem at the Artikus.

The regional congress of the DP Northtook place on 3 May in the youth hostel in Lultzhausen.

The regional congress of the DP East took place on 16 May at the Cultural Centrein Mertert.

As Minister of Finance, a natural priority is to ensure that our public finances remain sound. This is because we want to prepare our country for the future by focusing on sustainable development and investing in digital development.

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel announced the formation of a Citizens’ Assembly on the Climate last autumn. It all started at the end of January: In the first of around 15 meetings, the members were first informed about the current state of affairs in climate policy.

In his state of the nation address, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel highlighted the social-liberal aims of the government by announcing new social measures.

Gilles Baum recently requested a debate on viticulture in the Chamber of Deputies. In his eyes, viticulture is not only an important economic sector of our country, but also an essential part of our national heritage. The DP therefore insists on a regular discussion of the topic in Parliament.

Sheila Schmit has definitely found her way. Two years ago she started her own business as a freelance midwife. Before that, she had worked for 15 years at the Esch hospital, among other places. But she was tired of shift work, the organisational structure in the hospital and the working conditions.

The DP parliamentary group recently requested a ‘topical hour’ on NATO.

I firmly believe that our working world needs to become more flexible. It neither corresponds to today’s realities nor to the needs of many families.

After a first Afterwork in Diekirch, the DP Norden hosted a second Afterwork in the Brasserie ‘Koeppe Jemp’ in early October. Many members grabbed this opportunity to see each other again, to spend a few pleasant hours together and with the elected representatives from the North.

Lex Krieps was born in Guildford, England in 1946. Why in England? Because his mother - a native of Ireland - felt comfortable giving birth to her three children there. Even though a year earlier she had gone to live with her husband - the Resistance member, officer and later minister Emile Krieps - to Luxembourg. That is why Lex’s passport says AlexandER and not AlexandRE.

Workshop "Real Estate" & Coaching "Social media as a politician"

Born in Olesno, Poland, Artur speaks seven languages. Nine years ago he founded the Luxembourg-Poland Chamber of Commerce. At Maison Moderne he is in charge of the Paperjam + Delano Club. He enjoys spending time with his two children, reading, running, and discovering new countries and cultures.

A party does not only live from the exchange with citizens, but also from the discussion within its own ranks.

Patrick Krecké is 47 years old, father of two daughters and has been working in a bank for 23 years. Patrick is the president of the S.I. Nospelt, a member of the Kehlen school committee and of the parent council. On June 11, 2021, Patrick succeeded the former council member Tom Hansen.

The municipality of Mertzig, with its mayor Mike Poiré, has joined the local government of Redange and the merger section Atert-Wark has been formed. Until 2020 the municipality of Mertzig was part of the "Nordstad" local section. The former Redange section has been working together with the Rambrouch section for a very long time. For this reason, the Rambrouch section with its new president will...

With the Rentrée, the DP launches an important internal innovation - the FutureLab. Corinne Cahen and Claude Lamberty were asked what this promising concept is all about.

For the most part, the residents are doing well. However, I get told every day by older people that they never want to be imprisoned again. I can understand that very well. We will therefore do everything in our power to ensure that everyone can live their lives independently, including in retirement and care homes.

In line with the DP's election programme, children and teenagers will be able to access free music classes, starting from the school year 2022/2023.

The floods of the summer have hit our country unexpectedly. In comparison to neighboring countries, Luxembourg had the chance that no one was injured. However, dramatic scenes unfolded here as well, and the water caused enormous damage. All of this in addition to a corona crisis which, on its own, is already affecting many people and companies.

“Before the rentrée, I met with the Luxembourgish media to discuss how EU foreign policy could be better financed in the coming years.

René Hübsch was born on January 13, 1937 in the rue de Warker in Ettelbruck. Only 7 months later, his father died, who had a business as a plasterer. In fact, René was supposed to learn the craftsmanship of painter. But the boy is so good in school that the teacher insists on sending him to high school.

Following the departure of Tanja de Jager, 42-year-old Mathis Prost took over her function as City Councilor.

Would it be fair to increase taxes on exactly those people who tried to find solutions for the greater good without ever complaining about the many business risks this might entail?

Thirteen years after the first Housing Pact, the Chamber of Deputies recently voted in favour of Housing Pact 2.0

Continuing to diversify the school offer, preparing young people for a digital world and continuing to support students intensively - these are the three priorities presented by the Minister of Education Claude Meisch at his traditional press conference before the start of school.

Vaccines are the best weapon against the Corona-virus. They are the most effective solution to avoid a harsh fall and winter.

Christine Fixmer

Last year, we all wrote history together. As the first party in Luxembourg, the DP has set up a democratic, innovative and interactive digital congress.

The new salary agreement with the CGFP will allow the government in the future to focus on the working conditions of civil servants.

“Minimum chances for the virus, maximum chances for education”: this was the motto of the Minister of Education, Claude Meisch, from the very beginning.

Since October 2020, the last commune of the Alzette valley also has a DP section. In 2023, the municipal council will be elected according to the proportional representation system for the first time in Lintgen. It is therefore important for the DP to position itself well now.

Promoting soft mobility, giving people more space in public areas, making the city more attractive. Even before the pandemic, a lot of work had been done at the Knuedler, but the crisis certainly helped to speed up the process.

Our environment has a direct impact on our health in many ways. The Covid pandemic has clearly shown this. Therefore, the DP wants to strengthen the role of environmental medicine and the health policy.

We want a world in which everyone has access everywhere - not just physically, but also access to information. During the corona pandemic, the government did everything in its power to provide information to everyone: the leaflets were translated into several languages and the press conferences could be followed in sign language.

This time in the Spotlight: Daliah Scholl, the newly elected president of the DP South. With the learned flutist, a woman stands for the first time at the head of the district south of the DP. Since 2011 President of the Esch Section, Daliah Scholl has also been a member of the City Council for the DP since the last election.

The financial planning of the EU covers a period of 7 years. The European Council decided in July 2020 to invest 1211 billion euros into the budget for the new period. Of this, 79.5 billion euros will flow into international relations, with the main share being used for third-country development cooperation.

Dali Zhu, 32, is a trained statistician and econometrician. He worked as a risk manager in the banking industry for 4 years. Last year, he took over the family business at home. He is a member of the Cercle Amicale des Oeuvres du Rotary, Vice-President of the International Association of Story-Telling and Story-Singing Arts, an organisation that organises cultural exchanges an events between China...

A high-quality healthcare sector distinguishes itself above all through competent staff - the cornerstone of any healthcare sector. It just wouldn’t work without the doctors, nurses, midwives and all the other important health professionals.

At the end of April, there was a major orientation debate in Parliament on the Cultural Development Plan 1.0. A plan that has occupied the work of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture for several years, and which today - in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic - has a very different meaning than in 2018.

Jos. Schaack’s vest matches the color of the sky - light blue: we have reached the end of April, the sun is shining, and Luxembourg is hoping for a spring like last year, when the country was in strict confinement.

What does the work of the DP members of parliament in Chambers look like?

Sebastien Gudenburg and David Wilson

On thé dansant and may '68, the swearing-in with Werner and Santer as one of the few women at "Knuedler", and the council of Europe and its report on the Fifa: retrospect on a long and eventful career in politics.

After the last legislative elections, the president of the eastern electoral district has made her entrance to the Chamber of Deputies and is now one of the youngest MPs. We spoke with the attorney about her political priorities, her concerns about local enterprises, and the challenges of her native town Echternach.

Better service to citizens, more efficient internal workflow, simplified procedures for businesses: the digitalization offers great potential to make the state and the civil service even more efficient.

The pandemic is affecting many people mentally. It's about time to talk more about mental health.

Working from home? This has become a reality for many people over the past few months. And it works! At least that’s what a recent study of STATEC says. A big majority of the interviewees has made positive experiences with telework. Working from home primarily means saving yourself the travel to your workplace. It also means more time for family, friends, and hobbies. The employer also profits from...

Improving the quality of life for all the inhabitants of Dudelange - that is the aim of DP Dudelange. The still young section presents 5 of their priorities here.

The first ‘Spotlight’ of the DP Magazine features the youngest mayor of the country, Eric Thill.  The 26-year old economist is not only in charge of local matters in his home commune ‘Schieren’, he is also the youngest district president in the history of the Democratic Party. We caught up with Eric to chat about his commune, the northern district and his political priorities. DP: Eric, despite...

Since March our country has had to face the challenges of the Covid pandemic, and our
 health care system is under a lot of pressure. The crisis has shown however that on all levels of our society, there is a high readiness to show solidarity, and that society can adapt quickly to existential changes. There was an incredible positive dynamic between all stakeholders in our health care sector in...

On the 15th of June, the DP held the first digital political congress in Luxembourg. #INNOVATIVE There were continuously over 600 members following us via ‘Zoom’, the Facebook live streams, on Youtube and via our party’s website dp.lu. #INTERACTIVE 76 questions were raised to our ministers during the Live Q&A, 12 party members spoke live. #DEMOCRATIC 131 candidates participated in the elections...

Colette Flesch is the grande dame of the Democratic Party. During her career, she was, among others, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Economy, Mayor of Luxembourg City, MP and MEP. Colette Flesch has represented Luxembourg three times as a fencer at the Olympic Games.

As the first country in the world, Luxembourg made the decision to make all public transport free of charge. Since march 1rst, taking the train, the bus or the tramway is free of cost. This idea comes originally from the DP’s 2018 electoral programme. We ensured that this idea made its way into the coalition agreement and is now being implemented. Public transport as a real alternative to the car Of...

People in the little land of Mary all agree. 2020 is one of the worst years ever. Even the Pentecost cruise aborted ship!

Strengthening Luxembourg Over the past few months, we’ve all done amazing things. So far, we have all managed to get through this health crisis together. We have secured jobs and stabilized our businesses. We reacted quickly by resorting to short-time working and other direct and indirect financial aid. By doubling the cost of living allowance and freezing rents, we have been able to ensure...

Jean Hamilius is one of two members still alive of the government Thorn-Vouel (DP-LSAP/1974-1979). In his life, Jean Hamilius was a minister, MP, city councilor, MEP and a successful banker and athlete. Jean Hamilius was, among other things, President and founding member of Crédit Européen (now ING Bank).

“Politics is important to me because I want to get involved. Above all, I want to help young people find their own way in life”, says Barbara Agostino. As a trained educator and teacher, high-quality childcare and a good education for the children are particularly important to the director of 14 childcare facilities. The first captain of the Luxembourg women’s soccer national team is still passionate...

The corona virus is omnipresent again! This is already evident in the toilet paper index in supermarkets. The shelves look very empty again. Happy are those who have frozen a portion of their huge toilet paper stock from March!

An d’Blot gefrot Exactly one week following his State of the Nation speech, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel took the time to answer questions from the citizens in the context or a virtual question round. With over 250 participants that joining via Zoom, Facebook and Youtube, it became an interesting round with good discussions. Here you can watch the replay of the live stream:

The DP recently stated that a sustainable development of our country is only possible if additional efforts are made in the area of equal opportunities. ‘Equal opportunities’ as such is a very broad concept, as it involves many different aspects of our lives. But what do we actually mean when talking about “equal opportunities”? The principle of ‘equal opportunities’ should guarantee the same opportunities...

A greater use of flexible working hours! In the first edition of our DP Magazine we talked about teleworking, a concept we’ve been pushing for quite a few years. We want reduce people’s time spend in traffic jams and instead give them more hours to enjoy with their family. Besides the idea of teleworking, offering flexible working hours are one of our top concerns when it comes to improving work-life...

In the 2017 elections, the DP won around a third of the votes in the municipality of Junglinster. The leader of the parliamentary group of the DP, Gilles Baum, was recently replaced by Ben Ries in the Alderman’s college. The second elected on the PD list will now ensure that the investment program will benefit all citizens of the municipality.

Teambuilding In October, the parliamentary group organised a day during which the team analysed projects for the next parliamentary year. At the new Mama Shelter hotel, parliamentary group collaborators worked, laughed and discussed together. With the significant increase in the number of employees in recent months, this was an opportunity to promote team spirit. In the next two pages of the magazine,...

After refraining from reading the retrospectives in December, because we already knew that the coronavirus had dominated the news throughout the year – and we are also a little fed up with hearing about it – I offer to you a more positive outlook on 2021.

The DP is convinced that every employee knows how to work best. Both employees and employers want more flexibility - for a better work-life balance or to be able to better adapt work to the economic environment.

Anne Glesener

“Stop the count!” – three words that have recently caused widespread anger and incomprehension around the world. Less than two days after the American presidential elections, Donald Trump called for a stop of the vote-counting process, because his lead in the Swing States slowly melted away while the number of pro-Biden postal votes increased ever more. It took four days for Joe Biden...

Founded in 2017, the local section DP Rumelange lined up to turn the political landscape of the city of the red soil upside down.

Under normal circumstances we like to meet the new members of our DP-family in person. Never-theless, we didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to have a digital exchange. Over the course of two virtual Meet and Greet sessions, the party president Corinne Cahen, secre-tary general Claude Lamberty, and EU MP Monica Semedo held interesting conversations with the new members. Even Prime Minister...

In the spotlight of the third edition of the DP magazine is the president of the "Young Democrats", Michael Agostini. We talked to the 31-year-old civil engineer about the JDL, his new home in Esch and his political priorities.

Vaccinations are the best way to get back to normal. They help us protect our health care system and regain our freedoms.

The Federation of Liberal Community Representatives FCCD is also working on coherent and innovative solutions to the important municipal dossiers during the Covid crisis, according to its President Martine Dieschburg-Nickels.

The Minister for the Middle Classes Lex Delles has launched three additional aids, which are particularly helpful to those sectors most affected by the Corona crisis: hospitality, tourism, culture and events.

Before the summer, the inhabitants of Grosbous and Wahl will decide on the merger of the two municipalities. For the mayor of Grosbous, Paul Engel, a merger allows many things that would not be possible on their own.

Together with MP Simone Beissel we talk about the Luxembourgish constitution: its history, its importance for our society and the work that is currently being done to adapt the text to the realities of a 21st century.

For Charles Goerens, the deal between the EU and Great Britain concluded in December is better than no deal at all. However, the liberal MEP would have preferred the Brits to remain in the EU.

A new media law will soon be passed in the Chamber of Deputies. On this occasion, we had a conversation with Guy Arendt, the chairman of the parliamentary commission in charge of the issue.

Josy Popov and Marc Schramer talk about their political motivation and priorities.

“The 2021 budget is an extraordinary budget for extraordinary times”, said Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna during the presentation of the budget in October. Thanks to the forward-looking fiscal policies in recent years, public debt has been gradually re-duced despite record investments. And without the corona crisis, the debt would have even gone down to the level of 2011. Luxembourg was financially...

The liberal MP Gusty Graas has been President of the Benelux Parliament for the last two years. The Parliament submits reports and recommendations to the governments of Brussels, The Hague and Luxembourg on issues affecting the three partner countries.

What was launched last year by the Minister of Tourism Lex Delles as a campaign to strengthen the attractiveness of the Grand Duchy as a holiday destination, was a year later more relevant than ever. Out of necessity, we suddenly rediscovered our country. To advertise our beautiful north, the local DP sections and I, using the hashtag #vakanzdoheem, drove from Vianden, across the Nordstad, through...

For the start of the new school year, a delicate equilibrium has to be found between protecting the health of teachers and pupils on the one hand, and guaranteeing the fundamental missions of our school system on the other hand. Furthermore, 2020/2021 will be placed under the sign of digital transformation with the introduction of Coding.

Luxembourg is one of the few countries in the world to enjoy the highest possible Triple A rating. The triple A is awarded by independent rating agencies and relates to a country's creditworthiness. The rating guarantees the good reputation of the Luxembourg financial center.

On 4th of November, Mathis Ast, aged 36, was sworn in as the new mayor of the municipality of Wormeldange. Below, you can find out more about his political priorities.

Over the past few months, the DP have more than lived up to their reputation as a responsible party. Our members of parliament have taken the right decisions for the well-being of our country. Every single one has proven in their department that in times of a crisis they can be counted on. The crisis manager Luxembourg is well looked after under the lead of prime minister Xavier Bettel. “If the country...

The Democratic Party held their traditional concluding statements press conference just ahead of the political summer break. Fraction president Gilles Baum said that the fraction started into the legislative period with great eagerness and willingness to put in a lot of hard work. With the increase of the minimum wage, the implementation of an additional holiday and the shortening of the probation...

Racism and discrimination are still too often part of the daily lives of many people. Together with Derek Wilson, Monica Semedo discusses this important topic and possible solutions.

The Minister for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Minister for Tourism Lex Delles had a chat with hotel owner in Vianden Carole Ewert about tourism in Luxembourg and the impact of the corona pandemic on the industry.