© Roland Miny / pressphoto.rtl.lu
State secretary for the environment Camille Gira died on Wednesday evening having suffered a heart attack, after collapsing in parliament.
On Wednesday afternoon, a new environmental protection draft law was set to be discussed at Luxembourg's parliament. Gira, state secretary for the ministry of sustainable development and infrastructure, was standing at the lectern and addressing the MPs in the chamber when he suddenly collapsed.
At this point, politics took a back seat and the parliamentary gathering was broken off as Gira received urgent medical care.
Despite the emergency service's best efforts, the news emerged later that evening that Gira had died. The Green party politician was only 59 years old. He leaves behind a wife and two sons.
RTL Today, along with all of RTL, offer our sincere condolences to Camille Gira's family.
Camille Gira - A short biography
Camille Gira was born on 2 June 1958 in Luxembourg City.
From 1977 until 1994, he worked as a flight attendant. In 1993, he joined the Green party and soon rose through the ranks to become one of the party's most recognisable political figures.
He had been an elected MP since the parliamentary elections of 12 June 1994. He served as the mayor of Beckerich, a commune and small town in western Luxembourg, from 1990 until he moved into a government position in 2013.
He gave up his parliamentary seat as well as his mayor's appointment in 2013 in order to become the secretary of state for the environment. He formed part of the ministry of sustainable development and infrastructure in the Bettel-Schneider Democratic Party-Greens-Luxembourg Socialist Worker Party coalition government.
Citizen participation and climate protection were some of the main issues he promoted throughout his career. In Beckerich, he pioneered a number of renewable energy projects and turned the small commune into one of Luxembourg's greenest municipalities.
From 2008 until 2013, Gira acted as the president of the Luxembourg handball federation, and from 2010 until 2013, he was president of the "Réidener Kanton" inter-communal syndicate.
Reactions: Intense grief after unexpected death
In a written statement, Luxembourg's government expressed its shock and grief at the sudden death of a member of government on Wednesday evening.
The statement went on to say that Gira always diligently carried out his political mandates, municipally as well as nationally. Throughout his whole career, he always stood for the values of tolerance, solidarity and respect. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel wrote in the official government statement that Gira had also always been a passionate spokesperson for environmental issues and promoted the protection of the environment and its resources.
Bettel was informed of the sad news as he was having an unofficial dinner ahead of the EU-Western Balkans summit. He was swiftly replaced by his Belgian opposite number Charles Michel, so that he could quickly get in touch with his fellow government members.
Luxembourg's parliament (Chambre des Députés) has also released a statement: "The Chamber is deeply saddened by the news. After secretary of state Camille Gira collapsed during a Chamber meeting and subsequently died, Thursday's public session has been cancelled. This was decided by Chamber president Mars Di Bartolomeo in concert with the fraction leaders, out of respect for Gira's family, friends and colleagues."
The next parliamentary sessions are set to take place in the week of 12 June.
Since Thursday morning, the Luxembourgish flag outside parliament has been lowered to half-mast in mourning. The government has requested that all other public buildings with flags outside fly their flags at half-mast until Saturday.
From Thursday afternoon at 2pm, there is a condolence book in the State Ministry building (4, rue de la Congrégation in Luxembourg City). Members of the public who wish to offer sympathy or give their respects can visit the building and sign the condolence book on Thursday between 2pm and 6pm, on Friday between 8am and 6pm, and on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.
Di Bartolomeo interview
In his first RTL interview on Thursday morning, parliamentary president Mars Di Bartolomeo expressed his utter shock at Gira's unexpected passing. He said people at the Krautmaart, where Luxembourg's parliament is situated, were grief-stricken and in shock.
During his interview, Di Bartolomeo struggled to find the right words. He said he considered Gira a close friend and honoured the exceptional politician's achievements.
Green party president Christian Kmiotek wrote on Twitter: "A man, a member of the Greens, as tall and steadfast inside as well as outside. He fell like an oak tree in the storm." Minister of sustainability and infrastructure François Bausch simply posted "Enormous grief..." to his Twitter feed.
However, it wasn't just Luxembourg's politicians who expressed their grief on Wednesday evening. The Luxembourg handball federation, of which Camille Gira was a former president, wrote a Facebook post to express their profound sadness:
"Camille was a member of our handball family and always tried his hardest to promote Luxembourg's handball clubs. He remained extremely close to the federation and the sport until the end and his support was invaluable."
