Marc Hansen defends government record, handling of coronavirus crisis

The DP Minister stressed that "what the people are interested in" is the way the government has handled the coronavirus crisis.

"All of the other things" - scandals such as the bullying accusations against former DP member Monica Semedo, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel's plagiarism affair and criticism of Corinne Cahen related to deaths in retirement homes - "all of this is now past us," Hansen stated in an interview on RTL Radio.

According to the minister, people "know very well" what to make of the government's work. And as polls suggest that 75% of the population supports the Covid-19 measures, Hansen states that he is "optimistic" regarding the elections in October 2023.

Hansen describes his own result during the last elections (8,500 votes) as "a clear improvement" compared to 2018 (6,000). For Hansen, a satirical joke from the reporter.lu website which suggested nobody knows him is "perfect".

The minister explained that this perfectly sums up his preferred way of working. "I'm not one of those who are on your doorstep every day to crash through your door with a scoop," he stated. Upon enquiry, Hansen denied that the statement was aimed at any other ministers.

3.8 million digital procedures

Marc Hansen is Minister Delegate for Digitalisation and Administrative Reform as well as Minister for the Civil Service. The government's warning systems have repeatedly been criticised in recent times, particularly during the severe floods in July 2021 when the Gouvalert mobile application sent out warnings very late.

When asked about this, Hansen stated that the app has been improved since then. During the recent storm on Friday, warnings were sent out via text message, which were distributed by the providers to everyone on the territory of Luxembourg at that time. This worked "fairly well", according to Hansen, who added that a debriefing was to follow over the upcoming days.

Due to the pandemic, the Grand Duchy is "in a different place" when it comes to digitalisation, the Minister stated. Before the pandemic, the State registered around 300,000 digital procedures by individuals and companies. In 2021, this figure was 3.8 million.

Another example: Prior to 2020, practically no state employees worked from home, a situation which has changed significantly since then. Hansen also defended all of the government's initiatives to support people and ensure that no one is left behind. He rejected the criticism that Luxembourg's network is subpar by pointing out that Luxembourg is among the best connected countries and ranks 6th in the European 'e-government' index.

In favour of a 'strong' civil service

Hansen also defended the importance a "strong" civil service and criticised those who use stereotypes to play the public and private sector against each other. The Minister questioned whether it actually is a bad thing when people switch from the private sector to the state. After all, Hansen argued, companies demand an efficient civil service.

In the last salary agreement from 2021, the General Confederation of the Civil Service (CGFP) agreed to waive an increase of their salaries because of the crisis. When asked whether this timing is beneficial for him, seeing as he can hand out "presents" in the next salary agreement prior to the elections, the Minister stressed repeatedly that he is not thinking about handing out presents and is simply there "to ensure that the government operates efficiently".

Index is here to stay

Due to recent events, Hansen was also asked about the situation in Ukraine. The Minister explained that what is more important to him than potential economic sanctions or consequences is the fact that there are "innocent people, who have nothing to do with anything" on "both sides of the Ukrainian-Russian border".

Nevertheless, Hansen confirmed that the government is "preparing for consequences". Minister of Finance Yuriko Backes is working on measures meant to mitigate the impact of even higher energy prices, Hansen stated. Thanks to the index, Luxembourg is "already better prepared than other countries," the Minister stated, before stressing that the index is here to stay.