On Saturday afternoon, Minister for Family Affairs Corinne Cahen was a guest on RTL Radio.

Cahen confirmed she will not seek a third mandate as party president during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party (DP) in June.

According to Cahen, the time is ripe for a fresh dynamic within the DP, especially ahead of the double election year 2023 and the party's good performance during the past three elections.
 
Should the DP be a part of the next government, Cahen will also not be available for another mandate as Minister for Family Affairs. However, the politician stated that she does not exclude the possibility of leading a different ministry instead.
 
Cahen also stated that she is "interested" in the 2023 municipal elections in Luxembourg City and potentially becoming the successor of Mayor Lydie Polfer. Seeing as she grew up in the capital, Cahen stated that the city's local issues are definitely "close to [her] heart".

Covid-19 clusters in retirement and nursing homes

Speaking as Minister for Family Affairs, Corinne Cahen stated that there are currently half a dozen Covid-19 clusters in retirement and nursing homes and 200 elderly people who tested positive for Covid-19.
 
Besides experiencing some cold-like symptoms, the pensioners are "doing well", however, Cahen stated. The Minister explained that if and how residents are isolated depends on the individual case. The number of deaths has decreased significantly, according to Cahen.
 
The Minister reiterated that the exact vaccination rate among staff members remains unknown.

The ORPEA case

Corinne Cahen said that she can see why the French state would sue ORPEA, a private operator of retirement homes, as the conditions inside the homes were "dreadful". However, Cahen stated that it is not up to her as Minister for Family Affairs to choose which providers settle in Luxembourg. Nevertheless, the Minister stressed that the elderly are "guaranteed by law" to receive the best possible quality of care in a retirement home.
 
The Council of State is currently reviewing a draft bill dealing with quality standards in retirement homes, Cahen stated, adding that ORPEA's authorisation is also under review at the moment. The provider plans to set up a home in Merl.

Tripartite

Regarding the ongoing tripartite, the Minister stated that the social partners agree that the measures are meant to compensate the household's loss in purchasing power. It is also "in the everybody's interest" to become less dependent on fossil fuels, Cahen said.
 
The Minister added that she thinks it is unlikely that the trade unions will end up opposing the compromise on Thursday.
 
But loss of purchasing power is usually also connected to the notoriously high housing prices.
 
Cahen acknowledged that housing weighs heavy on many people's wallets and described the current situation as "shocking". She also stressed that a speculation tax is "not a taboo topic" for the DP, adding that the country needs "smaller dwellings on a massive scale".
 
The topic of housing is likely to be a key issue during the 2023 elections, the Minister said.

'My wish for this country is that Xavier Bettel remains Prime Minister'

Corinne Cahen stated that she hopes that Prime Minister Xavier Bettel will remain in his current position, adding that this is also a clear "election goal" for the DP. Bettel has "modernised the country" and "brings people together, both nationally and internationally," Cahen said.
 
The DP has moved on from both the Prime Minister's plagiarism scandal and the bullying accusations against MEP Monica Semedo, the Minister stated.
 
On the other hand, Cahen described the resignation of former Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna as "highly regrettable". According to Cahen, the party tried to convince him to stay on many occasions, but ultimately to no avail.