Welfring thus takes over the position formerly held by Carole Dieschbourg, who recently decided to step down as a consequence of the ‘Garden Shed Affair'. 99.5% of Green party members voted in favour of appointing Welfring during an extraordinary meeting in the aftermath of Dieschbourg’s resignation.
Read also: Green Party members bid tearful farewell to Carole Dieschbourg
Welfring, who was accompanied by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, arrived at the Grand Ducal Palace shortly before ten o’clock this morning. The ceremony only lasted about 15 minutes, after which Minister Welfring expressed gratitude for being offered the position: “It was very impressive and I feel deeply honoured to take on this role. I hope that we now get everything operational swiftly.”
In March, Welfring was appointed to be director of the Environment Agency. PM Bettel noted that her new position as Minister comes with great challenges, but also said that Welfring will rise to the occasion: “I have not yet had the opportunity to work with Mrs Welfring. She was chosen by the Greens for her ability to jump right in without having to familiarise herself with all the matters. I had a few exchanges with her in recent days and she makes a good impression.”
Minister Welfring also addressed criticism against her for not having a political résumé: “I am ready to commit to the position with all of my expertise. Even though I may not have any political experience, my believes are fully aligned with those of the Greens. ... The job is therefore a logical succession to what I have been doing all my life. I could not have entered politics earlier as my children were too young.”
In terms of priorities, Minister Welfring intends to pick up where Carole Dieschbourg left off: forest laws, potable water directive, a new energy and climate plan, as well as waste disposal acts. A number of important issues best resolved before the upcoming elections, if Minister Welfring also wants to have time preparing for her first campaign.
