The new Constitution, the most important legal document in the country, is valid as of today. Here are the new features in Luxembourg's fundamental text.

The Grand Duchy's Constitution not only regulates the rights and freedoms of citizens, but also defines the State's structure and the functioning of institutions. To mark the 175th anniversary of Luxembourg's first Constitution, this year the new text comes into force after decades of parliamentary effort to modernise it and bring it into the 21st century.
The new Constitution compiles four revised chapters in a single text of 132 articles. After it was definitively adopted in December 2022, it officially enters into force on Saturday 1 July 2023. The revised text includes a number of new features, with the main topics covering:

  • The right to housing, the right to work, the safeguarding of biodiversity, the protection of cultural heritage and the recognition of  animals as living beings endowed with sensitivity are among the new objectives with constitutional value.

  • The text also introduces the right to found a family, the interest of the child, and the protection of personal data.

  • Citizens can now propose a text of law. This is known as the reasoned proposal for the purpose of legislating (PML). A text can be introduced by at least 125 voters and if it is supported by at least 12,500 voters, the Chamber will hold a public session to decide on the reasoned proposals provided for in Article 79.

  • The Luxembourgish language , the "red white blue" flag , the state coat of arms and the national anthem ("Ons Heemecht") have all been given a place in the Constitution.

  • The Constitution provides for the creation of the new National Council of Justice. Its mission is to ensure "the correct functioning of justice while respecting its independence". Disciplinary procedures against magistrates are provided for by law.

  • The powers of the Chamber are strengthened, in particular through the introduction of a motion of confidence and a motion of censure with regard to the government. The Grand Duke may, in this case, call for early elections.

  • Members' access to the right of inquiry is easier than before. An inquiry committee may now be set up if at least a third of MPs (20 out of 60) request it (according to article 81). Previously, committees could only be created at the request of more than half of MPs (31 out of 60).

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  • The text specifies that the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will participate in European integration .

  • The accession to the office of Grand Duke, abdication and the regency are detailed in the Constitution. The office of head of state remains hereditary and any reference to the Nassau Family Covenant has been removed. It is stipulated in article 56 that the person entitled to succeed the Grand Duke "may renounce it" via a written act which will then be "irrevocable".

  • The Grand Duke, like the former Head of State and the Hereditary Grand Duke, receives an annual allocation provided for in the State budget. It is exempt from tax and fixed by law. The amount has just been set at 523,000 euros per year for the Grand Duke and at 220,000 euros for the Hereditary Grand Duke.