German President Steinmeier makes public visit to Luxembourg

The focus of the visit is the new constitution, which has been in force since 1 July, but also on the "close friendship" between the two countries. It is Frank Walter Steinmeier's first visit as Federal President, following the previous visit by his predecessor Joachim Gauck in 2014. Nonetheless, Steinmeier has been to the Grand Duchy on various occasions as Foreign Minister.

After a reception by the Grand Ducal couple, President Steinmeier participated in a press conference in which he described Luxembourg as a 'close and reliable partner'.

Given his visit is the first by a German president since the pandemic, the closure of the borders in 2020 was brought up. When the president was asked to reflect whether this decision was a mistake, he answered neither yes or no. According to him, the measures were taken at the moment to protect the population. Besides, the problem has been solved, he added.

Another topic was the recent agreement on remote working which now entitles German cross-border workers to 34 days of home office per year without being double taxed. Previously, this was capped at 19 days.

Also highlighted was the close cooperation on development in the border regions. As Prime Minister Xavier Bettel pointed out: 'if Luxembourg does well, Germany does well, and vice versa.' He was referring to potentially financing joint projects in the border region, including hopefully the development of train connections in the area.

Later this afternoon, the president is scheduled to visit the CGDIS centre in Bonnevoie, as the Luxembourg rescue services had provided assistance with the severe floods in the Ahr valley.