'The government must distinguish between basic needs and luxuries'

For this week's interview, Ana Correia da Veiga, co-lead candidate in central Luxembourg, requested to meet in the woods around Pettingen. Why did she select this location?

"It's the geographical centre of the country," explains the 40-year-old, who has a particular affinity for geography. After visiting the highest and lowest points in Luxembourg's landscape, she came across the interview spot by chance while hiking one day. "In the capital you tend to think you're in the most important part of the country - I was surprised to find such an important monument in Pettingen," she laughs. Correia da Veiga describes herself as a cheerful family person who is not shy of poking fun at herself. She is also an early-riser, getting up between 5 and 6am each day, and asked RTL for a relatively early interview schedule.

But when it comes to politics, Correia da Veiga tends to dial the laughter down somewhat. She takes her responsibilities seriously and tries to understand each case from different points of view, particularly when it is a case affecting citizens on the ground. Her interest in social matters extends to her career as well - she works as a social worker and educator specialising in childcare with the National Youth Service (SNJ), and she has been a member of the Left Party for the past decade.

In 2020, she joined the Luxembourg City municipal council through a party rotation principle. Although she felt it was time to move on this year, she says she still misses aspects of her old role, such as direct contact with citizens and associations. However, she does not miss everything: "It was frustrating when people kept repeating the same things over and over, it felt like we just couldn't get to where we needed to be." Nevertheless, she says her time on the council was vital for personal development and learning.

'160 votes in the capital - that did hurt'

But this year has been a particularly hard year with two elections mere months apart, and Correia da Veiga is regretful that the election campaign is about to get tough. "But it's okay," she says, as she works with a "lovely and dynamic team." She cannot quite get to grips with what went wrong for the Left Party in the municipal elections in June, but she does not believe it means they are doing a poor job politically. She is keen to focus on the positives - the party managed to maintain seats in every municipality where they presented candidates - but she also acknowledges reality. The party ended up losing a seat in each constituency where they previously held two.

The 160 votes in the capital represented a particularly sore point, she says, and it is not enough to merely write press releases or correctly master individual issues.

'We are swimming against the mainstream'

Why are the Left Party forever relegated to the opposition bench? Correia da Veiga says it is not the party's policies, but their approach:

"We often have to repeat things. Maybe we need to change our tune, the way we say things, because eventually, after a couple of years, the other parties start to adopt our topics and our discourse. Let's take free public transport as an example. No other party had it in their manifesto, but then suddenly the coalition agreement brought up the idea of making public transport free to use. And then all the other parties were using our arguments, even though the Left Party was the only party with free public transport in the manifesto."

'We're almost a professional opposition'

And yet, opposition is part of politics, she says. As long as The Left fails to find suitable coalition partners, they will remain an opposition party. "We're good at it," Correia da Veiga jokes. "It's like we are a professional opposition, you could almost say." She explained that The Left addresses issues that the majority parties do not want to discuss - which is something the party members pride themselves on.

Housing is a primary need, not a luxury 

Correia da Veiga does not skimp on criticism for the three-party coalition's handling of the housing issue. The Rent Reform Act was sorely needed, she says, but the mistakes within the bill itself should have been avoided. "If it had gone through in that state, rents in this country would have gone through the roof", she says. She also expresses disappointment at the lack of projects for alternate forms of housing.

The cherry on the cake, however, is the result of the Competition Authority's investigation into the national housing market. The report addresses issues such as speculation on land, disproportionate benefits for developers, and suspicions of deliberately low wages. Correia da Veiga advocates for housing regulation to limit abuse and profits, saying no one should be getting rich while tenants and people in urgent need of housing are made to suffer. For these people, housing is not an investment, but a necessity, she says.

In addition, the next five years of government should prioritise energy-efficient renovations, she adds - not just on a voluntary basis, but systematically, with financial support from the State and municipalities.

'Someone who wants to work should be able to work'

Other key policy proposals of the Left Party include a reduction in working hours, a reform of the Social Inclusion Income (REVIS), the implementation of a wealth tax, and an increase in the minimum wage. One proposal that is particularly close to Correia da Veiga's heart, however, is the concept of a job guarantee. Under this idea, individuals who find themselves unemployed, even if they possess a degree or due to circumstances such as bankruptcy, should have the right to litigate against the state in order to secure employment. Correia da Veiga explains: "I believe that's pretty important, that someone who wants to work is able work."

Anything below two seats would be a failure

Looking ahead to the upcoming October elections, the Left Party's primary aspiration is to maintain its current representation of two seats. Correia da Veiga candidly acknowledges, "anything less than this, it's fair to say, would be deemed a failure for us." Laughing, she adds, "anything more, of course, would be a bonus."

Regardless of the electoral outcome, Ana Correia da Veiga wants a government that operates with efficiency and demonstrates a genuine commitment to addressing the concerns of its citizens.

Three questions for… Ana Correia da Veiga

Interview in Luxembourgish