Pros and cons were weighed before making decision, says Léon Gloden

According to the Interior Minister Léon Gloden in an interview with our colleagues at RTL, everything should function normally again from Thursday morning.

The public was informed on Tuesday morning

In making such decisions, it is crucial to carefully consider the pros and cons, as emphasised by the Interior Minister. As of 4pm on Tuesday, the meteorological situation remained somewhat unclear, prompting the National Crisis Unit to reconvene at 5pm for further assessment while taking into account latest information from the weather and emergency services and well as CGDIS.

"If, at 3 o'clock, we had announced that schools would close and advised people to stay home, and by 6 o'clock, it turned out that the weather situation was not as severe as initially anticipated, then people would have accused us of causing unnecessary panic."

Most individuals received information about the weather situation through text messages although the timing varied due to different service providers. The advantage of a unified alert sent simultaneously for everyone was highlighted during the 2021 floods. According to Gloden, a dedicated team is diligently working on this task to have such a homogeneous system ready by September 2024.

In response to the question of whether there was an overreaction, the minister acknowledges such criticism, but states that "in politics, one must simply weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a decision."

Reaction to the begging ban and interview prosecutor

On Wednesday morning, prosecutor Georges Oswald was a guest on the radio show "Invité vun der Redaktioun" at RTL Luxembourg. He expressed that, in his view, there is no legal basis for a begging ban. The Minister of the Interior stated that he would refrain from commenting on the statements made by the prosecutor.

The police will now continue their work, and he expressed confidence that they will proceed with tact and thoughtfullness.

Watch the interview in Luxembourgish