In his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bettel’s schedule now encompasses a greater array of overseas engagements compared to his tenure as Prime Minister. Following his recent travels to New York and Delaware for his duties as Minister for Foreign Trade, Bettel made a stopover in Luxembourg.
During his visit in the US, Bettel, alongside Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, convened with prominent American corporations long established in Luxembourg, including Dupont and Goodyear.
Bettel emphasised that while Luxembourg’s appeal remains strong for major US enterprises, it is no longer solely based on the nation’s attractiveness. He underscored that social security measures such as Luxembourg’s wage indexation system do not exist in other countries. Instead, business leaders in the US expressed appreciation for Luxembourg’s stability and mutual trust, Bettel noted.
Regarding Google’s presence in Luxembourg, Bettel clarified that although no meetings with company representatives occurred during his recent trip, the project in Bissen remains active, albeit with procedural matters yet to be resolved.
The decisions made surrounding the begging ban had been “poorly communicated,” leading to “a generalisation of the problem,” Bettel acknowledged. Despite challenges, Bettel stressed the importance of proactive engagement, asserting that simply standing by and doing nothing was not an option. The Vice Prime Minister believes that the issue constituted “by no means” an institutional crisis and emphasised that the legal framework must now be rectified.
Addressing recent controversies within the government, Bettel downplayed the Meisch scandal as “a private matter” concerning his government and party colleague. According to Bettel, ministers are “not above getting into arguments with work colleagues.”
Contrary to speculation, Bettel dismissed the notion of discord within the government, despite public differences in opinion, notably Prime Minister Luc Frieden’s stance on nuclear energy and migration, which diverges from the Democratic Party’s (DP) perspective.
Highlighting external pressures on Luxembourg’s financial sector from “larger neighbouring countries,” Bettel underscored the imperative to defend against such assaults. In doing so, the Minister for Foreign Affairs partially contradicted his party’s co-lead candidate for the European elections, MEP Charles Goerens. The latter had called for the unanimity rule to be abolished in European foreign policy and tax matters. Bettel cautioned against measures such as a transaction tax, warning that they could jeopardise Luxembourg’s financial attractiveness.
On the other hand, Bettel stated that he would support abolishing the unanimity rule for foreign policy issues. According to Bettel, the EU often gets in its own way and has lost some public trust as a result.
Regarding the upcoming European elections, Bettel expressed concern over the potential fragmentation of political ideologies, which could empower extremist factions as it would be more difficult for moderate, liberal, and social democratic parties to find broad coalitions. FM Bettel warned against a shift towards right-wing ideologies in Europe. However, he emphasised that there was no far-right party in Luxembourg and that he hoped this would remain the case. While acknowledging rising radical tendencies within the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr), Bettel refused to equate them with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or the French National Rally (RN).
Xavier Bettel disclosed that he had been approached to assume the lead candidate position for the European Liberal Democrats within the RENEW grouping. However, he decided to decline the offer.
Bettel reiterated his personal preference to remain in Luxembourg, expressing uncertainty about the distribution of portfolios in Brussels. Amid speculation over his candidacy for the post of the next EU Council President, Bettel reaffirmed his commitment to his current role as Foreign Minister while refraining from definitively ruling out future EU positions.
Commenting on the Ukraine war, Bettel underscored the reluctance to deploy ground troops, suggesting it as “a last resort at most.” However, he stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine amidst potential shifts in US foreign policy under a new administration, particularly highlighting concerns over potential aid reductions under a second Donald Trump presidency.
In the coming weeks, Bettel’s agenda includes travel to the Middle East, encompassing visits to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Ireland, Malta, and Spain are arguing that the EU countries should recognise Palestine as a state. Luxembourg is currently against such a recognition. Bettel proposed that any future foundational document should outline the Palestinian authorities’ commitment to a two-state solution and advocate for the release of hostages as prerequisites for recognition.
