In 2023, complaints to the Ombudsman about state and local authorities in Luxembourg reached an all-time high of 1,456, with significant issues highlighted in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Health Fund, despite an overall improvement in case resolution rates.
In 2023, 1,456 people complained to the Ombudsman about problems with a state or local authority. The number of complaints has never been as high, with 200 more issued than in 2022. However, not all cases were admissible and some were withdrawn, and in most cases it was the State that was the subject of the complaint.
The institution with the highest number of complaints was the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The report presented by Ombudsman Claudia Monti shows a number of problems encountered by people seeking asylum in Luxembourg whose passports were revoked after obtaining the Luxembourgish nationality. As far as the authorities are concerned, these people no longer need their old identity document, but the Ombudsman disagrees: "We understand that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to avoid fraud, but we don't see that as an argument. Some countries require you to have a passport in order to receive a diploma, and how can you have your diploma recognised here if you don't have access to one? In any case, we are continuing discussions."
The Ministry of Social Security is also often the target of complaints. One specific case concerning the National Health Fund (CNS) caught Monti's attention: "After asking several times, they offered to organise a meeting, during which no reply was forthcoming. They explained that it was an extremely complicated issue and that they were doing everything in their power to find a solution. After some time, there was still no response, so we asked to obtain a copy of the file to make up our own minds about its alleged complexity, but in the end we were told that the lady concerned was right. That's fine, but it's not an answer to our questions, nor a copy of the file, nor an explanation, and we hope that this will remain a one-off incident and that it won't happen again."
Nevertheless, Monti concluded her interview on RTL by pointing out that work with administrations and local authorities has improved considerably in recent years. The rate of resolved cases was 86%, slightly higher than in the previous three years.
