Bettendorf residents will decide in a 23 March referendum whether their municipal council should revisit merger talks with four neighbouring municipalities, following a citizen initiative that challenged the council's earlier withdrawal from the discussions.
On 23 March 2025, Bettendorf residents will cast their votes in a referendum to decide whether the municipal council should resume exploratory talks about a merger with the neighbouring municipalities of Diekirch, Ettelbruck, Erpeldange-Sauer, and Schieren. The decision to hold the referendum was unanimously approved by the Bettendorf municipal council on Thursday evening. This move follows a citizen initiative that successfully gathered nearly 600 valid signatures – well above the required 20% quorum of the 1,700 eligible voters in the municipality.
The initiative emerged after the local council voted seven to four to withdraw from discussions regarding a proposed Nordstad merger, leading citizens to mobilise. On 29 November, they submitted their petition, prompting the municipality to organise a referendum within three months, as stipulated by law.
However, logistical constraints have delayed the vote. Mayor Patrick Mergen explained that the 12-week timeline required for postal voting could not be accommodated within the three-month deadline. Neither the [Intercommunal Syndicate for IT Management] nor MyGuichet were able to arrange postal voting by 1 December, according to Mergen, who further underlined that a minimum of 14 days is needed to "set everything up".
As a result, the referendum was scheduled for late March.
Importantly, the vote will be consultative, meaning the municipal council is not legally bound to act on its outcome. And it seems the council may hold its ground regardless of the referendum's outcome. Seven of the 11 members previously voted against continuing the merger discussions, and there has been no indication that they plan to change their stance.
