A controversial clause in agreements between Luxembourg City and Caritas successor Help on the Ground has drawn strong criticism from the Luxembourg Press Council for interfering with press freedom.

The Luxembourg Press Council has sharply criticised the municipality of Luxembourg City over a controversial clause in the agreements it signed with Help on the Ground (HUT), which took over the majority of Caritas' national activities.

The agreements specify that HUT may only communicate with the press after consulting with municipal authorities.

In a letter to the Luxembourg City municipal council, the Press Council condemned what it views as "interference in press freedom and access to information for journalists". The Press Council stated that it was "very surprised" to learn that the new agreements between the city and HUT include this requirement for press communications.

At the last municipal council meeting, opposition politicians criticised the clause, calling it a "muzzle" provision. In its letter, a copy of which has been made available to our colleagues from RTL.lu, the Press Council called for the clause to be removed.

The Press Council also expressed "shock" over statements made by the responsible municipal committee, which reportedly claimed that the clause was intended to protect HUT employees from the press. The Press Council described this reasoning as "dangerous rhetoric".