Prime Minister Frieden not previously informed about Council discussions

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden has stated that he was not informed in advance about discussions in the Council of EU Foreign Ministers concerning the situation in Congo. He clarified this during a parliamentary session on Tuesday in response to a question from MP Sam Tanson (The Greens), adding that such a lack of prior briefing is standard practice when no official vote is scheduled.

Frieden's comments follow media reports stating that Luxembourg’s Foreign Affairs Minister Xavier Bettel had been the sole opponent of sanctions against Rwanda within the Council. However, on Tuesday, Bettel rejected this depiction, insisting that no sanctions had been formally proposed.

Instead, he had merely advocated for awaiting a potential meeting between the conflicting parties before taking further action.

Despite this, an agreement has now been reached to sanction ten individuals. The list is expected to be approved by the permanent representatives of EU member states next week before receiving final approval from EU Foreign Ministers on 17 March.

In response to the situation, the Luxembourg Parliament passed a motion on Tuesday afternoon, initiated by MP Tanson, calling on the government to press Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congo. The motion also urges Luxembourg to support sanctions against those responsible in Rwanda and to engage diplomatically in seeking a resolution to the conflict.

Separately, Frieden spoke in favour of abolishing the unanimity rule in EU foreign policy decisions, arguing that no single country should have the power to block all others. He suggested that in certain areas, a "super-qualified majority" might be necessary. He also announced that a coalition of countries, including Luxembourg, plans to present proposals by summer on how the unanimity principle in foreign policy could be replaced in the future.

Read more: Luxembourg's lone veto on M23 sanctions sparks outrage from NGOs