At the end of February, the mayoral council of Bettendorf hosted an informational meeting to discuss the upcoming referendum on the Nordstad merger, scheduled for 23 March. During the meeting, Bettendorf aldermen Andy Derneden and Lucien Kurtisi voiced their concerns, accusing the other four municipalities in the Nordstad merger of failing to treat Bettendorf fairly and sidelining the town in the merger process. They explained their grievances by highlighting that Bettendorf had been excluded from the working groups on the merger discussions last summer.
However, Claude Gleis, the Nordstad spokesperson, quickly responded, stating that this portrayal of events was inaccurate. According to Gleis, it was Bettendorf’s own mayor, Patrick Mergen, who had initially suggested that his municipality not be involved in the working groups from the outset. Nonetheless, Mergen remains determined to address the issue.
On 23 July of last year, a meeting was held between the mayors of Bettendorf, Diekirch, Ettelbruck, Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, and Schieren. During this meeting, Bettendorf’s mayor was informed that his municipal council would need to vote on a new resolution regarding the Nordstad merger. Bettendorf had originally proposed a motion requesting a status as ‘development and attraction centre’, one similar to that of Diekirch, Ettelbruck, and parts of Erpeldange, which would have enabled Bettendorf to receive more financial assistance from the state.
However, on 15 July, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed Bettendorf that the municipality was not eligible for such status. With the first working groups on the Nordstad merger set to begin during the summer break, the other mayors urged Bettendorf to call a council meeting quickly to vote on a revised resolution, without the original motion. Mayor Mergen, however, refused this request.
“I didn’t see any urgency,” Mergen explained. “And I think we need to consider how long the Nordstad process has been ongoing. Why should we call a council meeting on 23 July, during the summer vacation? Some people will be present, others won’t. Many, including the mayors, already have plans for their holidays.”
Despite this reasoning, the other four mayors continued to press him. Eventually, Mergen felt the pressure and responded: “At a certain point, I said, okay, what’s the problem? Then go ahead with your working groups, and Bettendorf just won’t be part of it.”
The Bettendorf municipal council was expected to make its decision by the end of the summer break in September. Had they voted in favour of the Nordstad merger, Bettendorf could still have participated in the working groups.
However, the two aldermen failed to mention that it was Patrick Mergen who had actually proposed this course of action during the informational meeting. When asked why he did not intervene to clarify the situation at that moment, Mergen responded, “I didn’t see the need at that time.” He added that he did not believe his two aldermen had lied but acknowledged that their account of the meeting reflected how they personally perceived the events.
Can he, however, understand the reaction of the other four mayors? Mergen acknowledges the possibility of his words being interpreted in a certain way, but he emphasises that it’s crucial to understand the broader context and purpose of the meeting. “Of course, I can draw a clear conclusion from such a meeting, as I said, I can turn it in a positive direction. If I say ‘Go ahead,’ then that can certainly be presented to the public as me giving the go-ahead,” he stated. “However, what’s not being considered is the full context and the underlying goal of that meeting.”
With regard to the referendum on 23 March , the mayor made it clear that he will respect the result. If a majority votes in favour of continuing the merger talks, he would naturally stick to his “yes.” In the other case, he would switch to a “no.”
The Bettendorf municipal council will vote on how to proceed based on the referendum results on 26 March.
