Bettendorf residents taking part in the referendum will be asked whether Nordstad merger negotiations should be pursued further, thus determining the future of these negotiations between Bettendorf and four other municipalities, namely Diekirch, Ettelbruck, Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, and Schieren.
The referendum was launched by a citizens’ action group that disagrees with the decision made by the municipal council to withdraw from Nordstad merger negotiations. However, the referendum is legally non-binding, making it unclear whether the municipal council will respect the outcome. This will be determined on the council session to be held next Wednesday.
Bettendorf has been the object of controversy over Nordstad merger negotiations recently. A municipal referendum held last September through secret ballot resulted in a majority voting for the withdrawal of Nordstad merger negotiations.
This referendum was nevertheless declared null by the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to procedural flaws. This was followed by a public session at the end of the year during which seven out of eleven councillors voted in favour of withdrawing from Nordstad merger negotiations.
