The National Congress, which featured the upcoming pension reform as its central theme, was characterised by the usual criticism of the party against the “growth trap”.
Leaders of the ADR emphasised that despite some difficulties “navigating the ADR ship”, the party is alive and well.
Party president and MP Alexandra Schoos reminded attendees in her speech that the ADR was the first party, thanks to former MPs Robert Mehlen and Gast Gibéryen, to trigger a debate on pension reform, being the only party to come up with concrete proposals, according to Schoos.
Schoos warned that the necessary demographic growth to ensure current pensions is unacceptable for the ADR, criticising the “growth trap”. She further stressed that the party is against a demographic growth that would eventually lead to a million residents or worse, two million residents, in Luxembourg.
Some concrete measures include a progressive increase of pension contributions from 8% to 9%, an increase of the early retirement age – 57 and 60, respectively – by one year, while also keeping the official retirement age of 65 and leaving intact the years of contribution.
Fernand Kartheiser, ADR’s first MEP, entered his speech on defending freedom of speech. He criticised the EU Commission, accusing it of suppressing dissenting opinions through regulations and bans. While the Commission claims to uphold democracy, he argued that it should represent it more credibly. On the war in Ukraine, he suggested that Europe should take a pragmatic approach, following the U.S. paradigm shift and advancing peace negotiations with Russia.
Meanwhile, Fred Keup, the party’s parliamentary leader, dismissed accusations from other parties labeling ADR as “the worst of the worst.” He interpreted these attacks as a sign that those parties lacked substantive arguments and instead sought legitimacy through rhetoric. Keup also predicted that the Greens would not be part of a future government. Like Kartheiser, he warned that freedom of speech is under threat, arguing that the political elite is out of touch with the reality and concerns of ordinary citizens. He positioned ADR as the most democratic party of all.
