Opposition unimpressed by PM's State of the Nation address

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Luc Frieden delivered his State of the Nation address in Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies. Parliamentary debates on the speech will begin on Wednesday morning, offering MPs the chance to scrutinise the government's vision.

But already the day before, opposition figures gave a preview of their criticisms, many of which centred on what they see as a lack of substance and direction.

A glossy image without depth

MP Sven Clement of the Pirate Party (Piratepartei) described the speech as superficial. While the government painted an appealing picture of progress and ambition, he said, there was little depth behind it. For him, much of the content simply repeated earlier announcements or deferred real solutions to a vague future, offering little clarity or insight.

Similarly, MP Taina Bofferding of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) welcomed the inclusion of poverty reduction in the prime minister's speech – something she noted was missing last time – but she questioned the sincerity of the government's approach. She warned that younger generations could be forced to work longer to receive the same retirement benefits as current pensioners, which in her view goes against the social contract between generations.

She also expressed concern that, at its core, the government's financial road map is likely to come at the expense of social welfare, and made it clear her party cannot support cuts that would undermine social protections.

Old promises, new packaging

MP Sam Tanson of The Greens (Déi Gréng) criticised the government for recycling past promises – plans for tackling poverty and making parental leave more flexible were already announced a year ago, she said. She also expected a more honest tone from the Prime Minister, especially concerning unresolved tensions with trade unions and the future of the pension system.

According to Tanson, the government focused heavily on energy and construction but treated environmental protection as an afterthought. The only time nature was mentioned, she noted, was in the context of loosening regulations, reflecting what she sees as a deep misunderstanding of the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises.

Housing crisis and broken commitments

MP Marc Baum of The Left (Déi Lénk) also voiced strong criticism, focusing in particular on the housing crisis. He highlighted the continuing rise in rent and said the government had made no real progress on this critical issue. He also pointed out that a year ago, the government pledged to introduce a national strategy to fight poverty, but that there was no trace of it in Tuesday's speech.

For Baum, the government's slogan of 'stability through progress' rang hollow given what he described as a year of policy inconsistency and mismanagement, including the handling of the Caritas scandal.

Accountability in the long term

MP Fred Keup of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) took a longer-term view, saying that the party's real assessment will come only at the end of the legislative term, when the government's performance can be measured in concrete terms. He cited key areas such as public safety, healthcare, mobility, integration, and whether people still feel forced to move abroad due to the housing crisis.

For now, he suggested, the government is relying too heavily on rhetoric rather than results.

With full debates underway in the Chamber, the tone has been set for a critical examination of the government's record and plans. For much of the opposition, Tuesday's address may have sounded confident but failed to convince.

Video report in Luxembourgish