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Luxembourg's forthcoming national action plan against racism, to be presented in November, will address discrimination on the housing market, while MPs also pressed the government over poor conditions in reception centres and called for concrete results.
Do people with foreign-sounding names face discrimination when looking for housing in Luxembourg? A study from the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) published in March confirmed that they do.
The Ministry of Family Affairs is currently drafting a national action plan against racism, due to be presented in November. The housing market should not be left out of this plan, according to The Greens (déi gréng), which raised the issue in Monday's meeting of the parliamentary family committee. The state of accommodation structures managed by the National Reception Office (ONA) was also discussed.
Following the findings of the LISER study, the Greens demanded that discrimination in housing be explicitly addressed in the new plan. They pushed the subject onto the committee's agenda to apply pressure. Minister of Family Affairs Max Hahn stated that housing should be one of the core themes of the plan. He stressed that the main focus areas would be education, housing, and employment, but underlined that the government has zero tolerance for any form of racism, regardless of where it occurs.
The committee also addressed the situation in ONA reception centres. Earlier this month, several Eritrean residents had drawn public attention to precarious housing conditions in Luxembourg during a press conference.
Hahn acknowledged that with 8,300 available beds, Luxembourg was proportionally well equipped compared to other countries, but said demand remained high. He explained that this pressure meant that older centres which were not in perfect condition could not be closed. Hahn described the government's approach as one of pragmatism, working within what is feasible.
This explanation did not convince Green MP Djuna Bernard. She argued that when residents report desolate conditions, poor hygiene, safety concerns, and non-compliance with standards, the problem must be taken very seriously. She regretted that Hahn did not support her party's call for an independent external monitoring body.
MP Claire Delcourt of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) also stressed that concrete results were needed. In her view, the root causes must be tackled, and both national and local representatives had a role to play. She considered Hahn's efforts to work municipality by municipality without imposing quotas to be useful, but insisted that such an approach must deliver measurable results.
Hahn responded that he had personally made it a priority to meet with local councils and aldermen to discuss how they could contribute. In some cases, he said, small-scale solutions might be possible, and by explaining what support the state could provide, he could also address local concerns.
To gain a clearer picture of the situation in ONA facilities, the family committee will soon carry out on-site visits. Committee president Mandy Minella of the Democratic Party (DP) said this would allow MPs to see the conditions first-hand, ask the necessary questions, and ensure that parliamentary work is informed by realities on the ground.
