Finance Minister Gilles Roth's presentation of the 2026 budget on Wednesday was met with swift and unified criticism from opposition parties, who decried its lack of funding details, strategic vision, and questionable priorities.

Following the presentation of the 2026 budget by Minister of Finance Gilles Roth on Wednesday morning, the proposal faced significant criticism from opposition parties, who raised concerns over its financing and overall vision.

A central point of contention is how the government plans to fund its expenditures. Opposition leaders alleged that Minister Roth failed to provide satisfactory answers on this matter.

MP Taina Bofferding, parliamentary group leader of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), highlighted a perceived contradiction. She noted that while Minister Roth described the financial situation as less "rosy" than in previous years, the government is still committing to major spending in areas like defence, hospitals, and the green transition. Bofferding clarified that the LSAP supports these expenditures, many of which originated under the previous government where her party was a coalition partner. Nevertheless, she expressed deep reservations about the funding plan, stating: "On the revenue side, we're faced with a huge question mark – we don't know how this bill is going to be settled."

MP Fred Keup of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) was more direct, accusing the government of fiscal irresponsibility. He challenged the budget's seriousness, stability, and sustainability, pointing to the planned additional debt of €1.5 billion for 2026. "A large deficit simply means you're spending much more money than you're taking in", Keup said, adding, "We cannot understand this policy because it's irresponsible."

Echoing the sentiment of a lacking strategy, MP Sven Clement of the Pirate Party criticised the minister's presentation for its lack of vision. "Essentially, we were presented with an accounting speech from the CEO's right-hand man", Clement remarked. He argued that while the speech listed numerous figures, it failed to weave them into a coherent overall picture, adding: "It was probably more important to mention all the ministers."

MP Sam Tanson of the Green Party (Déi Gréng) expressed scepticism about the presentation's completeness, noting that key initiatives like the planned tax reform were omitted from the multiannual section. She cited a lack of public investment and lamented that new debt is being used primarily to finance tax breaks for businesses.

From The Left Party (Déi Lénk), MP David Wagner challenged the budget's emphasis on high military spending, which he deemed unnecessary. He argued that the country's real challenge is housing, an area in which he said Luxembourg continues to stagnate. To boost state revenue, Wagner reiterated his party's call for taxes on capital and wealth.

Unsurprisingly, the budget was defended by the coalition parties. The parliamentary group leaders of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and the Democratic Party (DP), Marc Spautz and Gilles Baum respectively, praised both the presentation and the budget itself from Finance Minister Roth.