More than 90 per cent of investors in the new Defence Bonds launched at the end of last week are Luxembourg residents, Roth said in response to a parliamentary question from Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) MP Franz Fayot. The €150 million worth of government bonds sold out in less than 24 hours.
However, the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) minister noted that the figures were still preliminary, as not all data from the banks had yet been received. A full analysis will be presented to the Finance Committee at a later stage. Investors span all age groups, with the oldest subscriber aged over 90. Most investments were below €100,000, with smaller amounts of around €3,000 were also recorded. Roth added that a similar model could potentially be considered for housing or green bonds, but said the government would first wait for the complete analysis.
Democratic Party (DP) Defence Minister Yuriko Backes also announced a new approach to covering treatment costs for former soldiers whose illnesses are not fully reimbursed by the National Health Fund (CNS). Responding to a question from Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) MP Tom Weidig, she explained that such cases could in future be declared as work-related accidents.
This would apply in particular to former soldiers suffering from mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, where therapy costs are not reimbursed in full. Rather than creating a new legal framework, Backes said the issue could be addressed by submitting a declaration to the Accident Insurance Association (AAA), allowing treatment costs to be reimbursed in full. The deadline for submitting such a declaration is around one year.
The recruitment of occupational doctors remains a major challenge, Health Minister Martine Deprez told MPs. Responding to a question from DP MP André Bauler, who raised the issue for the second time in two years, the CSV minister said attracting new doctors continued to be very difficult. Deprez said one possible solution could be to introduce additional training in occupational medicine at the University of Luxembourg, potentially leading to a full four-year specialisation programme in the future.
