Four Democratic Party (DP) MPs, Marc Hansen, Corinne Cahen, Gusty Graas, and Mandy Minella, have appealed to Belgium’s top leaders to reconsider how their planned digital road vignette could impact Luxembourg and the wider cross-border region.
Belgium intends to introduce the vignette in spring next year, a move that has already prompted calls for exemptions by Minister for Mobility Yuriko Backes and Minister for Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel. The DP deputies stress in their open letter how closely Luxembourg and Belgium are intertwined, especially within the Greater Region, and urge Belgian authorities to consider a special arrangement for commuters and residents.
The MPs point out that introducing the vignette would have far-reaching effects for communities on both sides of the border. Family visits would become more complicated, cross-border shopping would likely decrease, work-related travel would be hindered, and activities organised by associations and sports clubs could also suffer.
The deputies emphasise that they are not questioning Belgian sovereignty or telling regions how to set policy, but believe that the unique situation in the border area warrants a targeted solution.
Marc Hansen elaborated on what such an exemption might look like, stating that their preference would be for Belgium not to introduce any vignette at all. But if Belgium goes ahead with this decision, they have asked for an exemption for the Greater Region.
One possible approach would be to establish a certain perimeter, a defined radius from the Belgian-Luxembourg border, within which vehicles with Luxembourgish plates would not be required to display a vignette. Hansen added that a similar arrangement could apply to specific roads, such as the Nationale 4, or on motorway stretches up to certain exits, with the exemption also extended to vehicles from other countries.
The DP MPs also recalled that during a joint meeting between the Belgian and Luxembourg governments five months ago, both sides underlined how vital free movement is for daily life, especially for the more than 50,000 cross-border workers commuting into the Grand Duchy.
On Thursday, Minister for Mobility Yuriko Backes met her Belgian counterpart Jean-Luc Crucke for talks in the border region. Alongside discussions about investments in rail services, the upcoming vignette was also expected to feature on the agenda. Yuriko Backes will join RTL for an interview on Friday morning.
