In their coalition agreement, Luxembourg's governing parties clearly stated their intention to open another drug consumption room in Ettelbruck. Not everyone welcomed this decision: towards the end of last year, Ettelbruck's mayor Jean-Paul Schaaf told RTL that the government never contacted him to discuss this project and stressed that his municipality felt left out of the negotiations.
Christian Social People's Party (CSV) MPs Marco Schank and Martine Hansen consequently got involved and forwarded a related parliamentary question to Minister of Health Etienne Schneider.
Among other things, the opposition politicians prompted Schneider to comment on the nationwide need for drug consumption rooms and night shelters. In this context, Schneider explained that numerous factors were considered to determine the urgency of the situation. Authorities analysed how many syringes were distributed in Luxembourg City's fixing room and how many clients from outside of the capital still made use of the drug centre's services. These numbers indicate that the offer of similar facilities could be expanded both in the south and in the north of Luxembourg, Schneider concluded.
While Esch-sur-Alzette is set to open a drug centre later this year, things remain slightly more bumpy in Ettelbruck. Schneider explained that Ettelbruck would be the right place to open another consumption room because the city is already home to numerous drug-related social services such as the Youth and Drug Help Foundation.
The government allegedly held its first meeting with Ettelbruck's municipality on 22 January. Schneider's answer to the parliamentary question does not specify how the negotiations went. One thing remains clear: Ettelbruck's mayor and his municipal council still oppose the creation of a drug consumption room in their city. When questioned by RTL, they stressed that they feared the negative side effects that a fixing room is likely to cause. In their view, the opening of a drug centre would see the rise of new problems in Ettelbruck.
On the other hand, mayor Schaaf welcomed the idea of opening new night shelters for the homeless. The night shelters that they had in mind, Schneider explained, were not traditional night shelters that provide rough sleepers with beds. Instead, they would serve as a safe place where rough sleepers can stay during the night. Two similar shelters already exist in Luxembourg City.
