The main message of the evening: “We have taken our responsibility”.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel started his speech by presenting his apologies to the party members, as he had promised last year that the 2020 Digital Congress would be “the first and last”.
But the situation in Luxembourg “is improving day by day”, Bettel continued. The country “is ready for the end of the crisis”. As soon as there are enough vaccines, more than 90,000 people can be vaccinated almost at the same time, the Prime Minister proclaimed. The population is “ready”, Bettel stated and stressed that “no one would have expected such a large demand for a vaccine waiting list”.
If everything goes as planned, everyone will receive an invitation to be vaccinated “before the summer holidays”, the Prime Minister announced. Letting residents register voluntarily beforehand is a different path compared to other countries, but Bettel pointed out that Luxembourg already had its own approach when it came to testing. Regarding the common question of whether he had discussed Luxembourg’s strategy with the neighbouring countries, Bettel showed himself outraged and stressed that he was the head of government of a sovereign nation and not of “a province in another country”. Luxembourg has a parliament and this parliament “obviously” has to take the appropriate measures for the situation in Luxembourg, Bettel concluded.
While the Prime Minister spoke more about the responsibilities the government has taken during the crisis, party president Corinne Cahen looked to the future and the lessons to be learned from the crisis.
Cahen stated that the pandemic is said to have opened the way to thinking about “new ways of working”. Teleworking should also play a much more essential role in the future, she added.
In order to control the housing crisis, the DP wants to act against speculation on land and housing. “The DP has made and implemented concrete proposals to make real estate speculation less attractive or even to stop it,” Cahen explained.
After the crisis, the world economy will be different, the president of the DP said, and this will affect Luxembourg too. The government will do its best to support businesses, Cahen stressed.
The Prime Minister also praised the line taken by Minister of Finance Pierre Gramegna, stating that the latter “did not skimp”. By investing, by taking these measures, the government has managed to achieve a better control over the unemployment rate compared to other countries. “That is the Luxembourg model”, he stressed.
Besides the analysis of the party’s work in government, the congress was also the occasion to elect a new president for the southern district, in the person of Daliah Scholl, who succeeds Max Hahn. For the eastern district, Carole Hartmann, the only candidate, was confirmed in her position with almost 99% of the votes.
The full report in Luxembourgish:
