Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden has made clear in response to a parliamentary question from MP André Bauler of the Democratic Party (DP) that the number of municipalities holding the title of city will remain unchanged. Luxembourg currently has twelve municipalities with city status, including Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Vianden, and Wiltz.
The most recent municipalities to receive the title were Dudelange, Differdange, Ettelbruck, and Rumelange, which were granted the designation under a law adopted in 1907. Today, several municipalities, most notably Mersch, would like to obtain the same symbolic title.
However, Gloden stressed that there are currently no legal provisions defining criteria for awarding city status, and the 2023–2028 coalition agreement does not foresee introducing such legislation. Establishing fixed criteria could quickly become outdated and might not reflect the realities of individual cases, he noted.
Gloden also emphasised that the designation has purely symbolic value and does not grant any additional rights or advantages compared with other municipalities. Instead, the government’s priority is to strengthen local governance and improve the functioning of municipal administrations, he stated in his response.
He explained that recent reforms have increased the number of hours of political leave available to mayors, aldermen, and councillors, allowing them to dedicate more time to their responsibilities. Municipalities with more than 6,000 inhabitants now have a full-time mayor, and additional training programmes are being offered to elected officials and municipal staff, Gloden stated.
Further legislative initiatives are also under preparation to reinforce municipal administrative services and improve the organisation of inter-municipal associations, according to Gloden.
At the same time, Gloden stated that the government continues to encourage voluntary municipal mergers to create larger municipalities with the administrative capacity to provide efficient public services. To support such projects, the independent municipal merger unit has been reactivated, he explained.
Gloden also said that financial support for municipalities has been increased. He explained that state subsidies have been raised under the principle that every resident and every child should be treated equally regardless of the municipality in which they live, while reforms have also affected the municipal equalisation mechanisms and contributions to the employment fund.
