Minister of Home Affairs Léon Gloden has responded to RTL regarding demands made by the Nordstad municipalities, particularly concerning financial support. Ettelbruck, Schieren, Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, and Diekirch have requested €10,000 per resident to implement the Nordstad merger project.
They have given the government until the end of this year to make a decision.
The coalition agreement provides for a merger fund to support municipalities. However, Gloden stressed that the issue is not only about infrastructure.
Gloden explained that infrastructure is always part of the discussion and that infrastructure comes at a cost.
However, he added that there are two aspects: infrastructure on the one hand, and, on the other, the political will to make residents understand that once the merger has taken place, they will form one municipality and must act as one municipality.
He stressed that the aim must be to ensure people feel comfortable in the new municipality and identify as its citizens.
Nevertheless, the minister acknowledged that the financial aspect is important. At €10,000 per resident, the four municipalities would be asking for more than €200 million.
Gloden said that €220 million was a high figure and that comparisons would have to be made with other municipalities of a similar size. He added that the parties should sit down together and discuss the financial side of the matter.
The government plans to meet the relevant mayors and ministers after the summer break to continue discussions on the Nordstad project.
