The setting for Stéphanie Empain's summer interview was no coincidence: she chose the sculpture trail above the Upper Sûre Lake, a place she describes as her personal "staycation". For the president of The Greens (Déi Gréng), time spent at the lake means true relaxation – she enthuses about paddle boarding, cycling, and hiking in the region.
This summer, like many before, began with a paddle tour on the lake before she set off with her family on a cycling trip to France's Atlantic coast and then travelled on to Copenhagen for the local Ironman. Anyone expecting Empain to be found lounging on a tranquil beach with a book would be mistaken.
"I have to keep moving", she laughs, explaining that holidays are, above all, a rare opportunity to be active – something that everyday life with two children often leaves too little time for.
Empain's route into politics has been far from linear. She started her professional life as a coordinator with the army, played a key role in developing the ORT tourism office in the Oesling region, served as a Member of Parliament, and after her time in the Chamber ended in 2023, retrained to become a primary school teacher.
"I'm probably not the kind of person who can do the same job for 10 or 15 years", she reflects.
Empain says she regularly seeks new challenges and is always eager to learn something new. Her current role as a teacher, she reveals, resulted from a bet with herself. When the Chamber passed the law on new teacher training, she decided that if she was not re-elected, she would complete the course – and that is exactly what happened.
Empain is also self-critical about her party's political achievements. Asked whether left-leaning parties, including The Greens, had failed to reduce social inequalities in Europe, she concedes that this remains one of the biggest challenges.
"I believe we have at least tried to do as much as possible in Luxembourg, especially by striving to ensure the energy and climate transition is socially just. This is the defining challenge of our time. But the fact remains that, both here and in Europe, we have not truly succeeded in reducing social inequality", she admits.
Empain sees the frustration this causes among many people as an explanation for the recent rise of far-right parties – but does not consider it a justification.
"Turning to far-right parties out of frustration is not the solution", she insists, expressing concerns that many positions once considered unacceptable are now becoming mainstream again.
Empain is particularly uneasy when looking to Germany. She is extremely concerned about developments in Saxony-Anhalt, where the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is polling strongly ahead of the 6 September elections.
She recounts how friends in Germany are genuinely asking themselves how they would live under a far-right government in their federal state. "Some people are considering fleeing their home", Empain warns.
For Empain, the energy transition remains the central political project for The Greens. She stresses that it is not only a climate issue but also one of independence, especially in light of the crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our society is far too dependent on fossil fuels, and by extension, on dictatorships", she warns.
At the same time, she links this to social issues, arguing that increasing the use of renewable energy could help make consumer prices less dependent on volatile fossil fuel costs.
Housing as a top priority
If Empain could implement just one measure to tackle Luxembourg's housing crisis, she says the answer is clear: more public housing.
"The people who need housing should be the primary beneficiaries of all housing policy", she stated.
As the interview drew to a close, the discussion turned more personal again. Empain says she has never really had political role models, but one name does come up.
"Barack Obama radiates something that inspires confidence in politics", she says, adding that she actually enjoys listening to Michelle Obama even more.
So what's on her personal to-do list? Learning to play the guitar is a definite goal. She would also like to learn to draw properly – and pick up a new language. Her priority: Ukrainian.
"So I can communicate better", she says.
