More than 12,000 requests for business authorisation were registered with the Ministry for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in 2019 - 5.9% more than in 2018.
7,905 requests were based in the commercial sector compared to 6,835 in 2018, while 3,507 requests were for the craft sector (3,819 in 2018) and 602 requests for the exercise of "a liberal profession" (688 in 2018).
The report mentioned the processing time for each request for the first time. In 2019, it took 9.4 days on average, compared to 9.8 the previous year. The Minister said reducing the processing time of files will be a priority for the Ministry, which will .strengthen its staff, while maintaining an in-depth analysis of requests for establishment authorisation.
Another encouraging sign: the attractiveness of Luxembourg, in particular for cross-border craft businesses which are not established in Luxembourg, but which provide services there. 5,175 certificates were issued in 2019 (compared to 4,823 in 2018), which corresponds to an increase of 7.3%. Delles said this underlined Luxembourg's position as the economic engine for the Greater Region.
