The Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) has called on the government to change course on asylum and migration policy, arguing that its approach has neglected both compassion and pragmatism.
During a press conference on Monday, the largest opposition party criticised a draft bill presented by Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden in January, which aims to transpose the EU asylum and migration pact into national legislation. According to the LSAP, the government is adopting a more restrictive stance than the EU directive requires.
The government had previously stated that its goal was to make asylum and migration policy more efficient and solidary, guided by the principles of “heart and reason.” However, the LSAP contends that these principles have been abandoned.
LSAP parliamentary group leader Taina Bofferding noted that Luxembourg has long been a country of migration, a reality that has not only underpinned its economic prosperity but also enriched its society.
“But it looks like these times have now come to an end,” Bofferding said. She accused the government, and Gloden in particular, of breaking with this tradition, pointing to provisions in the draft bill that go beyond EU requirements.
As examples, she cited shorter deadlines for appealing asylum decisions and the proposed screening procedures, which she argued lack adequate objectivity. LSAP MP Liz Braz elaborated on this point, criticising that the bill does not sufficiently separate those carrying out checks from those making decisions, a flaw she said undermines trust in the system.
Braz stressed that asylum seekers – many of whom arrive from crisis regions after long and traumatic journeys, often speaking none of the country’s official languages and unfamiliar with local procedures – must be able to rely on a fair and neutral evaluation.
“Efficiency mustn’t be the sole priority,” Braz said.
To address these concerns, the LSAP is calling for a more active integration policy. Among its key demands is a reduction in the waiting period for obtaining a work authorisation, from the current six months down to one month.
Olivier Cano, a member of the LSAP’s directorate committee, also advocated for a skills-based orientation procedure. He argued that if authorities are able to conduct security and vulnerability checks on arriving individuals, they could just as easily assess their professional skills. Cano described it as “unacceptable” that authorities remain unaware of newcomers’ qualifications, particularly at a time when Luxembourg is in “urgent” need of certain skill sets. According to the LSAP, such an assessment is a necessary prerequisite for effectively orienting and integrating migrants into the Luxembourgish labour market.
The party also levelled sharp criticism at the state and capacity of reception structures managed by the National Reception Office (ONA). Party officials suggested that the broader housing crisis is a key factor exacerbating these problems.
Ultimately, the LSAP stressed that the government must recognise migration policy as fundamentally about people. Party officials pointed to recent events in the United States as a cautionary example of what happens when migration policy is primarily framed as a matter of security.
