On Tuesday, Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies voted down a motion calling for increased respect toward the Grand Duchy’s parliament. The proposal, submitted by Pirate Party MP Sven Clement, sought to ensure ministers answer MPs’ questions without challenging their validity.
The motion followed an exchange between Clement and Civil Service Minister Serge Wilmes. Weeks earlier, Wilmes had heavily questioned the relevance of a parliamentary enquiry from Clement regarding trade union freedom in the civil service. The Pirate Party MP, deeming this response unacceptable, tabled the motion to reinforce parliamentary decorum.
During debates, MP Diane Adehm of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) dismissed the motion as “redundant”, prompting Clement to counter that cross-party support from opposition groups proved its necessity.
Prime Minister Luc Frieden responded by affirming the government’s respect for parliament while defending ministers’ right to freedom of expression. Though absent during the initial incident, Frieden cautioned against overstating isolated exchanges, calling such mutual respect “the strength of Luxembourg’s democracy”.
Clement remained unsatisfied, questioning whether the reaction would differ had a CSV MP been similarly addressed by a former government minister. He warned that rejecting the motion risked diminishing the Chamber’s standing.
The motion ultimately failed, with 25 votes in favour and 35 against.
