A full schedule of Chamber debates was ended on Wednesday evening by a discussion about the government's handling of the wildfires in Belgium's High Fens region this summer.
The CSV faction had requested the discussion as MP and mayor of Rosport-Mompach Stéphanie Weydert wanted to know how well prepared Luxembourg would be if such a large forest fire were to occur in the country. Foreign tourists who were connected to a German phone network received a warning text message on Saturday 15 August. For people on the Luxembourg network, i.e. residents of the Grand Duchy, there were no messages from Lu-Alert until Sunday afternoon.
The LSAP's Taina Bofferding also criticised the communication during the crisis, saying modern technology did not automatically ensure good management. A warning must also come in time and tell people unequivocally what to do, she said.
The High Commission for National Protection (HCPN) is also tasked with anticipating crises. The danger of forest fires was known, so the question is what the HCPN did on its own initiative, or what it did to prepare for possible future forest fires.
Minister of the Interior Leon Gloden replied that there is still no fixed plan in place for such situations, but that the HCPN is developing one. In addition, there is also a standby service, so that someone is always available to react quickly. Gloden then explained in the Chamber that each case is evaluated individually and classified accordingly.
With the fire in the High Fens and the smoke that has spread across the Grand Duchy as a result, the green level was declared for Luxembourg. This level only provides for a warning on the website. However, Gloden plans to change this in order to trigger a warning text message even in cases that do not pose an immediate danger. The text could clearly explain that there is no imminent risk, said the minister.
The ADR's Michel Lemaire commented that the correct evaluation is only possible if one has the right data and information. The Oesling region of Luxembourg lacks the right measuring station, as one could see from the simulations in Belgium. Where Luxembourg begins, there was suddenly like a "magic border", according to Lemaire, simply because there was no data to determine the air quality. Gloden replied that they would also like to work on this.
Josée Lorsché of the Greens called upon the government to learn from the situation in the High Fens. The communication issues showed they were ill-prepared for such scenarios. Particularly people who work outdoors and cannot simply stay at home were not sufficiently protected. The Left's Gary Diderich echoed this sentiment and said Luxembourg's labour laws were generally not set up for catastrophes and irregular situations.
Gloden responded that he often receives criticism for issuing warnings too early or for so-called minor matters, citing the baby food recall as an example. Even though it doesn't concern everyone, he said it was still important to send out a warning.
In the case of the High Fens wildfire, it is easy to determine what would have been appropriate with hindsight, the Pirates' Marc Goergen commented. It is impossible to please everyone, he said, as some would say the warnings were too early, others too late. But such a disaster is likely to occur again in the future, he warned.
The Grand Duchy will collaborate with Rhineland-Palatinate to install a fire-fighting vessel at Mertert port. This will largely be financed by the EU, Gloden explained. But in response to the DP's Luc Emering, Gloden said there was little sense in purchasing a fire-fighting plane for Luxembourg, as this requires the necessary body of water for the plane to fill up and take off.
Energy minister Serge Wilmes was not present for this Chamber discussion.
