Here are five things you should know at the end of this week:
After Sunday’s municipal elections, new and old councils have started to form across Luxembourg.
No major upsets - Although a number of new people have been elected to local councils and some incumbent mayors lost their reelection bid, there was no major upset in Sunday’s municipal elections.
In the week that followed, coalition talks were carried out across Luxembourg and both new and old councils have started to form.
Luxembourg City - The Democratic Party (DP) and Mayor Lydie Polfer won one seat and now have ten out of 27 spots on the municipal council. The Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) lost 4.4% and one seat, now holding six. The Greens lost 0.7%, but retained their five seats. The Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) lost 0.4%, but also retained their three seats.
Members of the DP and the CSV met on Thursday to start coalition negotiations as they are looking to prolong their union from the last term.
Double mandates - No fewer than 44 out of 60 MPs ran for local office in the municipal elections on Sunday. And not a single one of them lost their bid. Fourteen of them will likely even be mayor of their respective home town for the next six years.
The party with by far the most people to be both MP and mayor is the CSV. It currently looks as though they will have eight double mandates among their members.
After having been elected to the Luxembourg City council in last Sunday’s municipal elections, Minister for Family Affairs and Integration Corinne Cahen has decided to step down from her role in the Bettel administration.
Cahen, who has served as Minister since 2018, already announced at her campaign launch that she would exclusively focus on local politics should she be elected to the council.
MP Max Hahn has been chosen as Cahen’s successor and was sworn in as the new Minister for Family Affairs and Integration on Thursday.
Municipal elections - Minister Cahen came third on the DP list on Sunday and will now take on new responsibilities at a municipal level. As the DP has already launched coalition talks with the CSV, Cahen will act as a majority councilwoman for the upcoming six years.
Promises kept - In conversation with RTL Radio earlier this year, Cahen said she would accept whichever role voters gave her and confirmed she would resign from her role in parliament if she is elected during the municipal elections.
In an emotional speech on Tuesday, Cahen thus bid farewell to MPs in the Chamber of Deputies: “I wanted to thank you all very much, because today I give my last speech as Minister for Family Affairs. ... It wasn’t always fun here, but sometimes it was. ... It’s been a great pleasure and a great honour for me to be able to be here, thank you very much.”
Successor found - During a press conference on Wednesday evening, DP representatives confirmed that MP Max Hahn will take over as Minister for Family Affairs and Integration.
MP Hahn, who has been in the Chamber of Deputies since 2013, was formally sworn in on Thursday.
The legalisation of recreational cannabis in Luxembourg has been scheduled for a vote in the Chamber of Deputies, giving lawmakers a chance to pass the proposal before the end of the legislative period.
The legislation in its current form stipulates that people can cultivate up to four plants at home for personal consumption.
Cannabis consumption in public will remain prohibited and violations can be met with fines.
Initial goals - The legalisation of recreational cannabis in Luxembourg is part of the coalition agreement of the current administration. The announcement of the legalisation plans made big international headlines at the time.
However, the government has since back-pedaled after running into administrative and legal challenges and will not implement state-controlled sales in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the road towards legalisation is still being paved with a revised proposal.
Adapted legislation - The revised text now stipulates that adults will be allowed to cultivate up to four plants in their home or place of residence and that consumers can only legally use recreational cannabis at home.
Anyone who consumes recreational cannabis or cannabis-derived products in a place other than their home or usual place of residence is liable to a fine of between €25 and €500. The same applies to anyone who possesses, transports, or acquires up to three grams of cannabis for personal use.
In addition, any person who possesses, transports, or acquires more than three grams of cannabis for their own use risks monetary fines and even prison sentences.
Vote scheduled - The adapted bill is due to be debated and voted on in a public session during the week of 26 June, according to the Chamber’s website. This will give the administration a chance to still pass the legislation before the parliamentary elections later this year.
Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial yet longest-serving premier in Italy’s post-war history, died Monday aged 86.
Berlusconi led Italy three times for a total of nine years between 1994 and 2011, wooing voters with promises of economic success, only to be forced out as a debt crisis gripped his country.
Devotees of the former PM bid him farewell in Milan on Wednesday at a state funeral.
Controversial yet beloved - Berlusconi began his career as a real estate magnate before investing in television channels which broke the mould in Italy, featuring shows particularly popular with housewives, later a pillar of his electorate.
His empire also included football. He reigned supreme at AC Milan from 1986 until 2017, during which time the club won 29 trophies.
Berlusconi portrayed himself as both messiah and martyr and enjoyed widespread popularity, though detractors accused him of cronyism, corruption, and pushing through laws to protect his own interests.
His fans admired his plain speaking, though many Italians were acutely embarrassed by his crude jokes and insults on the international stage, as well as his endless legal cases, which resulted in one conviction for corporate tax fraud.
And while Italy’s economy floundered, the self-professed playboy was hosting notorious “bunga bunga” sex parties, which triggered a series of trials that were only wrapped up in recent months.
Ill health - Berlusconi had suffered ill health for years, from heart surgery in 2016 to a 2020 hospitalisation for Covid-19. Despite being re-elected to the Senate last year, he was rarely seen in public.
The billionaire media mogul had also been suffering from a rare type of blood cancer.
Berlusconi had been admitted to a Milan hospital on Friday for what aides said were pre-planned tests related to leukaemia. His admission came just three weeks after he was discharged following a six-week stay at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, during which time doctors revealed he had a rare type of blood cancer.
He is survived by his 33-year-old girlfriend, Marta Fascina, two ex-wives and five children, some of whom help run his empire, recently estimated to be worth around $7 billion.
State funeral - Following his death, Parliament was suspended for three days and the government declared a national day of mourning for Wednesday, the first time for an ex-prime minister.
The coffin of the media mogul, adorned with white and red roses, was driven through Milan from his villa in Arcore to the city’s Gothic Duomo, with mourners clapping and waving along the route.
It was then carried into the cathedral, escorted by a guard of honour, as his family walked behind. His family plans to cremate his remains and place his ashes in the family mausoleum.
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to dozens of criminal counts of mishandling some of the US government’s most sensitive secrets and scheming to prevent their return.
He was formally presented with 37 counts under seven charges brought by a special counsel probe that opened after an FBI raid of his Florida mansion 10 months ago.
In typical fashion, Trump later dismissed his prosecution as politically-motivated in a speech to supporters framing the indictment as an effort to interfere in the 2024 election.
Historic moment - The US government - which has never before prosecuted a former president - accuses Trump of violating the Espionage Act and other laws when he removed classified documents upon leaving office in 2021 and failed to give them up to the National Archives.
Authorities say he conspired to thwart investigators and knowingly shared national security secrets with people who did not have the requisite clearance.
The 49-page indictment, dismissed by Trump as “ridiculous”, includes photographs of boxes of records stacked at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach residence, in a ballroom and in a bathroom and shower.
One image showed that by December 2021, some of the boxes that had been moved to a storage room fell, with their contents spilling across the floor.
Defiant - Trump continues showing himself defiant despite facing indictment or ongoing scrutiny in four criminal probes.
“Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country. Very sad thing to watch,” Trump said after returning to his summer residence in New Jersey.
The pugnacious billionaire has repeatedly complained that the investigations against him amount to a baseless “witch hunt” and has vowed to stay in the 2024 presidential race regardless of the outcome of the documents case.
Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence and incumbent US President Joe Biden, who are both running for office, have also been found to have mishandled government documents, though both are said to have fully complied with authorities contrary to Trump.
Business & Tech - European Parliament lawmakers vote on world’s first sweeping rules on AI systems like ChatGPT, aiming to curb potential harms while nurturing innovation.
Science & Environment - Shell plans to maintain oil production levels until 2030, the British energy giant said Wednesday, triggering an outcry from green campaigners who also slammed a big payout for shareholders.https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2066108.html
Entertainment -The 2024 Grammy Awards will feature new honours, including for Best African Music Performance, the Recording Academy announced Tuesday.
EU foreign policy - Seven EU foreign ministers, including Luxembourg’s Jean Asselborn, published an open letter calling for more use of qualified majority voting on European Union foreign and security policies.
Tax credit - Luxembourg’s Council of State announced on Tuesday its approval of the economic tax credit designed to provide relief to the country’s workers and pensioners.https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2066108.html
Dublin visit - Luxembourg and Ireland seek to forge new ties as Bettel-lead delegation completes two-day visit to Dublin.
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