Nicolas Mackel is still CEO of the PR agency of ‘Luxembourg for Finance’, but is set to take over as Luxembourg’s EU representative in Brussels from 1 September. According to Mackel, he and his colleagues will have a lot of work to prepare for - not only because of the myriad of topics being treated at EU levels, but also in preparation for the Luxembourgish EU Presidency in 2029.
Mackel also responded to some of the criticism that arose in light of his nomination. LSAP deputy Franz Fayot said in an interview with the Luxemburger Wort that the new government seems to focus on the financial sector’s interests at EU level. Sven Clement of the Pirate Party also commented on RTL Television that the CSV and DP generally seem to be promoting many of their colleagues to high positions.
To this, Mackel recalls his personal history, having been trained as a professional diplomat before working as a civil servant for 25 years. “If people have the impression that I come from the financial sector, I can only take that as a compliment for my work style,” he laughs.
As CEO of Luxembourg for Finance, Mackel denies being a lobbyist who represents the interests of a certain sector amongst decision-makers. Rather, his job was to attract new activities to Luxembourg.
Anyone who thinks that Mackel is now primarily defending the interests of the financial sector in Brussels should have another listen to the RTL Background episode with Jean-Claude Juncker, he added. The former prime minister explained that an EU representative primarily listens to the government. Mackel expressed this as follows: “An EU ambassador is the representative of a government”, so he will represent a policy as defined by the government.
Nonetheless, the new CSV-DP government would like to make the financial sector more attractive. Mackel therefore responds to criticism with the following question: “Is there anything wrong with a government saying that it wants to make its economy more attractive?”
The Grand Duchy thrives from the money generated by the economy, says the future EU-ambassador. Every country also defends its own interests, after all. In the same breath, he also pointed to the coalition agreement that diplomacy will be used to defend Luxembourg’s interests and values. He also added that the international cadre has changed ‘completely’ over the past 10 years - also in terms of taxes. Luxembourg also hopes to become more attractive in this context.
Europe has lost competitiveness, believes Mackel. In a study by the OMFIF think tank, the EU has clearly lost territory to the USA over the last 15 years. The European institutes are aware of this, as they have published various reports and recommendations on behalf of the EU Commission.
Luxembourg is of course part of Europe and, according to Nicolas Mackel, you simply have to realise that competition never sleeps. That’s why you have to keep moving if you want to stay where you are, he concludes.
