Margue said the reforms would not ban begging at a national level; however, municipal authorities would be given more margin for manoeuvre. Until then, the Luxembourg City municipal regulations on begging will continue to apply.
The parliamentary committees for justice and internal security met on Thursday to discuss this year’s planned reforms for the Criminal Code.
CSV minister Margue said that simply banning begging across the country would not conform to the European Court on Human Rights, but that the government had not ruled out allowing municipal councils to implement restrictions on begging which would see the activity confined to certain times and places.
How will Luxembourg City handle its regulations in practice until the reforms are confirmed? Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden said that general checks would continue, as the number of patrols had been increased starting from Monday.
“It’s not just about organised begging, or gangs, or aggressive beggars,” he said. “It’s also about illegal immigration, the drug trade, and public health.”
For members of the opposition, many questions remained unanswered. The Left’s Marc Baum commented: “This situation we find ourselves in is completely absurd. The legal uncertainty with this government tends to come to the fore at times when it provides these explanations.”
LSAP MP Paulette Lenert said she was satisfied by at least one point of discussion, praising the fact that the government had clearly stated it did not intend to ban the act of begging across Luxembourg.
The legal opinions on the ban were not discussed in detail during Thursday’s meeting. Gloden said he had belatedly requested an opinion following advice from the public prosecutor’s office.
Sam Tanson of the Greens said it was odd that the home affairs minister had requested the legal opinion from the law firm representing the City of Luxembourg for the same case, to which Gloden replied that different lawyers were handling the request, and said it was not appropriate for opposition members to question the integrity of the law firm, as they were free to choose whichever lawyer they wanted.
The capital’s begging ban also drew criticism from Amnesty International Luxembourg on Thursday, with the charity saying the ban violated the human rights of the most vulnerable and put their dignity and right to privacy at risk, as stated by the European Court on Human Rights. The government’s priority should be to fight poverty, not the poor, continued Amnesty International Luxembourg in a statement.
