On Wednesday, three MPs in the Chamber of Deputies bid farewell to parliament during the last session before the summer break. While François Bausch is set to retire after four decades in public service, Fernand Kartheiser and Christophe Hansen will move on to the European stage, and the three lawmakers were met with a standing ovation from their colleagues as they said their goodbyes.
François Bausch’s political journey began as a trade unionist in the 1980s. In the 1989 elections, he first stood as a candidate for the Green Alternative Party (GAP) and won a seat in the Chamber of Deputies on his first attempt. He was subsequently reelected six times. From 1999 to 2013, Bausch led The Greens’ parliamentary group until he joined the government as mobility, defence, and even deputy prime minister. After the 2023 legislative elections, he returned to the Chamber before running in the 2024 European elections. As he did not manage to secure a seat in Brussels, Bausch recently decided to retire and make way for the next generation.
Contrary to Bausch, Fernand Kartheiser of the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) managed to convince voters in the European elections and will now be moving on to Strasbourg. The new MEP began his career in the army before entering the diplomatic service, where he served as Luxembourg’s ambassador to Greece. He entered the Chamber of Deputies in 2009, taking over a seat as it was not allowed for Gast Gibéryen and his daughter to both hold a seat in the same legislative period. Kartheiser was re-elected in 2013, 2018, and 2023.
Christophe Hansen of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) also bid farewell to the Chamber on Wednesday. Despite being elected in 2023, he has spent only seven and a half months as an MP for the CSV. His expertise lies in European policy, having served as an adviser to Astrid Lulling and later as a Member of the European Parliament. It still remains to be seen whether Hansen will return to the European Parliament or join Brussels as a European Commissioner.
