“I’ll see how this year goes, and if it’s fun, maybe I’ll continue,” Fernand Ernster said in an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio on Tuesday.
The new president of the Chamber of Commerce, who has been an active member for almost 29 years, has taken over the position until April 2024 after Luc Frieden stepped down. Ernster admitted that he was surprised by this development, noting that one of the reasons he backed Frieden’s candidature was because he assumed the former Minister of Finance had retired from politics. Ernster stressed that the Chamber of Commerce must stay “completely impartial” and maintain its reputation with businesses, especially during an election year, and that “it was the appropriate choice for Luc Frieden to resign immediately.”
According to Ernster, one of the biggest challenges he faces is “getting to know the ecosystem.” He remarked that even after 29 years in the Chamber of Commerce, including 19 as vice president, he mostly focused on training and entrepreneurship. “Everything else is new to me,” Ernster acknowledged. The new president also wants to continue certain projects that were started by his predecessor, such as the ecological transition.
Ernster confirmed that he would resign his mandate with the Luxembourg Trade Confederation (CLC). He wants to ensure that there is “no more mingling” between the federations. The fact that the same persons are frequently at the helm of different organisations can lead to confusion, the new president said. “It should be clear to businesses and the general public who does what,” according to Ernster, who pointed out that many companies are unaware of the services the Chamber of Commerce offers and its importance to the Luxembourgish economy.
Ernster considers the changes happening in professional life to be one of his top concerns. The new president stated that solutions need to be found for staff shortages, work-life balance, and the growing socioeconomic division. While the wage indexation system is “a priori a good thing,” it is also “one of the key elements contributing to the divide between poor and rich,” Ernster said, who also thinks that “we have to tread very carefully regarding calls for a reduction in working time.” For the new president of the Chamber of Commerce, the quality of goods and services has to be guaranteed. If that is not the case, companies would have to see how they could afford to hire additional staff, Ernster said.
