The statements we received spanned a wide range of topics, both national and international. For RTL’s International Fact-Checking Day, we chose to focus on subjects related to Luxembourg, even though we also received quite a few intriguing questions about Donald Trump, Tesla sales, and climate change.
While we couldn’t cover all the suggested topics, we plan to revisit these questions throughout the year and follow-up on them.
Would Luxembourgish as an EU language really cost €40 million per year?
The debate stems from a situation in the European Parliament, where Luxembourgish MEP Fernand Kartheiser attempted to deliver his speech in Luxembourgish but was immediately interrupted. Since Luxembourgish is not an official EU language, it cannot be translated in Parliament.
This raised the question: What would it take for Luxembourgish to become an official EU language?
In this context, Tilly Metz, an MEP from the Greens, mentioned that the cost of implementing such a change would exceed €40 million. When asked by RTL, her office clarified that this estimate was based on a question posed by the Spanish presidency.
At the end of 2023, a study was conducted and published, showing that the introduction of Irish Gaelic as an official EU language would cost approximately €44 million per year. Irish gained official EU language status in early 2022. This figure was confirmed by Pierre Reding, the Commissioner for the Luxembourgish Language, who cited another study that arrived at the same conclusion.
Read our full article here.
Does the Schueberfouer draw over two million visitors annually?
Estimating the number of visitors at an event like the Schueberfouer is no easy task. With no official ticketing system, it’s impossible to count every attendee. So, how is the widely cited figure of two million visitors determined?
We reached out to multiple sources, including the police, the CGDIS (The Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps), and the Luxembourg Confederation of Fairground Operators. Their response? They don’t track visitor numbers themselves.
Instead, they all referred us to the Ville de Luxembourg. However, as our article on the subject mentions, we have not yet received an official response. As soon as we have an answer, we will let you know!
Are blue Valorlux bags thrown into incinerators alongside normal waste?
The rumor has been circulating on social media for years: the blue Valorlux bags supposedly end up in incineration plants to keep the fire going. However, this is not true, as confirmed by the director of Valorlux in our fact-checking article.
In reality, the blue bags are sent to Bech-Kleinmacher where they are sorted and separated. The materials are then sent to specialised companies abroad for further processing.
But can a Valorlux bag still end up in an incineration plant? Yes, but only if people misuse them. Some residents use the blue bags as regular bin bags and throw them into the black waste bins. In such cases, some of these specialised bags may end up in incineration plants, but this is not part of the official recycling system.
Some topics that we received had already been fact-checked, or were discussed in a normal article. Some of these questions are:
What will happen with Stéphanie Weydert after the HUT affair?
This question is challenging to answer definitively as it would be purely speculative. However, it is a fact that, although Mrs. Weydert is no longer the president or a member of the special commission for Caritas, she remains a Member of Parliament. The elected Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) politician is still actively involved in several other parliamentary committees, including those for agriculture and labour. This information can be verified on the Chamber’s official website (here).
Are people embarassed to drive a Tesla because of Elon Musk?
This was also a question we received that we had already addressed. Figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) show that while more electric vehicles are being sold in Europe, Tesla’s market share in the EU has tumbled. Whether this is related to Elon Musk is harder to say. Given the many protests worldwide against the billionaire, one might attempt to make that connection. However, definitively attributing this decline to him would lean more toward speculation rather than a factual conclusion.
Chemtrails – water vapour and exhaust gases, or climate and mind control?
In September 2023, our fact-checking team previously looked into this topic. “Chemtrails” are a source of inspiration for numerous conspiracy theories. However, they are simply a mixture of water vapor, CO2, and aerosols, commonly referred to as contrails. The claim that these trails are laced with toxic chemicals to manipulate the population is not scientifically possible. This is because the trails form at such high altitudes that any substances would dissipate before they could reach the Earth’s surface and affect people. You can read our full article here.
What is geoengineering?
In the same article where we discussed chemtrails, we also explored the concept of geoengineering. Geoengineering refers to scientific efforts to manipulate the earth’s climate through technological means, aiming to mitigate human-induced global warming and reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere. However, this approach is still in its early stages and not yet fully developed.
If you have questions or suggestions for other topics, feel free to reach out to the RTL fact-checking team at this email address: faktencheck@rtl.lu.
