The new ministers Yuriko Backes, Georges Engel, and Claude Haagen were sworn in by Grand Duke Henri on Wednesday morning. As the head of state recently tested positive for Covid-19, he stayed at Berg Castle and fulfilled his duties via video call instead.
An unusual ceremony, as the new minister of finance, Yuriko Backes, also confirmed. Up until now, Backes had worked closely with the Grand Duke in her position as royal steward of the Grand Ducal Court. At the end of the ceremony, she stressed that she is “highly motivated” to join her new ministry.
Georges Engel previously served as the head of the LSAP parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies. He takes over both the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Sport from Dan Kersch.
Engel’s party colleague and former mayor of Diekirch, Claude Haagen, succeeds Romain Schneider as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Social Security. Haagen admitted that he too would have preferred to be sworn in by the Grand Duke in person but acknowledged that “not everything is possible in these times”.
Haagen will have to tackle several important dossiers. As minister of agriculture, he will have to finish Luxembourg’s national strategy plan and send it to the European Commission in Brussels. Meanwhile, his main project as Minister of Social Security is likely to be the digitalisation of the sector in the form of the eSanté platform.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel was also present during the ceremony on Wednesday morning. Upon enquiry, Bettel confirmed that Grand Duke Henri is “doing a little bit better” than yesterday. The Grand Ducal Court already stated that the Grand Duke is showing “few symptoms” of Covid-19.
Due to the head of state’s isolation, the audiences for the now ex-ministers Gramegna, Kersch, and Schneider also had to be cancelled. They will say goodbye to their respective ministries on Wednesday afternoon and transfer their power to the three new members of government.
