The Chamber of Deputies has adopted a draft bill expanding police powers to evict individuals from public spaces, with the votes of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), the Democratic Party (DP), the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR), and the Pirate Party. The bill was passed by 42 votes in favour to 18 against.
Under the new legislation, police will be able to ban a person exhibiting inappropriate behaviour in public from a specific area for up to 15 days. The bill expands existing police eviction powers introduced in 2022, which the government considered insufficient. As a last resort, police may issue a temporary area ban ("interdiction temporaire de lieu") valid for 15 days, applicable, for example, if a person blocks a building entrance or disturbs public peace.
DP MP Luc Emering reminded the Chamber that exceptions are included in the law, such as if the person concerned resides within the defined radius or has an important medical appointment in the area.
CSV MP Laurent Mosar, rapporteur of the bill, stressed that the measure is not aimed at combating serious crime. He acknowledged that the new law may not be perfect and is no silver bullet, but argued it represents an improvement over existing regulations. Mosar added that combating crime is also an important means of preventing extremist parties from gaining political ground.
Minister for Home Affairs Léon Gloden emphasised that the new powers meet a demand from various groups, including police officers, police unions, shopkeepers, and what he referred to as "the people out there."
Strong criticism came from the left-wing opposition. LSAP MP Dan Biancalana argued that the new powers would not solve problems but simply displace them. He cited the example of an inebriated person causing a disturbance in a square: while this is not a pleasant situation and police must intervene if it escalates, Biancalana questioned what would happen next. He suggested that the person would simply be ordered to move a few streets away or to another neighbourhood and potentially repeat the same behaviour elsewhere. He further argued that social problems were being reframed as security problems, which would not contribute to their resolution.
Several opposition speakers welcomed the fact that mayors were removed from the current bill – though they noted this only happened following pressure from the Council of State and the Association of Luxembourg Cities and Towns (SYVICOL).
