ATTRACTIVENESS - A further 265,800 people will have to be recruited by 2030, 30% of which will be hired to fill completely new positions according to the Chamber of Commerce, which has proposed its own solutions to Luxembourg Staff Shortage. Around 70% of the 463,607 people who work here are not Luxembourgers. It’s important that Luxembourg remains attractive and that foreign workers with all kinds of qualifications want to continue to come to Luxembourg.
BURDENING STATE BUDGET - Adjusting the tax table to inflation is ‘not responsible’ according to Minister of Finance Yuriko Backes who spoke to RTL on Monday morning. With only two weeks to go before the upcoming tripartite meeting with the government’s social partners, the politician from the Democratic Party has thereby made clear that she does not support one of the main demands made by unions. Luxembourg is currently in an economic crisis and from a structural point of view, the proposed adjustment would cost “more than €1 billion” and therefore burden the state budget for years to come.
RAISING AWARENESS - According to figures from the Ministry for Family Affairs and Integration, less than 12% of foreign residents eligible to vote have so far registered for the upcoming municipal elections in June. The Ministry now wants to raise awareness about foreign voter registration. Luxembourg’s next municipal elections will take place on 11 June 2023. Foreign residents can still register to vote until 17 April.
LUKRAINE - Luxembourg’s government has “no concrete strategy for refugees”, argues LUkraine after close to a year of assisting Ukrainians displaced by the war here in the Grand Duchy. The association alleges that the government has not paid sufficient attention to their proposals, most notably those concerning housing, and therefore wants to organise a roundtable talk with humanitarian organisations Caritas and the Red Cross.
FRESH PANIC - Three people have died after a new 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey on Monday, weeks after a deadly quake devastated the region, leaving more than 41,000 dead. Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks since the 6 February earthquake. The quake two weeks ago ravaged swathes of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, damaging more than 118,000 buildings.
COMMITTED SUPPORT - President Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine yesterday, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in a dramatic show of support days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The visit was freighted with symbolism and designed to show the world, and especially President Putin of Russia, that the United States remains committed to supporting Ukraine with Biden announcing a further $500 million in additional military aid for Ukraine during a joint news conference with Zelensky.
‘NEUTRAL PARTY’ - China’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Beijing is “deeply concerned” about the conflict in Ukraine, which is “intensifying and even getting out of control”. Chinese arms supplies would aggravate the war in Ukraine, said Jean Asselborn yesterday as the EU’s foreign affairs ministers met in Brussels to discuss continued support for Ukraine.
NOT FOR SALE - Liverpool owner John Henry has denied the English giants are up for sale despite seeking fresh investment in the club. Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG) said in November it would “consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club.”
NEUTRAL COMPETITORS - The UK is among 30 countries that have pledged support to an ongoing ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in international sporting events amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee has been exploring a way for Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutrals.
Our morning begins with low-lying clouds and fog across the country but the mist will dissipate as we head into the afternoon, giving way to sunny spells.
Temperatures currently at 2°C rising to 12°C later, before dropping back to 7 in the evening.
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