The DP faction defends its record at the traditional closing dinner before the parliamentary summer break. The tripartite is moving to the fore, questions about the budget are only half-heartedly answered.
In the shadow of the parasols and in the smoke of the barbecue in the corner of the terrace, the DP faction presented its balance sheet of the past parliamentary year in the person of its faction chairman Gilles Baum, before the deputies go into the parliamentary summer break in the coming weeks.
“The focus of the DP group is on housing, the ecological transition and of course on purchasing power, which also dominated the tripartite agreement,” Gilles Baum greeted the press representatives present. “In view of the international situation, the measures have to be extended or adjusted if necessary,” says Baum. In fact, US President Donald Trump announced almost simultaneously on his social media platform Truth Social that he wanted to block the Strait of Hormuz for ships destined for Iran or from Iranian ports. The blockade of this sea route was the trigger for the international price increases in petroleum products, as a result of which the government, after long hesitation, convened a tripartite meeting to prevent the triggering of a second index tranche for this year with corresponding consequences for the companies.
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The housing policy of DP Minister Meisch praised Baum with reference to the high budgetary investments in the purchase of VEFA products. The DP politician brushed aside the question of a possible rent cap. The idea that everyone in Luxembourg can become the owner of their own home has to be said goodbye, said Baum.
Otherwise, Gilles Baum mainly showcased the big political projects of the DP ministers: Max Hahn’s poverty plan was mentioned as well as the rearmament and diplomatic offensive of Defense Minister Yuriko Backes and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel. Baum also praised his faction, which “with a large majority” had supported the freedom of abortion in the constitution. “Of course, because the DP and its faction have been representing a coherent, consistently liberal pro-choice line in this file for decades,” argued Baum. However, the highly publicized mutiny of the DP deputy Gérard Schockmel, who argued and voted against the inclusion in the legal basic text of Luxembourg, was not forgotten.
explanatory note
The DP also got into an explanatory note when the journalists asked questions about the planned tax reform. As a reminder: In the triple coalition DP-LSAP-“the Green” it was the then DP Finance Minister Yuriko Backes who did not consider a tax reform to be opportune in view of tight state coffers. Now, in a similarly crisis-ridden financial situation, the DP defends a tax reform with planned additional costs of 900 million euros per year with the argument that this money will flow back into the Luxembourg economy and it will be boosted accordingly, according to DP financial expert Patrick Goldschmidt. The DP deputy Corinne Cahen defended the tax reform almost passionately with reference to the social background and consequences of individualization, as it is currently planned.
Nur: No one is questioning the moral and social arguments for individualization this afternoon. An answer to the question of whether the DP had calculated how much money would flow back into the Luxembourg economy due to a large number of cross-border commuters, the Liberals remained guilty on Monday afternoon.
Source: Tageblatt
