State of the Nation: Opposition Criticizes Prime Minister
As usual, opposition parties heavily criticize the State of the Nation address. LSAP, déi gréng, ADR, Pirate Party, and déi Lénk express their disappointment. They describe it as a “weak speech” delivered by a “bureaucrat” or even a “CEO” that announced few new initiatives. Many questions remain unanswered, according to the opposition parties.
Here are the immediate reactions from the party leaders:
“A weak speech, just full of announcements”
Taina Bofferding (LSAP): “The Prime Minister’s analysis of the state of the Nation boils down to the major problem of the country being that we live in a bureaucratic jungle. Administrative simplification seems to be sufficient to solve all problems. It is true that with fewer certificates, we can solve all problems. The ‘once-only’ principle in the housing sector is an interesting concept that can help build more housing faster.
However, if we truly want to address the housing crisis, we also need to ensure that the built houses are affordable for people. I also noticed that in the 10-point action plan for housing, there are ideas that are not really new and are based on initiatives that I have already taken as Minister of the Interior. I was glad to hear the Prime Minister declare that his top priority was fighting poverty. However, the only solution proposed to tackle the issue is once again administrative simplification. It is good to do so, but we are not addressing the root of the problem. It’s sad that we didn’t get more details when the opportunity was right. His very weak speech is just full of announcements.”
“The realization is that little new was said”
Sam Tanson (déi gréng): “There was a lot of talk about new initiatives, but once the dust settled, and after a brief moment of reflection, we realize that little new was said. There were mainly announcements about reducing premiums in electromobility or energy renovation of houses. Another announcement was a new adaptation of the tax scale to inflation.
However, we didn’t hear anything about the counter-financing of this measure. Furthermore, there was a lot of talk about administrative simplification without knowing what it will look like. There are certainly some positives, like the premium for buying used electric cars. The same goes for the one-stop shop for social assistance. We kind of got a second government declaration, and now we are waiting for the details.”
“A bureaucrat’s speech”
Fred Keup (ADR): “It was a bit of a bureaucrat’s speech. We didn’t get a vision that could evolve the country. There were a series of announcements regarding administrative simplifications that can be partly welcomed, but we don’t know what their contribution and cost will be. What was really missing in my eyes is a Prime Minister who, in his first State of the Nation speech, failed to inspire people, lay out the path the country will take, and clearly mention issues such as security, crime, migration, integration, or languages. It is hardly understandable that all of this was not addressed by the Prime Minister. It’s a missed opportunity for Mr. Frieden.”
“We were told fairy tales”
Sven Clement (Pirate Party): “I felt like I was at the Parc Merveilleux in Bettembourg. There were many announcements, some of which had already been hinted at. I find it difficult to really evaluate all of this because too many details are still missing, except for some rather negative elements.
I will mention the reduction of premiums for electric cars, which means that this government apparently does not believe in this form of mobility. I also wonder, given all the fairy tales we were told, how all these measures will be financed. We are spending more, there will be tax relief, which we absolutely welcome.
However, the National Council of Public Finances announced on Monday a deficit that will be twice as large as that budgeted for 2024. It is said to be an additional 427 million euros. Despite this, the government is distributing money left and right. Someone needs to explain to me how this can work. I may just be a simple little deputy and not a big CEO like Mr. Frieden, but the equation cannot be solved. So we need to see if this will end well or if the wicked witch will prevail.”
“The Prime Minister presented himself as a CEO”
Marc Baum (déi Lénk): “We didn’t hear a State of the Nation address but rather a speech on administrative simplification. The Prime Minister presented himself as a CEO who believes that changing administrative procedures will be sufficient to solve all the problems of a company.
The fight against poverty is limited to administrative simplification. The same goes for housing, despite all studies concluding that the problem is related to taxation that supports speculation on land and the retention of buildable land. Not a single word on this fact.
And as is customary for a CEO, a decrease in corporate taxation is already being hinted at, combined with a reduction in the subscription tax on certain financial products. Once again, money is being handed out to those who don’t need it, while for others, the measures are limited to filling out one or two forms.”