Signing of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen": the municipality of Junglinster joins the new "Communal Integration Plan"

During her speech in Junglinster on 5 July, the minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Corinne Cahen, emphasized: "The efforts of your municipality to live together are for the benefit of your citizens. As a pilot municipality, all your projects and activities can encourage and motivate other municipalities to engage in the same process.”

Françoise Hetto-Gaasch, alderman and chair of the municipal consultative commission for integration in Junglinster, notes that "in order to achieve a living together of our multicultural population and of the different generations living in our municipality, we have, in the last few years, set up a variety of interactive projects, such as the 'Potercafé' or the 'Fiesta'".

Emile Eicher, president of Syvicol, said that "Junglinster is a municipality which, because of its proximity to Luxembourg City, attracts people from all over the world. The international school Lënster Lycée also attracts a very heterogeneous student population, which makes Junglinster a very open and welcoming municipality. Therefore, the need for integration is also high. Both, new citizens and established residents need the support of the municipality in this area. In the interest of social cohesion, it is important that everyone can find their place in the community. Junglinster is used to living together internationally on a daily basis, which is why there is no fear of contact here".

The signing of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" in Junglinster thus marks the end of the first stage of the new "Communal Integration Plan". From now on, the municipalities that are part of this pilot project will take action: the next steps will include making an inventory of the needs of the municipality and its citizens as well as organizing citizen workshops to develop actions to promote integration.

With its signature, Junglinster joins the municipalities of Wiltz, Roeser, Strassen, Clervaux, Kopstal, Habscht as well as the inter-municipal association "Réidener Kanton" with the municipality of Mertzig, on their way to the new PCI.

A new Communal Integration Plan (PCI)

In early 2021, the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region revisited the "Communal Integration Plan" (PCI) to initiate a pilot project for a more dynamic, multi-annual integration process.

The new PCI differs from the previous one in its dynamics, which can be summarised in five steps:

1. Political commitment through the signing of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen"
2. The inventory of the community's needs
3. Citizens' workshops to develop actions to promote integration
4. Implementation of actions to promote integration
5. Evaluation of the work done and planning of the next steps

The implementation of the new PCI will be closely accompanied by a specific team from the Ministry for Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region, its contracted partners ASTI and CEFIS, and two newly recruited integration advisors. The latter will provide their expertise and pass on good practices among the participating municipalities and beyond. Other partners, in particular local actors, will be called upon to get involved and participate in the organisation of living together in their municipality or even the surrounding region.

To illustrate the possibilities of getting involved in the various stages of the process, the Ministry has prepared a brochure in four languages which is available to the participating municipalities. The different steps can also be found on the Ministry's website: Plan Communal Intégration (PCI) - Ministère de la Famille, de l'Intégration et à la Grande Région // Le gouvernement luxembourgeois. (in French and German)

To give greater visibility to this initiative and to the commitment of the municipality, a new logo of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" may be used by the signatory municipalities.

Press release by the Ministry of Family Affaires, Integration and the Greater Region