Signing of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" in the municipalities of Pétange and Mertert

At the official ceremony on 10 March 2023, Pierre Mellina, mayor of the municipality of Pétange, emphasised that living together concerns Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers. The municipality already promotes many initiatives that encourage meetings between residents, such as the Neighbours' Day. However, these initiatives can still be strengthened and thus Pierre Mellina affirms the continuous commitment of his municipality in favour of living together by signing this pact.

Jérôme Laurent, mayor of the municipality of Mertert, stated on 24 April 2023 that his municipality has a very active Municipal advisory committee on integration. With the growth and diversity of the population of the municipality, efforts must be continued and the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" is a means to this end. "You don't always have to reinvent the wheel - we are happy to be able to learn from the good practices of other "Pakt” signatory municipalities, but of course we also want to develop one or two new ideas."

Louis Oberhag, vice-president of Syvicol, pointed out that the Minett region is a melting pot that is lived day by day. He congratulated the politicians of Pétange for their participation in the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" project. "Today you are taking an important step towards strengthening social cohesion. You will strengthen the relationship between the municipality and its inhabitants”. In Mertert, Louis Oberhag stressed that diversity is a richness and expressed his gratitude to the politicians of Mertert for wanting to continue and strengthen their commitment to integration and social cohesion at local level by signing the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen".

The Minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Corinne Cahen, emphasised in her speeches in Pétange and Mertert that the key word in this pact is participation. "We want people to get involved and to become actors in living together”. In Pétange, Corinne Cahen insisted on the need to inform and motivate non-Luxembourgish people to register on the electoral roll, particularly when welcoming citizens to the municipality. In Mertert, the Minister for Family Affairs and Integration stated that by signing this pact, "you are showing that you are willing to organise living together within your municipality and I congratulate you on this."

By signing the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen", the municipalities of Pétange and Mertert express their commitment to a multi-year process based on three pillars, namely communication, access to information and the participation of all people living or working in the municipality.

The two municipalities are assisted by integration advisors who accompany the process and by the Ministry in close cooperation with its contracted partners CEFIS and ASTI.

The origins of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen"

At the beginning of 2021, the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region initiated a pilot project aimed at a more dynamic and multi-annual integration process.

Since the start of the project, 33 municipalities have signed the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen".

The "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" in five steps:

1. Political commitment through the signing of the "Pakt"
2. Inventory of the needs of the municipality
3. Citizens' workshops to develop actions to promote integration
4. The implementation of actions to promote integration
5. Evaluation of the work done and planning of the next steps

The implementation of the "Pakt" is closely accompanied by a team from the Integration Department of the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region, its contracted partners ASTI and CEFIS, as well as five integration advisors. The latter make their expertise available and pass on good practices among the participating municipalities. Other partners, in particular local actors, are called upon to get involved and participate in the conception and implementation of living together in their municipality or the surrounding region.

To illustrate the possibilities of getting involved as a citizen in the various stages of the process, the Ministry has produced a brochure in four languages available to the participating municipalities. The "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" is also summarised on the Ministry's website: mfamigr.gouvernement.lu

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