On Wednesday 19 June 2024, the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees organised the second signing ceremony of the "Gemengepakt" (municipal pact for intercultural living together) of the year with 5 municipalities, followed by the official handover of the "Citizen's guide" to the municipality of Colmar-Berg.
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Max Hahn, Minister für Familie, Solidarität, Zusammenleben und Unterbringung von Flüchtlingen
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Emile Eicher, Präsident des Syvicol
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Illustration
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Gruppenfoto
During the first part, the municipalities of Clervaux, Echternach, Sandweiler, Schifflange and Steinsel signed the "Gemengepakt" with the Minister of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees, Max Hahn, in the presence of Syvicol President Emile Eicher.
In his speech, Minister Max Hahn thanked the political leaders of the 6 municipalities present for their commitment to intercultural living together and for their recognition of diversity as an asset for the Luxembourgish society. "Whether in the context of the Gemengepakt or the development of a 'Citizen's guide', the idea is always to motivate people to get involved in their municipality. My ministry supports and accompanies you closely in this process, and you can all take advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each other".
Emile Eicher, President of Syvicol, pointed out that some of the municipalities present had already gained fruitful experiences with the pilot project "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen". "With the signing of the Gemengepakt, concrete actions will be continued and developed, and this will help our municipalities to move forward in terms of living together".
Following the signing ceremony of the Gemengepakt, Minister Max Hahn presented the municipality of Colmar-Berg with their personalised "Citizen's guide". Developed in collaboration between the municipality and the ministry, the "Citizen's guide" is particularly useful for all newcomers to the municipality, helping them to find their way around and feel at home, as well as taking their first steps towards active participation in local living together. The guide provides information on the services offered by the municipality, as well as details of how to get involved.
The "Gemengepakt" (municipal pact for intercultural living together)
The law of 23 August 2023 on intercultural living together created the "Gemengepakt" (municipal pact for intercultural living together), which helps to implement intercultural living together at local level.
By signing the "Gemengepakt", a municipality or group of municipalities, Syvicol and the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees commit to close collaboration, with a view to a multi-annual and participatory process that emphasises access to information, the participation of all people living or working in the municipality and the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination.
The Gemengepakt is divided into thematic cycles, which take place in five stages:
- Political commitment
- Assessment of the current situation
- Citizen workshops to develop concrete actions
- Implementation of concrete actions
- Evaluation of the work carried out
The "Gemengepakt" is based on the pilot project "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" (2021-2023), in which 32 municipalities took part.
The implementation of the Gemengepakt is closely supported by the Ministry, its official partners ASTI and CEFIS, and five advisers on intercultural living together. The latter provide their expertise and share good practice between the participating municipalities. Other partners, in particular local players, are called upon to get involved and participate in the development and implementation of intercultural living together in their municipality.
Under the "Gemengepakt" initiative, various forms of assistance are available to municipalities:
- an annual grant of up to 30,000 euros per municipality to cover the costs of a municipal pact coordinator,
- an annual grant of 3,000 euros, 5,000 euros or 8,000 euros to cover the costs of implementing the municipal pact (depending on the number of local councillors) and
- an annual grant of 5 euros for each resident of the municipality and each cross-border worker whose place of work is in the municipality and who is a signatory of the citizens' pact at 31 December of the current year.
For more information, visit gemengen.zesummeliewen.lu or send an e-mail to gemengen.zesummeliewen@fm.etat.lu.
The Citizen's Guide
The "Citizen's guide" was drawn up by the Ministry's Division for intercultural living together, in collaboration with Syvicol and interested municipalities. Standardised in five languages, it consists of two parts: The information section, "Je découvre ma municipality" (I discover my municipality), invites you to discover the municipality by providing information on its make-up, local infrastructure, education, culture and associations, as well as an overview of the activities on offer. The second part, "I get involved in my municipality", is interactive and fun, offering ideas for getting involved and interacting with fellow citizens, through volunteering, learning, practising languages or getting involved in politics.
So far, 17 municipalities have received their personalised "Citizen's guide". 10 additional municipalities will receive their guides next week: Beckerich, Ell, Mertzig, Préizerdaul, Rambrouch, Redange-Attert, Saeul, Useldange and Vichten.
The "Citizen's guide" was drawn up in alphabetical order and by expression of interest. Over the coming months, each municipality involved in the project will receive a personalised guide.
Press release by the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees / Division of Intercultural Living Together / Syndicat des villes et communes luxembourgeoises (Syvicol)