Luxembourg will participate in the Universal Exhibition (World Expo) to be organised between October 2020 and April 2021 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates under the main theme "Connecting minds, building the future" which highlights the power of collaboration and partnerships to build a better world.
On 19 December 2016, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Étienne Schneider, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructures, François Bausch, and Luxembourg's Commissioner-General at Expo 2020 Dubai, Maggy Nagel (former Minister of Culture), presented the organisational structure of the Luxembourg participation, including the modalities of design and construction of the pavillion, the timetable of the project as well as the private sector partners which will contribute 30% of the project's costs.
The organiser of the Expo is proposing three sub-themes, all inter-linked: mobility, sustainability and opportunity, the latter being considered a priority for Luxembourg. According to Luxembourg's Commissioner General at Expo 2020 Dubai, Maggy Nagel, it is a matter of showing that Luxembourg is resolutely looking to the future in an interconnected and open world: "The pavillion will represent a reliable and dynamic country, has been reinvented several times throughout its history by transforming itself from an agricultural country, then an industrial power into a global financial centre, with today a new shift towards research, digital technologies and space industries.
The development of the pavillion and the planning of its permanent and temporary exhibitions should reflect an open, inclusive and collaborative approach and respectful use of resources and the environment. Both the content and the container of the pavilion aim to positively stimulate the imagination of visitors who will be carried away with optimism towards a future that emphasises the quality of life and the creation of opportunities for all. The pavillion will be a perfect ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by describing the country as a nation that aspires to be a good example of this vision.
A Call for Tenders for the building of the pavillion will be launched in January 2017 for the entire project which, by its architectural, functional and scenographic aspects, including the choice of materials and Of innovative technologies, meets the principle of circular economy, notably by the intelligent and sustainable management of resources both in the design and construction of the pavilion and at the level of the exhibitions organised there. Among the resources put forward in the pavillion to be constructed in October 2018 on a site of 3,500 m2, is understood in a Luxembourg context, for example landscapes and nature, iron ore is at the origin of the decades of attracting foreign workers and capital, contributing to the country's economic wealth, or future space resources to be explored and used as part of the SpaceResources.lu initiative.
At the press conference, Deputy Prime Minister Schneider said "Our participation in Expo 2020 is a continuation of the excellent bilateral relations between our two countries. Considered a pole of stability in the Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates is by far the most important trading partner of Luxembourg. Promoting innovation and sustainable development, the profile of Expo 2020 is perfectly aligned with our national policy of economic diversification, particularly with regard to the space sector and information and communication technologies. Dubai is the first Arab city in the world to host a universal exhibition aimed at receiving more than 25 million visitors. Therefore, participation in the Expo is a unique opportunity to raise awareness of Luxembourg with all its strengths on the international scene and in particular in the Middle East".
Like the structure established at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, an economic interest grouping (EIG) is being set set up, to be charged with the organisation as well as the implementation Of the Luxembourg participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. This legal form has a number of advantages, in particular as regards the association and involvement of the three strategic partners in the private sector, namely POST Luxembourg, SES and the Chamber of Commerce, which together will contribute 30% of the total budget envelope estimated at €25 million. The State will be represented at the EIG by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure.
Photo by MECO (L-R): Étienne Schneider, Vice-Premier ministre, ministre de l'Économie; Maggy Nagel, commissaire générale du Luxembourg auprès de l'Expo 2020 Dubaï; François Bausch, ministre du Développement durable et des Infrastructures
