On Friday 22 April 2016, Minister of the Interior, Dan Kersch, presented the government amendments to the draft law N°6861 regarding the organisation of civil security and establishing a Grand Ducal fire and rescue body (CGDIS), filed at the Chamber of Deputies on 18 August 2015.
The amendments, which were delivered in the presence of Luxembourg City mayor Lydie Polfer, are the result of discussions between the Minister of the Interior and officials of the City of Luxembourg, who decided to integrate their fire and ambulance department into CGDIS since the creation of the public institution and not from 31 December 2020 as was originally planned.
The changes also take into account the claims raised by SYVICOL in January 2016, whilst Minister Kersch emphasised that volunteers will continue to form the basis of the future emergency services based on complementarity between volunteers and professionals. The recognition of the importance of volunteering was cited as a primary aspect in the reform of the emergency services.
In terms of training CGDIS volunteer firefighters and professionals, the initial project provided for the creation of a medical and training directorate to be attached to the Institut national de formation des secours (INFS). To cater to demands from actors on the ground, the government proposed to transform the INFS into autonomous direction.
Another amendment involves the government's proposal to introduce a preference for hiring volunteer firefighters, under the condition that the candidate meets the criteria for hiring and has undergone the necessary training. This will constitute an additional measure for valuting a volunteer.
After SYVICOL requested the implementation of a mechanism that caps CGDIS spending to limit the impact on municipal budgets, spending increases between fiscal years will now be linked to the evolution of non-assigned revenue of all Luxembourg municipalities, such as the municipal business tax (ICC) and the municipal financial allocation fund (FCDF). This limitation will come into effect from 2023.
In response to another proposal from SYVICOL that the contribution of towns be measured not only in the number of inhabitant but also according to 'solidarity' criteria regarding the financial capacity of each municipality, it was put forward that contributions be 50% based on population and 50% on solidarity. The latter takes into account the share of revenue of different towns from the FCDF and ICC of the previous year.
At SYVICOL's request, competencies and responsibility between municipalities and the CGDIS regarding relief operations will be clarified.
Photo by MINT (L-R): Paul Hoffmann, Luxembourg City; Erny Kirsch, commanding officer, department head of the Fire Department and Ambulance of the City of Luxembourg; Lydie Polfer, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg; Dan Kersch, minister of the Interior; Alain Becker, the Ministry of Interior; Paul Schroeder, Director of Administration for the emergency services; Laurent Deville, the Interior Ministry
