Nordstad Municipalities Merger Update

Luxembourg's Ministry of the Interior has announced an update concerning the proposed merger of five municipalities in the north of the Grand Duchy to form the so-called "Nordstad" by 2023: the five municipalities comprise Bettendorf, Diekirch, Erpeldange-sur-Sûre, Ettelbruck and Schieren. 

The ministry confirmed that it has regular exchanges with the five municipalities; the last meeting took place in early February.

Last week, Minister Taina Bofferding received a request from the five municipalities for state financial aid for the merger up to €5,000 per inhabitant. Although the amounts of special aid were recently increased by 10%, on the initiative of the minister, the aid requested by the municipalities of the "Nordstad" is much higher than that granted so far, according to the ministry, which confirmed that it will analyse the financial claims as well as the list of projects that the municipalities intend to carry out in the future. The determination of the special assistance by which the merger will be finally supported rests with the government's cabinet.

Acknowledging that the “Nordstad” merger project is the most ambitious ever undertaken in Luxembourg, the ministry stated that the government is already carrying out a certain number of large-scale projects for the development of the municipalities of the “Nordstad” and the quality of life of its inhabitants and will continue to commit to this.