Credit: Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce

On Tuesday 25 October 2022, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce launched its actions in connection with the 2023 elections.

Under the theme "Elections 2023, quel avenir pour les entreprises?" (2023 elections - what future for companies?), a round table served to present the concerns of Luxembourg companies, which emanated from the eighth edition of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce's Economy Barometer, while allowing political representatives to provide the first elements of solutions in the framework of their election programme.

Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, introduced the event by presenting the economic results of the latest edition of the Economy Barometer, which collected the opinions of more than 600 Luxembourg companies, all sectors combined. The proportion of respondents who were not at all confident in the economy remained a minority. However, there were more respondents who had little confidence and fewer respondents who said they were very confident compared to the previous half of the year. In addition, business confidence in the two- to three-year future of the Luxembourg economy fell by eight points compared to the previous half-year - an unprecedented level and lower than that recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst a certain confidence was maintained within the financial sector, this was no longer the case for trade and the hospitality sector.

During the debate on Tuesday, the following themes emerged: control of energy costs, administrative simplification, flexibility in the organisation of work, orientation and attractiveness of the workforce and the cost of labour, mobility and housing. More specifically, teleworking (and work flexibility in general), administrative simplification, work-life balance and business competitiveness were at the heart of the discussions.

This first debate ended with the presentation of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce's actions in connection with the 2023 elections, a campaign which begin at the end of October 2022 and which will conclude with the traditional delivery of the chamber's recommendations to the government formateur in just over a year. Companies will be at the heart of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce's project and will be consulted on various occasions to bring forward their challenges and ideas for the years to come.

The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce has also launched the platform "Donnez votre avis" (give your opinion) to allow companies to submit their proposals for the legislative debate. These contributions will notably feed the chamber's publications on the main themes identified from January 2023 onwards.