Mayors of Luxembourg - Differdange

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg consists of twelve cantons made up of 100 municipalities. Each municipal council is elected directly by its residents in municipal elections held every six years. The municipality’s mayor is then appointed from among the elected members of the municipal council.

In this series, Chronicle.lu spoke to a selection of the country’s mayors to discuss the challenges within their municipality, their daily activities, how projects are prioritised and how they communicate with residents.

The second in this series features Mayor Guy Altmeisch who represents the municipality of Differdange.

Chronicle.lu: What is the size of your municipality, in population and number of nationalities?

Guy Altmeisch: The population is 31.332, consisting of 126 nationalities.

Chronicle.lu: What are the main challenges currently facing the municipality (housing, mobility, infrastructure, environment, demographic growth, etc.) and how is the administration working to address them?

Guy Altmeisch: One of the main challenges is certainly housing, where the City has been investing a lot in recent years and will keep investing, especially with regard to dedicated housing (logement dédié). Currently 50 student apartments are being built and 150 more will follow. The City is working on more dedicated housing in order to bring living, working and leisure closer together—while keeping in mind the limits in terms of the territory, industry and nature. The City is surrounded by a wonderful green belt, that we will protect.

Traffic in Differdange is a challenge as well. Many cars are passing through Differdange every day without stopping in our city. We have already implemented some changes and are conducting test phases to monitor traffic and draw conclusions on how to improve the situation. We are working on this in cooperation with the other Kordall municipalities and at the national level as well, because this problem does not begin or end at the municipal boundaries.

Of course, the growing population also means that our infrastructure—such as schools, sports facilities and the town hall—must be modernised and expanded. We are currently working on that as well : a new town hall is being built, our brand-new sports centre in Oberkorn is open and a new school is being planned for Differdange.

Furthermore, as an official EU Mission City, we have the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. Our departments are working towards this goal at full speed, for example by switching to LED lighting, implementing solar and geothermal projects, making the city greener and collaborating with the local community and stake holders.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe the daily activities undertaken by you, as mayor of the municipality of Differdange and how you work in conjunction with the other members of your administration.

Guy Altmeisch: Being mayor of Differdange is a full-time job with no beginning and no end. No two days are the same in terms of schedule; you have to adapt to different situations and challenges. Daily activities include being in the office at city hall, having meetings with the college of Aldermen, with municipal departments and external providers, at different locations. But they also include many local and cultural events (inaugurations, events and festivities, …) that require the mayor to be present or to give a speech and that take place in the evening.

As mayor, you are in constant contact and dialogue with the various municipal departments regarding projects and plans, as well as with staff delegations regarding the work environment within the administration. It is important to strike a balance between the demands that politicians place on city services, on the one hand, and the employees' needs, on the other. That is why a responsible social dialogue is important to me.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe the challenges of being mayor of Differdange and what makes your municipality unique in Luxembourg.

Guy Altmeisch: The challenge of being mayor of the third-largest city of Luxembourg with over 125 nationalities, is to foster a positive social climate among the population, in line with our motto of “Different Together” and to continually try to improve the quality of life in Differdange—a job you cannot afford to neglect. Another challenge is to create jobs for our youth. We have more than 6000 citizens under the age of eighteen and we want to ensure that our city is child- and youth-friendly and that young people will be able to find jobs.

Chronicle.lu: As mayor, how do you select and prioritise which projects the municipality will undertake? 

Guy Altmeisch: When selecting and prioritising projects, I rely on the advice of our experts, whether in the fields of mobility, urban planning or others. We consult with our internal and, if needed, external experts—while, of course, taking into account the situation and limitations of our municipal territory—and then we work together to reach the best possible decision.

Chronicle.lu: What are the key projects, developments and upcoming events that will shape life in Differdange over the coming months and years?

Guy Altmeisch: The coming months and years will be shaped by the projects mentioned under question two, namely a new town hall, further developing infrastructures for education and sports, investing in housing, implementing traffic adaptations and working towards climate neutrality. At the same time we will not lose sight of the local economy and creating jobs here in the municipality.

We have also adjusted our financial assistance for local clubs in order to promote integration, physical activity, health and a sense of unity, and to better support people who volunteer locally and are an important part of the community.

Chronicle.lu: How does the municipality communicate with residents and encourage them to become involved in local life and decision-making? Do you use English in such communications? 

Guy Altmeisch: We have different communication channels that we use to reach residents to keep them informed and encourage them to be involved in our municipality. There is the DIFFMAG, our monthlymagazine, we also have an extensive website, our app and several social media channels. We communicate in different languages, mostly in French, Luxembourgish, German and English. The demand for information in English is growing. Our website is currently available in four languages and we are working to extend this to more languages (using automated translation) in order to make information as accessible as possible for our international community.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe any initiatives / projects the municipality has in place to strengthen community relations, integration and volunteering.

Guy Altmeisch: The City of Differdange has many initiatives that strive to strengthen community life and citizen participation. Two years ago, the City signed the municipal pact for intercultural living together and is thus committed to a participatory process that emphasises access to information, the participation of all people living and working in the municipality, and the fight against racism and discrimination.

Our Department for Living Together, which includes the Service Senior Plus, the Youth Department, the Equal Opportunities Service and the Job Centre, is committed to enabling residents to participate in city life. As one of the initiatives, a citizens’ budget has been put in place two years ago, which allows residents to submit projects that serve the public interest. The implemented project so far include a tool library, senior-friendly benches and a code club for kids.

The City has also adapted its financial aid to local associations, as they are an important part of participation, integration and volunteering.