L-R: Thomas Wolter, Mayor of Waldbredimus; Carlo Kütten, Mayor of Bous; Taina Bofferding, Luxembourg's Minister for Home Affairs; Christiane Thommes-Bach, Mayor of Wahl; Paul Engel, Mayor of Grosbous; Credit: MINT

Luxembourg's Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that progress is being made concerning the two municipal mergers planned for later this year.

On Wednesday 8 February 2023, the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament) voted unanimously in the first vote on the two bills concerning the merger of the municipalities of Grosbous-Wahl and Bous-Waldbredimus respectively. With these votes, the number of municipalities in Luxembourg has been reduced to 100 (the first time this threshold has been reached since at least 1840).

The two mergers, which will take place on 1 September 2023, will receive special state aid based on the actual population of each of the merging municipalities on 31 August 2023. As such, the new municipality of Grosbous-Wahl, which will have its seat in Grosbous, will receive financial aid estimated at €4.829 million (for approximately 2,195 inhabitants) and the municipality of Bous-Waldbredimus, which will have its provisional seat in Bous until work on the new town hall in Waldbredimus is completed, will receive financial aid estimated at €6.6 million (for approximately 3,000 inhabitants).

This special state aid will be paid in instalments and is intended to reduce the borrowing of the new municipalities and to implement the projects included in the multiannual financing plans.

The new municipality of Grosbous-Wahl will have a twelve-member municipal council composed of twelve members whilst that of Bous-Waldbredimus will have an eleven-member municipal council until the full renewal of the municipal councils at the municipal elections in 2029.

Luxembourg's Minister for Home Affairs, Taina Bofferding, was reportedly pleased that the two bills had received their first unanimous constitutional vote. She stated: "I welcome the political courage shown by the municipal leaders who have chosen to work closely together by taking the initiative to merge. Knowing that there is an impulse to merge at the local level, based on team spirit and co-decision, without any State intervention, I would like to reaffirm that mergers will remain voluntary processes, respecting the principle of subsidiarity and municipal autonomy."