"Monarchy of Luxembourg The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the monarchical head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was elevated from a duchy, and was in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1890 under the House of Orange-Nassau and is the world's only sovereign grand duchy. Since 1815, there have been nine monarchs of Luxembourg, including the incumbent, Henri. The constitution of Luxembourg defines the grand duke's position: After a constitutional change (to article 34) in December 2008 resulting from Henri's refusal to assent to a"
"), i.e. the Chief of Staff of the Head of State, HRH the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Pierre Mores Pierre Mores (born 21 April 1950 in Esch-sur-Alzette) is a Luxembourgish politician, jurist, and administrator. He is in charge of administering Luxembourg's largest private-sector pension fund, the White Collar Workers' Pension Fund (CPEP). He was appointed to the Council of State on 20 March 1990 to replace Edmond Reuter. He was named Vice-President of the Council on 14 January 2000, and replaced Marcel Sauber as President on 29 April 2003. He held the position until 30 September 2007, when he was"
"Grand Duke as Commander-in-Chief. The Minister for Defence, currently Etienne Schneider, oversees army operations. The professional head of the army is the Chief of Defence, who answers to the minister and holds the rank of general. Being a landlocked country, it has no navy. Luxembourg also lacks an air force, though the 17 NATO AWACS aeroplanes are, for convenience, registered as aircraft of Luxembourg. In accordance with a joint agreement with Belgium, both countries have put forth funding for one A400M military cargo plane. Luxembourg has participated in the Eurocorps, has contributed troops to the UNPROFOR and IFOR missions in"
"the functions of the head of state as a part of a temporary commission. Luxembourgian Secretaries of State (, , ) are members of the cabinet, and are ranked below ministers. They are given specific briefs, covering the same briefs as the ministers, and help to assist their respective ministers to perform their functions. They often hold more than one brief or assist more than one minister. In the first Juncker-Asselborn cabinet, there was one Secretary of State, Octavie Modert, who is responsible for Relations with Parliament; Agriculture, Viticulture, and Rural Development; and Culture, Higher Education, and Research. There had"
"with the growth of the State's scope of activities, and Luxembourg's integration in international politics. At the beginning of the 2009-2013 legislature, the government was composed of 15 ministers. Council of Government of Luxembourg The Council of Government of Luxembourg consists of the Prime Minister and a number of ministers. It was created by Grand Ducal decree on 29 August 1846, as the administrator of the country: ""The Council of Government administers the country , while complying with laws and regulations (...) The administration of the country being entrusted to the Council of Government, every measure and administrative decision emanates"
"reforms on same-sex marriage, replace religious instruction in schools with general ethics classes and cut spending to maintain Luxembourg's AAA credit rating. Bettel is openly gay, and has stated that increasingly in Luxembourg ""people do not consider the fact of whether someone is gay or not"". Bettel is Luxembourg's first openly gay Prime Minister and, worldwide, the third openly gay head of government following Iceland's Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (2009–2013) and Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (2011–2014). As of 2017, he is one of three openly gay world leaders in office, the others being Leo Varadkar, the Taoiseach of"
"an independent state under the personal possession of William I of the Netherlands with a Prussian garrison to guard the city against another invasion from France. In 1839, following the turmoil of the Belgian Revolution, the purely Oil-speaking part of Luxembourg was ceded to Belgium and the Luxembourgish-speaking part (except the Arelerland, the area around Arlon) became what is the present state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union, OECD, United Nations, NATO, and Benelux. The city of Luxembourg, which is the country's capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of"
"the affirmation of the country’s independence. In fact, the linguistic situation in Luxembourg was characterised by trilingualism: Lëtzebuergesch was the spoken vernacular language, German the written language, in which Luxembourgers were most fluent, and French the language of official letters and law. In 1985, the country became victim to a mysterious bombing spree, which was targeted mostly at electrical masts and other installations. In 1995, Luxembourg provided the President of the European Commission, former Prime Minister Jacques Santer who later had to resign over corruption accusations against other commission members. Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, followed this European tradition. On 10"
"meetings. On 31 July 2004 the new CSV-LSAP government was sworn in. After a ministerial reshuffle on 22 February 2006, Jean-Louis Schiltz became the Minister for Defence. Luc Frieden remained in charge of Justice, the Treasury, and the Budget. In his speech on the state of the nation in 2007, Jean-Claude Juncker stated that ""only the European Union gives Luxembourg the means to exercise influence on events abroad; it is important for Luxembourg to influence the development of Europe"". The European community remained the preferred field of action for Luxembourgish diplomacy. Several times in the past, the Grand Duchy's political"
"training. On 4 September 2017, he took the oath as an officer of the Luxembourg Army. He is currently serving as a platoon commander in the 1st Bn Irish Guards. Prince Sébastien is a patron of the Luxembourg Federation of Swimming and Rescue (FLNS). As a son of one of the 2 Heads of the House : As Prince of Luxembourg, at 18 years old : Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg (Sébastien Henri Marie Guillaume; born 16 April 1992) is the fifth and youngest child of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Prince Sébastien has"
"of ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, ITUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, Zangger Committee Politics of Luxembourg The politics of Luxembourg takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister of Luxembourg is the head of government, and the multi-party system. Executive power is under the constitution of 1868, as amended, exercised by the"
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Luxembourg) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (, MAE) is a ministry of the government of Luxembourg, headquartered in the ""Bâtiment Mansfeld"" in Luxembourg City. It is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (), a position in the Luxembourgian cabinet. This post is currently held by Jean Asselborn. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for determining Luxembourg's foreign policy and representing the government abroad. The position of Minister for Foreign Affairs has been in continuous existence since the promulgation of Luxembourg's first constitution, in 1848. Until 1937, the position was held concurrently by the Prime"
"of 476,187 people in an area of 2586 square kilometres (998 sq mi). Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democracy with a constitutional monarchy, ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only sovereign Grand Duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in the world. The city of Luxembourg, the capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions and agencies of the European Union. Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romantic Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Luxembourg is a trilingual country;"
"Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations The role of the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations is as the leader of the Luxembourger delegation to the United Nations in New York and as head of the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the UN. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is also the representative of Luxembourg in the United Nations Security Council (2013-2014). The Permanent Representative, currently Christian Braun, is charged with representing Luxembourg, both through its non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council and also during"
"Luxembourg Army The Luxembourg Army is the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been an all-volunteer force since 1967. It has a current strength of approximately 450 professional soldiers—340 enlisted recruits and 100 civilians—with a total budget of $369 million, or 0.9% of GDP. The army is under civilian control, with the Grand Duke as Commander-in-Chief. The Minister for Defence, currently Etienne Schneider, oversees army operations. The professional head of the army is the Chief of Defence, who answers to the minister and holds the rank of general. Luxembourg has participated in the Eurocorps, has contributed troops to"
"the grand duke, dated 7 November 1980. The couple have five children and four grandchildren: Prince Henri became heir apparent to the Luxembourg throne on the abdication of his paternal grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, on 12 November 1964. From 1980 to 1998, he was a member of the Council of State. On 4 March 1998, Prince Henri was appointed as lieutenant representative by his father, Grand Duke Jean, meaning that he assumed most of his father's constitutional powers. On 7 October 2000, immediately following the abdication of his father, Henri acceded as grand duke of Luxembourg and took"
"the Prime Minister for all but six years since 1918, and has always been the largest party in the legislature. In this respect, Luxembourg has certain features of a dominant-party system, although coalition governments are the norm. Luxembourg's national legislature is the unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourgish ""Châmber vun Députéirten"", French: ""Chambre des députés"", German: ""Abgeordnetenkammer""). The Chamber has 60 members, known as 'deputies', elected for a five-year term in four multi-seat constituencies, known as 'circonscriptions'. Seats are allocated by proportional representation, using the Hagenbach-Bischoff system. Voting is compulsory for all voters on the electoral register. To be eligible to"
"Council of Government of Luxembourg The Council of Government of Luxembourg consists of the Prime Minister and a number of ministers. It was created by Grand Ducal decree on 29 August 1846, as the administrator of the country: ""The Council of Government administers the country , while complying with laws and regulations (...) The administration of the country being entrusted to the Council of Government, every measure and administrative decision emanates from it, excepting the authorisation or approval of the Grand Duke, in cases determined by the laws and regulations."" It meets on a weekly basis to discuss bills to"
"Finance, described Juncker in an interview as a ""heavy smoker and drinker"", but later apologized for his comments. Juncker himself has always denied these allegations in interviews. Jean-Claude Juncker Jean-Claude Juncker (; born 9 December 1954) is a Luxembourgish politician serving as President of the European Commission since 2014. From 1995 to 2013 he served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Luxembourg; from 1989 to 2009 he was also Minister for Finances. By the time he left office, he was the longest-serving head of any national government in the EU, and one of the longest-serving democratically elected leaders in the"
"the EU. Luxembourg served on the United Nations Security Council for the years 2013 and 2014, which was a first in the country's history. In 2016 Luxembourgish citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 172 countries and territories, ranking the Luxembourgish passport 15th in the world, tied with countries such as Canada and Switzerland. The recorded history of Luxembourg begins with the acquisition of Lucilinburhuc (today Luxembourg Castle) situated on the Bock rock by Siegfried, Count of Ardennes, in 963 through an exchange act with St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier. Around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the centre"
"he retains the constitutional power to appoint the prime minister and government, to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies, to promulgate laws and to accredit ambassadors. Grand Duke Henri is commander-in-chief of the Luxembourg Army, in which he holds the rank of general. He is also an honorary major in the British RAF Regiment. One of the grand duke's main functions is to represent Luxembourg in the field of foreign affairs. In May 2001, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa undertook their first foreign state visit to Spain at the invitation of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Grand"
"referendum to abolish the monarchy entirely. The current monarch is Hans-Adam II, who turned over the day-to-day governing decisions to his son and heir Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein on 15 August 2004. Luxembourg has been an independent grand duchy since 9 June 1815. Originally, Luxembourg was in personal union with the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 16 March 1815 until 23 November 1890. While Wilhelmina succeeded Willem III in the Netherlands, this was not possible in Luxembourg due to the order of succession being based on Salic law at that time; he"
"plenary meetings of the General Assembly, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer (such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Prime Minister) is present. Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations The role of the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations is as the leader of the Luxembourger delegation to the United Nations in New York and as head of the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg to the UN. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is also the representative of Luxembourg in"
"Luxembourg Luxembourg (; ; ; ), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, together with Brussels and Strasbourg, is one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and German cultures, as evident by the"
"otherwise remained. The Council of State is composed of twenty-one councillors, who are appointed by the Grand Duke. Of these, at least eleven must hold doctorates in law. Neither number applies to members of the Grand Ducal Family, who may be appointed as additional members of the Council. Membership is restricted to Luxembourgian nationals, who are resident in the Grand Duchy, are in possession of their full civil and political rights, and are at least 30 years old. The final restriction does not apply to the heir to the Grand Duchy, who may be appointed as soon as he or"
"From 1841 to 1848 he was the governor of the Grand-Duchy. On 1 August 1848 he became the first head of government of Luxembourg and was also responsible for the areas of foreign affairs, justice, and culture. The government fell on 2 December 1849. De la Fontaine was from 1849 to 1851 a member of the council of Luxembourg City. In 1857 he was appointed the first president of the newly established Council of State, which he remained for 11 years. His third son, Edmond, better known by his pen name 'Dicks', became Luxembourg's national poet, and one of the"
"Jean-Claude Juncker Jean-Claude Juncker (; born 9 December 1954) is a Luxembourgish politician serving as President of the European Commission since 2014. From 1995 to 2013 he served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Luxembourg; from 1989 to 2009 he was also Minister for Finances. By the time he left office, he was the longest-serving head of any national government in the EU, and one of the longest-serving democratically elected leaders in the world, his tenure encompassing the height of the European financial and sovereign debt crisis. From 2005 to 2013, Juncker served as the first permanent President of the"
"of Luxembourg's population. As a representative democracy with a constitutional monarch, it is headed by Grand Duke Henri and is the world's only remaining grand duchy. Luxembourg is a developed country, with an advanced economy and one of the world's highest GDP (PPP) per capita. The City of Luxembourg with its old quarters and fortifications was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to the exceptional preservation of the vast fortifications and the old city. The history of Luxembourg is considered to begin in 963, when count Siegfried I acquired a rocky promontory and its Roman-era fortifications known"
"study in Europe. SHU Luxembourg provides a spring semester program as well as short-term courses offered during the summer . SHU Luxembourg has awarded honorary degrees to exceptional personalities in Luxembourg. The most recent recipient is Prime Minister Xavier Bettel . SHU Luxembourg programs are designed to enable individuals to advance their career. It is suitable for graduate student seeking to gain substantial work experience while completing an MBA at the same time, business professionals making progress in their current occupations or young professionals aiming at redirecting their career. This MBA is a 16-month full-time program including a 6-9-month paid"
"and Social Council's 65th President on 15 January 2009, serving until 19 January 2010. In 2001, Luxembourg presented its candidacy for a non-permanent Security Council seat for 2013 and 2014, and was subsequently elected for the WEOG seat on 18 October 2012 alongside Australia. This was the first time Luxembourg had served on the council. In March 2014 Lucas served as President of the United Nations Security Council. Luxembourg and the United Nations The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a charter member of the United Nations and served as one of the ten non-permanent members of the UN Security Council"
"a three-party coalition government with the LSAP and The Greens, and on 4 December 2013 the Bettel-Schneider government was sworn in, with DP leader Xavier Bettel serving as Prime Minister. The Democratic Party sits on the moderate centre-right of the political spectrum in Luxembourg. Since the late 1960s, thanks to the secularisation of Luxembourg and the CSV, the party has moved gradually towards the centre, to allow it to form coalitions with either the CSV or LSAP. Now, it could be seen to be to the left of the CSV, in the centre, and with more in common with the"
"as a global financial centre and developed into the banking hub it is reputed for. Since the beginning of the 21st century, its governments have focused on developing the country into a knowledge economy, with the founding of the University of Luxembourg and a national space programme, projecting the first involvement in a robotic lunar expedition by 2020. Luxembourg is described as a ""full democracy"", with a parliamentary democracy headed by a constitutional monarch. Executive power is exercised by the Grand Duke and the cabinet, which consists of several other ministers. The Constitution of Luxembourg, the supreme law of Luxembourg,"
"the Chamber, starting 12 August 1999. In 2013, Bettel was elected leader of the Democratic Party, and in the 2013 election, led the party to a third-ranked position in parliamentary seats. On 25 October, Bettel was designated by Grand Duke Henri as the formateur for the next government. He assumed his post as Luxembourg's Prime Minister on 4 December 2013. In the government's coalition of the Democratic Party, Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party and The Greens, he also holds the functions of Minister of State, Minister for Communications and the Media, and Minister of Worship. His policies were expected to include"