Signing of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" in the municipalities of Schifflange, Steinfort, Echternach and Bettembourg

The minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Corinne Cahen, congratulated the municipalities for their commitment and pledged the ministry's support as well as that of its contracted partners and the integration advisors for the implementation of the "Pakt".

At the official signing ceremony on 7 March 2022, Paul Weimerskirch, Mayor of Schifflange, emphasised that "A living Schifflange... cannot be taken for granted. It is the citizens of different nationalities, women and men, young and old, who enrich our community and our living together through their creativity, their commitment and their initiatives. They all pursue a common goal: mutual understanding and living together in peace, while recognising that everyone is unique and contributes to the multicultural community of Schifflange.

On 17 March 2022, Sammy Wagner, mayor of Steinfort, emphasised the importance of a sense of belonging to one's community: "Only if you feel part of it, you will get involved in the life of your community.

During the signing ceremonies, the minister for Family Affairs and Integration emphasisedthat integration and living together are achieved at the local level, and that the aim of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" was to create a community that is accessible to all, where everyone is informed about the activities that take place in one's community and can therefore participate in them.

In their respective speeches, Emile Eicher, president of the SYVICOL, and Louis Oberhag, vice-president of the SYVICOL, emphasised the essential role of the municipalities in ensuring a peaceful living together and the importance of citizen participation in the dynamic process kickstarted with the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen".

Yves Wengler, mayor of Echternach, said that "On 21 March 2022, the City of Echternach signed the 'Pakt vum Zesummeliewen'. With this act, we strengthen the integration of our citizens. We are looking forward to the participatory cooperation that will result from this. It is precisely in these times that living together takes on a new meaning."

On 28 March 2022, Laurent Zeimet, mayor of Bettembourg, pointed out: "Our municipality is also a community, and our mission is to promote living together and the participation of all citizens. This pact is a step and a tool that help us to accomplish this mission.”

Through their signature, the municipalities express their commitment to a multi-annual process based on three pillars: communication, access to information and participation of all people living or working in the municipality.

In the coming months, other municipalities will join the 23 signatories of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen".

The origins of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen"

At the beginning of 2021, the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region initiated a pilot project aimed at a more dynamic and multi-annual integration process.

Since the start of the project, 23 municipalities have signed the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen".

The five steps of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen":

1. Political commitment by the signing of the "Pakt"
2. Inventory of the needs of the municipality
3. Citizen workshops to develop actions to promote integration
4. Implementation of actions to promote integration
5. Evaluation of the work done and planning of the next steps

The implementation is closely accompanied by a team from the integration department of the Ministry for Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region, its contracted partners ASTI and CEFIS, and four integration advisors. The latter make their expertise available and pass on good practices between the participating municipalities. Other partners, in particular local actors, are called upon to get involved and participate in the conception and implementation of living together in their municipality or the surrounding region.

To illustrate the possibilities of getting involved as a citizen in the various stages of the process, the Ministry has prepared a brochure in four languages, available to the participating municipalities. The "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" is also summarised on the Ministry's website:

Pakt vum Zesummeliewen - ministère de la Famille, de l'Intégration et à la Grande Région // Le gouvernement luxembourgeois.

In order to make this initiative and the commitment of the municipality more visible, the logo of the "Pakt vum Zesummeliewen" is made available to the signatory municipalities.

Press release by the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region