Michel Wolter, an MP for the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) who officially resigned as mayor of Käerjeng on Wednesday, sat down for an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio on Thursday morning.
Asked about the timing of his departure, Wolter explained that now was the right moment to put a new team in place. He and Frank Pirrotte, a CSV member of Käerjeng’s municipal executive board, submitted a proposal to the committee to “offer a new generation the opportunity to prepare for the next elections and to initiate a renewal”.
The new mayor of Käerjeng will be Nadine Braconnier, who placed fourth on the CSV list in the last elections and is the wife of outgoing mayor Michel Wolter. Wolter acknowledged that the decision has raised scepticism and accusations of nepotism.
However, he rejected the claim that the succession was decided before the elections, arguing that it was only made possible by the election results. He added that the future mayor is well qualified for the role, noting that she is a municipal secretary by profession, president of the municipality’s finance committee, and “a child of the municipality”.
Wolter did not hide his sense of “satisfaction at having achieved everything I wanted to do” for Käerjeng. He said that concepts he had learned and developed as minister for home affairs and spatial planning were subsequently implemented at the municipal level. According to Wolter, Käerjeng has transformed from a transit municipality into a genuinely pleasant place to live, and is no longer the same as it was 15 years ago.
The long-awaited bypass remains a key issue. Wolter participated on Monday in a final meeting addressing the overall traffic situation in the Kordall area. Four municipalities – Differdange, Käerjeng, Pétange, and Sanem – are working with the state to develop solutions.
A comprehensive concept based on seven to eight road projects, as well as train, bus, and cycling infrastructure, is being drawn up to resolve the traffic congestion observed during the morning rush hour.
Regarding whether he will stand again in the next legislative elections under the CSV banner, Wolter said he will make his decision next year, taking into account the evolution of the political situation as well as his personal circumstances. “I still enjoy politics. So I should not be underestimated. I have been involved for 41 years”, he asserted.
Wolter said he “has an opinion on many subjects and does not hesitate to express it openly” when he believes it can contribute something. He had particularly sharp words for the state of social dialogue, which he described as being at a complete standstill. “I have never experienced it like this before. I must also say, pardon the expression, that I sometimes feel like I’m back in nursery school”, he stated.
He noted that he had never before witnessed some social partners refusing to address their relevant minister and instead insisting on speaking only to the Prime Minister. “It is simply not acceptable for the president of the OGBL to decide that she does not want to go to the Minister of Labour and only wants to speak to the Prime Minister”, Wolter said.
In Wolter’s view, the Grand Duchy is currently facing a serious competitiveness problem, with businesses falling sharply behind in international comparisons. He claimed that Luxembourg now lives solely off its financial centre. For this reason, Wolter said he agrees with former Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker that a tripartite meeting is finally needed, “because we are facing a global crisis that must be overcome”.
To achieve this, however, a “shared assessment” is necessary, along with agreement on “precisely what needs to be overcome”. Wolter said he finds somewhat lacking “the spirit that we form a nation and take the country forward together”. He cautioned that “we are entering a totally selfish society, where people only look out for their own interest and their ego”, adding that it is now time to put egos aside.
Asked why he did not put himself forward as a candidate for the presidency of the CSV parliamentary group or present a rival candidacy to Luc Frieden for the party presidency, Wolter replied: “Because in the CSV, one does not stand against the Prime Minister”.
However, Wolter admitted that he personally believes it is not desirable for Frieden to remain party president, “because I think that Prime Minister and party president are two distinct functions. And because they are combined in one person, our party is actually losing a voice”.
Nevertheless, he concluded that one does not position oneself against the Prime Minister, as that would cause a fracture within the party, and that is not how he intends to do politics.
