Until now, municipal agents, dubbed “Pecherten” in Luxembourgish, were already able to issue tickets for illegal parking. On Wednesday morning, MPs passed a bill that expands the competences of municipal agents and that has been on the table since spring 2017. The bill was passed with 58 votes in favour and two against.
Under the new law, municipal agents will now also be able to issue tickets for littering, as well as to dog owners who fail to keep their pets on a leash or do not bother to pick up their droppings. They may also issue tickets for vandalism, disturbance at night, or disturbance during the day on Sundays.
It will be up to each municipality to choose which of the 17 potential offences its municipal agents can step in for. Tickets may range from €25 to €250.
Municipal agents will also be trained to provide first aid. The expansion of their powers is meant to lighten the burden on the legal system and the police.
The two bills containing these changes were passed on Wednesday morning with the votes of the majority, the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr), and the Pirate Party. The two elected members of the Left Party (Déi Lénk) voted against the bill, arguing that the reform is incoherent and focuses too much on sanctions at the expense of dialogue and awareness raising.
