One of the many consequences of the war in Iran is the spike in oil prices now being felt across the globe and at home too. The Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) MP Paulette Lenert called on the government to enter crisis mode during an interview on RTL on Monday morning.
Last week, diesel and heating oil prices had already risen by around 20 cents per litre. This Monday, oil prices surged to 100 USD per barrel, the highest level seen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lenert, who served as Deputy Prime Minister during that previous energy crisis, drew parallels with the current situation, saying that, as she had believed then, she saw little sign of the crisis easing any time soon. In her view, there must be “some leeway” to respond to the surge in energy prices, but what is currently lacking is a long-term strategy. “We are living the high life here, so to speak,” she said, arguing that Luxembourg needed to find ways to “support” its standard of living by shifting and restructuring its economy. In hard times, solidarity is needed “and an understanding that everyone needs to contribute something”, she added.
Lenert welcomed the solidarity shown in the repatriation of Luxembourgers from the Middle East, noting that there had been no warning before the US-Israeli strikes began. She was particularly eager to praise those working behind the scenes to make the operations possible. Officials who, unlike the ministers, were not standing in the front row.
Above all else, however, it is the erosion of respect for international law that concerns her most. A world order without international law, she warned, would be “fatal” for a small country like Luxembourg. Lenert agreed that the UN has failed or at the very least been weakened, but argued that the response should be to think seriously about how to reform it, and that Luxembourg should position itself among the countries willing to take on the work.
The LSAP is also in the works of drawing up a new party manifesto to replace the one the party has had since 2002. Some 200 amendments have been submitted in total, including 13 from Lenert herself. “These are not divergences,” said the eastern constituency MP, describing the process as a participatory exercise aimed at sharpening the party’s principles rather than signalling any internal divisions.
The notion of solidarity, woven like a thread through much of the interview, is central to her vision across a wide range of policy areas, from migration and housing to education and consumer protection. “We live in a world where the law of the strongest is gradually, but surely, regaining ground. It is therefore important to clearly state the principles we defend [...]. And that is why they must be clearly included in our manifesto”, she explained. Unlike the old manifesto, the new draft also breaks new ground by explicitly referencing a progressive and international inheritance tax. For Lenert, the reasoning behind this inclusion is straightforward: if you want a country where everyone has a place, then no one can simply look out for themselves.
Although the party manifesto does not explicitly address the role of municipalities in housing, Lenert argued that the principle of solidarity should be “imposed” on the municipal level as well. Luxembourg City, she pointed out, is the second largest owner of building land in the entire country, accounting for 40 percent of all jobs, but home to just 20 percent of the population. A municipality of that scale, she said, “evidently has to deliver to a greater extent than others.” She also made a strong case on Monday morning for cooperative housing as a viable third pillar in the housing market.
On the question of party leadership, Lenert said she “most certainly” supports the candidacies of LSAP MP Georges Engel and Luxembourg City alderwoman Maxime Miltgen for the party’s co-presidency. Her reason for not putting herself forward, she explained, was to give others greater visibility within the party.
