The Green minister supports the government's decision to relax certain measures while stepping up others. According to Kox, the restrictions provided for in the new Covid-19 law, which was passed by the Chamber of Deputies on Friday, remain harsh. The government's new measures have not only been criticised by the opposition but also by foreign politicians from Germany, for instance. Critics accuse the government of not being cautious enough.
Housing: Vacant lots to be put to use
The Minister for Housing explained that he mainly intends to build public and affordable housing on so-called vacant lots. 2,900 hectares of building land are currently unused; however, the State only owns around 11% of that land. The State intends to aggressively purchase land with the help of the new special fund, Kox stated. The Minister cited three major projects in this context: Elmen (a new neighbourhood near Olm), Wiltz, and Dudelange. Combined, these three projects represent a total of 3,000 created housing units.
A neighbourhood for everyone: This is the equation with which the Minister for Housing intends to solve the housing crisis. It requires the cooperation of state, municipalities, associations, and foundations, led by the National Affordable Housing Company (SNHBM) and the Housing Fund. Between 3,000 and 4,000 people are currently on the latter's waiting lists. According to Kox, one of the main areas that needs to be improved is renting.
In order to put more building land to use and create housing units, the government could introduce a tax on vacant lots. However, Kox did not want to name a specific rate. Instead, he stressed that a tax alone would not be enough to fight market speculation.
Police: 5,000 fines since the beginning of the pandemic
Kox also serves as Minister of Internal Security. Since the beginning of the pandemic, police have carried out 17,000 checks and issued nearly 5,000 fines. The main focus of current checks is whether or not people comply with the curfew.
