The University of Luxembourg has responded to recent media reports raising concerns about working conditions, internal promotion procedures and the work climate, particularly within the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance. The institution says it takes all allegations seriously, including those made anonymously, and has provided additional context.
The issue was discussed on Tuesday, 27 January, during a meeting of the parliamentary committee for higher education and research. Minister Stéphanie Obertin attended the meeting alongside the University’s rector Jens Kreisel and vice-rector for research Simone Niclou to answer questions from MPs.
The debate followed protests by dissatisfied lecturers and researchers outside parliament last autumn, alongside critical media coverage.
Kreisel and Niclou strongly defended the institution. Kreisel told MPs that elected representatives of staff and students on the University Council – the university governing board – do not see a widespread structural problem. While difficult individual cases certainly exist, he said, there is no evidence of a systemic malaise across the university as a whole.
Niclou explained that the situation of researchers on fixed-term contracts is not unique to Luxembourg but reflects conditions found worldwide in academia. She said the university is seeking to provide better support for staff in these circumstances.
According to Kreisel, the University Council has launched an internal review, alongside plans for an external audit. He said the purpose of the audit is to focus on human resources issues, staff wellbeing, the availability of reporting channels, and the clarity and effectiveness of existing procedures.
During the committee meeting, MPs from across the political spectrum raised concerns about the independence of the planned external audit. Several questioned whether an audit commissioned, scoped, and first received by the University itself could be considered fully independent, and whether governance structures should also fall within its scope.
MP Joëlle Welfring of The Greens (Déi Gréng) said she was concerned that the audit, as currently designed, appeared too narrow. She pointed out that previous external evaluations, including a Technopolis report published last year, had already concluded that the University’s governance structure needed to be modernised and made more flexible. In her view, examining human resources without also reviewing governance risked missing the root of the problem.
MP Sven Clement of the Pirate Party (Piratepartei) also questioned whether an audit commissioned and framed by the University itself could genuinely be considered independent. He argued that a review mandated by the ministry, or reported directly to parliament, would have provided stronger guarantees of neutrality and transparency.
Further questions were raised about potential conflicts of interest. The chair of the University Council is businessman Yves Elsen. The weekly newspaper ‘d’Lëtzebuerger Land’ recently reported that two companies in which Elsen has a stake, namely Hitec and Lift me off, are industrial partners of the university’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability, and Trust (SNT).
MP Liz Braz of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) therefore asked whether economic conflicts of interest within the governance structure were being adequately addressed. She said she regretted that the audit would be limited to human resources and would not examine governance, which she described as a potentially systemic issue that, in her view, had been downplayed during the commission meeting.
Obertin rejected the suggestion that the government was stepping back from its responsibilities. She stressed that the ministry remains fully involved, saying that oversight does not disappear simply because the audit is not directly ordered by her department. She added that the process is being closely monitored and that the terms of reference are still open to adjustment.
Even among the governing majority, doubts persisted. MP Françoise Kemp of the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), the vice-chair of the commission, said many questions remain unanswered and stressed the need to ensure genuine independence. She also called for the audit’s findings to be discussed in detail at commission level once available.
Across party lines, there was broad agreement that the audit should examine whether deeper, systemic problems exist. MP David Wagner of The Left (Déi Lénk) said the review must explicitly address that question.
The University, which employs around 2,700 staff, including approximately 1,600 academics, operates under the amended Law of 27 June 2018 governing its organisation and academic promotion procedures. According to the institution, promotions are competitive, apply across all faculties and research centres, and are assessed by independent external experts.
Since 2018, around 190 applications for academic promotion have been examined, resulting in 60 promotions. Of the 130 unsuccessful candidates, four have challenged the procedure before the administrative court. The University says that ongoing legal proceedings limit its ability to comment on individual cases.
In response to the competitive nature of academic careers, an Office for Professorial Affairs was established in January 2025 to support career development and promotion candidates.
Regarding the working environment, the University says staff well-being is a priority. Between 2020 and 2025, the Human Resources Department received 27 complaints related to inappropriate behaviour, plagiarism, harassment, or discrimination. Three cases were considered potentially qualifying as harassment, and the University says appropriate measures were taken in all instances.
The Ombuds office provides confidential support to staff and students and was expanded in 2025. Staff surveys conducted in 2023 recorded an overall satisfaction score of 3.88 out of 5. Staff turnover over the past five years ranged between 3 and 4%, while the doctoral dropout rate stands at 10–15%, which the University says is below international averages.
In November 2025, the University launched an internal review overseen by the University Council, with results expected in March 2026. A public tender for an independent external audit of human resources and organisational structures is also planned.
The University says it remains committed to a respectful, fair, and supportive working environment and will publish the conclusions of both reviews.
