Anne Calteux, the new representative of the European Commission, stated that she does not only want to speak to people who are already interested in Europe. Instead, Calteux stressed that the focus must be on listing to and reaching people "from all parts of society". In particular, Calteux stated that she is interested in speaking with young people, for instance in the context of an upcoming music festival.
The new premises of the Maison de l'Europe in Kirchberg are "certainly not ideal" in terms of reaching people, Calteux acknowledged. One of the reasons why the institution decided to move out of the "Gilly-Haus" in the old town was the rent, the representative explained. The Maison de l'Europe's information centre will remain unavailable until the "Jean-Monnet-2-Building" in Kirchberg is finished. However, an interim solution is being worked on.
Up until recently, Anne Calteux was the General Coordinator at the Ministry of Health and as such the direct assistant of Minister of Health Paulette Lenert. When asked whether there are tensions between the Ministry and the National Health Directorate, Calteux replied that it is "rather interesting" to see what sorts of conclusions people draw from a career change. She stated that after eight years at the Ministry she had "made the rounds there" and the position as representative at the Maison de l'Europe presented itself. Seeing as she had already worked at Luxembourg's permanent representation in Brussels previously, Calteux explained that she is "passionate" about the topic.
As for potential tensions, Calteux stated that while she is not saying that there have never been any during the past months, it was never spiteful, and everyone treated each other with mutual respect. She concluded by stressing that she admires anyone who is still managing the crisis because it is "back-breaking work".
