Ioanna Schimizzi: Your municipality signed the Gemengepakt, a communal pact for intercultural living together, at the end of last year. What is that agreement about?
Christian Weis (CSV): The communal pact for living together was introduced at national level by the law of 23 August 2023. The communes that sign them undertake to implement measures to ensure that “living together” for the different communities and nationalities in the commune improves.
The terms used have also changed. Previously, we talked about integration.
Yes, all municipalities had to have an integration commission by law. Now, we’re talking about the living-together commission, so it’s a much more open spirit, of meetings.
How many nationalities are present in Esch-sur-Alzette?
The city counts 38,000 inhabitants according to the latest census [Esch-sur-Alzette is the grand duchy’s second largest city by population, editor’s note] and 122 nationalities, which is exceptional. Living together here means something. It’s important that all communities and nationalities rub shoulders and interact.
Are you also noticing a new form of immigration?
Yes, a new population of foreign university researchers is arriving here, so we can’t compare them with other periods, like the immigration of the 1950s or 1990s. The concept of living together is constantly changing and has different aspects. In Esch-sur-Alzette, we were one of the first municipalities in the country to launch a municipal integration plan.
What are your priorities for this pact?
For us, culture and sport are, for example, vehicles for integration or living together because on a sports field or during a cultural activity, there is no nationality, there is no common language that you have to speak. It’s a moment of sharing. We also organise our own language courses and we have a language café.
We are going to invest €240m, with state aid, to acquire 340 of the 350 homes in the Rout Lëns project and integrate them into our rental stock.
What are the major challenges facing the municipality?
One of the biggest challenges we face is that we are a town that is set to grow enormously over the coming months and years. Esch-sur-Alzette will have 50,000 inhabitants within 15 years; in 30-40 years, there will be 70,000 people living here. Belval is continuing to develop, as is Metzeschmelz, an industrial wasteland between Esch-sur-Alzette and Schifflange [10,000 new inhabitants are expected, editor’s note], and the Rout Lëns district [3,000 to 3,500 inhabitants, editor’s note]. New residents mean new infrastructure and all the services that go with it.
What about affordable housing in your area?
We want to develop our rental stock. As the town of Esch, we are going to invest €240m, with state aid, to acquire 340 of the 350 homes in the Rout Lëns project and integrate them into our rental stock.
And when it comes to social housing, one has to submit an application via our housing department and see if one is eligible or not.
What is the town’s rental stock at present?
We have around 300 affordable homes and we’re going to double that. We have also launched the renovation of the old social housing that dates back to the beginning of the city of Esch.
You became mayor of the city in December 2023, when joined the CSV-DP government. Was this position a goal in and of itself?
Politics has always been a passion for me. Even as a child, it was a tradition in our house to listen to the radio together at lunchtime and discuss current political affairs. I had an uncle who was also involved in politics and my parents had many friends from the various parties.
I hope to continue as mayor for as long as possible.
Did you study to be a social worker?
Yes, that’s what I wanted to do and it’s what I still enjoy doing today. Then I did a master’s degree in political science, in political consultancy because I always wanted to work in the domain.
You became mayor when you were 37 years old.
I would say that things happened in stages. The first is that at the age of 18, the CSV asked me to be a candidate. I then became an alderman. Today it’s a huge challenge and an honour to be the mayor of this town where I’ve lived all my life and which I know by heart. Even if it wasn’t my childhood dream, it’s an exceptional opportunity to now be at the forefront.
Are you already thinking about the local elections in 2029?
I think we have time to think about who will be the head of our party’s list, and then it’s up to the party to decide when the time comes. I hope that Georges [Mischo] does a good job as minister and that he is re-elected at the next general election so that he can join the government again, if he wants to. And I hope to continue as mayor for as long as possible.
Do you find that your municipality sometimes has a negative image?
Yes, I regret it. I don’t want to say I can understand it, but I think it’s something that needs to be analysed over the long term. Here in the southern part of the country, there was industrial production and men and women of immigrant origin who worked there. When the steel industry left our communities, it clearly had a huge impact. You also have to realise that for a long time, companies like Arbed helped to develop towns and hospitals, for example. Their departure had an effect on the region and I think it takes time to reflect, to reconvert these territories.
Integrating this logic--with the university, of now being the city of science and research here in Luxembourg, for example--can be difficult for people who have known Esch as the working-class city. But it’s happening little by little and I think that the new opportunities that are opening up to us every day--like Belval or being --are a dynamic for relaunching the city whilst keeping our identity.
The National Mobility Plan 2035 also includes the intention for the tram to come all the way to Esch.
Work is progressing well in any case; we have regular meetings. For our part, we have started preparatory work because the tram will not reach the city centre.
This article was written in for the of Paperjam magazine, published on 26 March. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the site to contribute to the full Paperjam archive. .
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