Etgen entered politics in 1979 by becoming a member of the DP. He was also alderman of the Feulen municipality from 1982 to 1987 before becoming its mayor in 1994. He was elected to parliament in 2007 and served there until his appointment to the government in 2013. He was appointed agriculture and consumer protection minister, as well as minister for relations with parliament. At the end of 2018, Etgen was appointed president of the Chamber of Deputies.

What was your first job and how long did you do this job for?

After my studies, I started working as a civil servant within the registration and estates department in Diekirch. I stayed there from 1 October 1977 to 31 December 2007, so more than 30 years.

What’s your best/worst memory?

I still have very good memories of that time. I learned a lot during those years. I gained experiences that are still useful to me today.

What did you learn that helped your career further along the way?

As I was assigned to different services and the missions were very versatile, I gained a lot of experience, especially in terms of civil law. These experiences have been very useful to me throughout my political career, but also in my private life.

What did you spend your first salary on?

My first salaries allowed me to spend holidays in Spain. As I come from a family of farmers, I was not used to travelling a lot back then.

Why did you quit?

Given that the mandate of deputy is incompatible with the quality of civil servant, I was automatically retired following the taking of the oath as a parliamentarian in 2007.