Members of Parliament are set to tackle the issue of how the pension system will evolve and how it will be funded. An explosive subject. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Members of Parliament are set to tackle the issue of how the pension system will evolve and how it will be funded. An explosive subject. (Photo: Shutterstock)

A week of plenary sessions at the Chamber of Deputies. With the highlight being the consultation debate on pensions, which will take place during the two sessions scheduled for this Wednesday 19 March.

The consultation on the long-term sustainability of the pensions system began in earnest on, with the launch of a website dedicated to informing, documenting and accompanying the process, as well as gathering the opinions of all civil society stakeholders.

Greatly absent from the debate, MPs were reintroduced into the loop by Social Security Minister in . The debate is expected to cover the following points: revenue, the retirement age, the amount of benefits, special schemes, insurance periods and assimilated periods, as well as supplementary pensions. And it should be lively.

On the agenda for this week's sessions, in addition to Question Time, which will allow MEPs to address the subjects of their choice: a debate on defending democracy in the face of attempts at destabilisation, a current affairs hour on rising electricity prices and a consultation debate on food-related issues, proposed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Martine Hansen.

Monday 17 March

Government. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, , is taking part in the Raisina Dialogue multilateral conference, organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in New Delhi from 17 to 19 March. The Raisina Dialogue is an Indian conference on geopolitics and economics that brings together leaders from the worlds of politics, business, media and civil society each year to discuss the state of the world and explore opportunities for cooperation on a wide range of contemporary issues. The dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sector discussion, involving heads of state, ministers and local government representatives, as well as opinion leaders from the private sector, media and academia.

House of Representatives. The European Commission's representative in Luxembourg, , will present the broad outlines of the European Commission's 2025 work programme to the members of the Subcommittee on European Affairs.

Council of the EU. Two Councils are meeting in Brussels this Monday. The first, in its Transport, Telecommunications and Energy configuration, brings together the ministers responsible for energy. On the agenda: the Action Plan on Affordable Energy Prices, adopted on 26 February as part of the Clean Industry Pact; the EU's energy security architecture; the energy situation in Ukraine and the protection of critical infrastructures. On the same day, a Foreign Affairs Council will look at the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East and relations with the United States.

Council of the EU. Informal meeting of transport ministers in Warsaw on 17 and 18 March. The meeting will address the issues of strengthening transport resilience through the financing of dual-use civil-military transport infrastructure, cyber resilience in the transport sector and deepening transport integration with countries aspiring to join the EU.

European Union. The European Union will host the ninth Brussels conference entitled "Standing by Syria: Addressing the Needs for a Successful Transition".

OECD. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development will publish its latest interim economic outlook for the world economy and the G20 countries.

Tuesday 18 March

House of Representatives. Public session with one hour of questions to the government, one hour of current affairs on the defence of democracy and the protection of citizens and the environment against the risks associated with PFAS. MEPs will be asked to vote on bills 8433A on the status of judicial attachés and 8488 on the reform of the prison service.

Council of the EU. The ministers responsible for European affairs are meeting in Brussels to continue preparing for the meeting of the European Council on 20 and 21 March 2025 by examining the draft conclusions. On the agenda Ukraine, the Middle East, competitiveness, migration and the budget.

Federal Reserve. The Fed meets its monetary committee on 18 and 19 March. It is expected to maintain its rate target in the current range of 4.25% to 4.5%.

Family Planning. On its 60th anniversary, Family Planning takes stock of its commitments and future challenges.

Wednesday 19 March

Chambre des députés. Debate on the future of pensions in plenary session. Session to be broadcast on the Chamber's website.

European Council. Meeting in Brussels of a tripartite social summit. The Tripartite Social Summit is a forum for dialogue between the European institutions at President level and the European social partners at senior management level. The summit is co-chaired by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. For the rotating presidency, the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, will be present. The employment ministers of Poland and the countries holding the next presidency (Denmark and Cyprus) will also take part in the meeting. The main theme of the summit is "Putting Europe back on track in a difficult geopolitical environment, as an attractive, competitive and investment-friendly location that protects and creates quality jobs". The participating European social partners are BusinessEurope, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), SGI Europe (association of companies providing services of general interest), SMEunited (association of crafts and SMEs in Europe), Eurocadres (council of European professional and managerial staff).

European Court of Auditors. The ECA publishes a special report on the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). The EFSI was set up in 2015 by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. Its main purpose was to address the lack of investment in EU countries following the 2007-2008 financial crisis until 2014, when total capital expenditure in the Union fell by around 15%, or around €430 billion, from its peak in 2007. EFSI provided €26 billion in EU budget guarantees and €7.5 billion in EIB financing for infrastructure, innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises. It aimed to use these resources to mobilise €500 billion of additional investment in the real economy by the end of 2022.

Council of Europe. 1.523e meeting of ministerial delegates. On the agenda, in addition to an update on military tensions in Europe, is an exchange of views with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Thursday 20 March

House of Representatives. In the plenary session, MPs will vote on Bill 8298 on the establishment of hydrogen transport networks. They will also vote on food at the initiative of Minister Martine Hansen.

Council of the EU. Meeting in Brussels of a Eurozone summit and a European summit over two days.

OECD. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is publishing the 2025 edition of its World Debt Report entitled "Financing growth in a stressed bond market". It includes data for 2024 and insights into the drivers of global debt.

Council of Europe. Summit of Speakers of Parliaments of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The President of the Chamber of Deputies,, accompanied by , President of the Luxembourg delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will take part in the event, which will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.

Friday 21 March

Government. The Minister for Mobility and Public Works, (DP), and the Minister for Culture, , present the new bilingual platform and stop signs, displaying the names of localities in both French and Lëtzebuergësch at Luxembourg railway stations. This initiative, which will eventually involve 280 signs across the entire network, aims to strengthen the presence of the Lëtzebuergesch language in the public space while ensuring a homogenous welcome for users.

Chambre des députés. Members of the Bureau and the Foreign Affairs Committee will hold an exchange of views with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Chambre des députés. First plenary session of the Benelux Parliament under the Luxembourg Presidency on 21 and 22 March. A session devoted to artificial intelligence. Members of parliament from the three countries will discuss European legislation on the subject, the policies put in place within the Benelux, and the ethical and democratic issues linked to its development. In addition, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Xavier Bettel, will present the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Benelux Union, which coincides with the Luxembourg Presidency of the Parliament.

Saturday 22 March

Déi Gréng. The party is holding its national congress. The party's co-presidents, Stéphanie Empain and , will be speaking.

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