On 26 September, at the invitation of the grand duke, Pope Francis will make an official visit to Luxembourg. This will be the first visit by a pope since John Paul II in 1985, the first pontiff to visit Luxembourg. It will be an eight-hour stopover, with the Holy Father landing at Findel airport at 10am and taking off again for Brussels at 6.15pm. The pope will have a meeting with the grand ducal couple at the palace at 11am, followed by an audience with the prime minister. At noon, a meeting will be held at the Cercle Cité with the national authorities and civil society, followed by lunch with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich. At 4.30pm, the pope will meet the Catholic community at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Luxembourg. No mass is planned.

From 12.45pm to 1.15pm, Pope Francis will travel through the capital’s city centre in a pope-mobile from Rue Chimay to the former headquarters of Arbed, via Boulevard Roosevelt, the footbridge and Boulevard de la Pétrusse. It will then cross Pont Adolphe before continuing along the Avenue Marie-Thérèse to the Bishop’s Palace. Luxembourg City Council has set up two public viewing areas, one at Kinnekswiss in the municipal park near the Glacis and the other at Place de Paris.

Such a visit will not be without some traffic restrictions. The Plateau Bourbon will be closed to traffic from 8pm on Wednesday to 8pm on Thursday. The entire city centre and part of the station area will be closed to traffic from 9am. The tram will be at a standstill between 12.15pm and 1.45pm. As for the car parks, the Knuedler car park will be closed from midnight on 25 September, although people with their vehicles parked inside will still be able to leave until 8am on 26 September. Part of the Glacis car park will be requisitioned to ensure the smooth running of the visit. The Théâtre and Monterey car parks will remain accessible. Details of the traffic restrictions can be found .

Agenda

On 26 September, the Court of Justice of the European Union will hand down its ruling in the case between the Luxembourg Bar Association and the Luxembourg tax authorities (Luxembourg Inland Revenue, or Administration des contributions directes). At stake is the extent of lawyers’ professional secrecy in their dealings with their clients and the tax authorities. . In his view, legal advice of a non-tax nature remains protected by professional secrecy.

The week will also be a time of parliamentary diplomacy for the Chamber of Deputies. The European Interparliamentary Space Conference (EISC), organised on 23 September at Neimënster Abbey with the support of the Chamber of Deputies, will be one of the highlights of the parliamentary agenda. The theme of the conference is “universities and space.”

A parliamentary delegation led by the president of the chamber, (CSV), will be on an official visit to Austria on 23 September and will meet the president of the Austrian National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka. In Luxembourg, the MEPs will receive the chairman of the European affairs committee of the Czech parliament, Ondřej Benešík, on 24 September, and John G. Roberts, chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the following day.

Monday 23 September

Government. , prime minister  (CSV), and the deputy prime minister and foreign affairs  (DP) are taking part in the Future Summit and the ministerial week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Together, they will attend a reception at the permanent representation of Luxembourg to meet the Luxembourg community based in New York. The 79th session of the UNGA will then be an opportunity for Frieden and Bettel to take part in several high-level meetings. Frieden will speak at the plenary session of the Future Summit, while Bettel will address the general debate of the General Assembly. The visit will end on 28 September.

European Council. The minister for agriculture, food and viticulture, (CSV), will be taking part in the agriculture and fisheries council to be held in Brussels on Monday 23 September. Among the topics on the agenda is an exchange of views on the market situation, particularly in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The council will also take stock of the second year of implementation of the strategic plans under the Common Agricultural Policy.

European Court of Auditors. To mark European Organic Day, the court is unveiling the conclusions of its special report on EU support for organic farming. As part of the farm-to-table strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the European Commission has set itself the target of having 25% of the EU’s agricultural land farmed organically by 2030.

Chamber of Deputies. Opening of the European Interparliamentary Conference on Space (EISC), to be held at the Neimënster Abbey Cultural Centre. Alongside the discussions, the “Space for Sustainability Award 2024” ceremony will reward initiatives promoting a sustainable future thanks to space technologies.

Tuesday 24 September

European Council. At the general affairs Council, the Hungarian presidency will present the priorities of its term of office.

Chamber of Deputies. The endowment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and banking standards are on the agenda of the members of the finance committee. Following the planned increase in the IMF’s resources, Luxembourg's contribution will reach €810m.

Chamber of Deputies. Bill 8139 on the creation of an observatory for gender equality and the creation of a High Council for Gender Equality is back before the committee on the family, solidarity, living together, hospitality, gender equality and diversity.

Statec. The Luxembourg statistical office presents its report on work and social cohesion in Luxembourg.

Wednesday 25 September

Chamber of Deputies. The health and social security committee’s agenda includes a bill on tobacco control. A rapporteur will be appointed. The motion tabled on 19 March by  (Piraten) concerning the control and prohibition of the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to minors will be debated. The issue of TFAs in Luxembourg waters will be raised before the committee on the environment, climate and biodiversity. The draft law instituting an aid scheme to promote sustainability, the rational use of energy and renewable energies in the housing sector is also on the agenda. Finally, the bill amending the law of 25 February 2022 on cultural heritage will be tabled.

Thursday 26 September

European Council. An internal market and industry competitiveness council is scheduled to take place in Brussels. On the agenda: competitiveness and state aid. Two key issues for the European Commission over the next five years.

European Parliament. The list of candidates for the Sakharov Prize will be unveiled. Awarded for the first time in 1988 to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Martchenko, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the European Union’s highest distinction for action in support of human rights.

Court of Justice of the European Union. The court delivers its judgment in the case of Ordre des avocats du barreau du Luxembourg.

Chamber of Deputies. The report on the implementation of the nitrates directive will be discussed by the committee on agriculture, food and viticulture and the committee on the environment, climate and biodiversity at the request of the political group Déi Gréng.

Friday 27 September

Chamber of Deputies. Members of the mobility and public works committee will discuss the future of the tram and the extension of the network in accordance with the National Mobility Plan 2035 at the request of the Piraten political group of 29 March 2023.

Saturday 28 September

Government. As part of European Sports Week, the sports ministry is inviting people to #BeActive Day, which will take place from 12 noon to 6pm around Echternach lake. The general public is invited to discover a wide range of sporting disciplines and actively participate in workshops such as disc golf, capoeira, archery and climbing, to name but a few. You can also hire a bike free of charge and cycle around the Echternach lake at your own pace. Find out more .

This article was originally published in .