Exchange with Environment Minister Serge Wilmes

One of the topics discussed was the planned construction of Google’s data centre in Bissen. The Minister and the responsible officials emphasised that they were strictly adhering to the legislation and that, according to the Ministry’s assessment, there was insufficient legal basis to impose certain requirements, particularly in the energy sector. Although the Mouvement Ecologique did not share this interpretation, it nevertheless asked whether the Minister would be willing to improve the legislation accordingly. After all, several data centres are currently under discussion, and it would be of crucial importance for these facilities – including Google’s – to comply with energy standards at all levels. According to the Minister, this issue had not yet been discussed.

Another key topic was the reform of the Nature Conservation Act. A further exchange of arguments took place on this matter. The discussion was constructive, but both sides maintained their respective positions. While the Minister is convinced that the proposed reform provides a sound basis and would even promote urban greening, the Mouvement Ecologique’s analysis reached precisely the opposite conclusion. The Mouvement Ecologique will present its detailed assessment shortly.

The meeting also addressed whether Luxembourg is currently meeting its climate targets. The Mouvement Ecologique stressed that, in its view, a more “honest” presentation of the current situation was needed. The Minister repeatedly emphasises that Luxembourg is achieving its targets, despite being aware that this is not the case in the industrial and building sectors, where emissions are actually rising again. The Ministry should adopt a more differentiated approach to communication in order to clearly identify the challenges ahead.

Another question raised by the Mouvement Ecologique concerned compliance with the Climate Protection Act in this context. The legislation stipulates that if a particular sector fails to achieve the required reductions in CO2 emissions, another sector must be designated to ensure correspondingly greater reductions. However, the law does not establish clear rules on how this should be implemented; it merely requires that the principle itself be applied.

The Mouvement Ecologique therefore asked: How has this legal provision been implemented? Which sectors are currently subject to which obligations? According to the Minister, the situation is complicated by the fact that the Climate Protection Act and the targets set out in its implementing regulation were based, from the outset, on incorrect assessments of the emission reduction potential in the various sectors due to inadequate projections. Today, STATEC provides accurate data, which was not available at the time. Consequently, discussions regarding the “shifting” of targets between sectors had not taken place. However, an amendment to the legal framework is not currently planned.

Another item on the agenda was the need to reduce pesticide use in general, as well as in water protection zones. In this area, the Mouvement Ecologique welcomes the Environment Minister’s commitment to achieving more substantial reductions in pesticide use and, in particular, his support for the objective of banning pesticides in water protection zones.

A brief exchange also took place regarding government subsidy programmes. Based on an analysis by the Ökoinstitut, the Mouvement Ecologique advocates that future subsidies in the field of the energy transition should be based more strongly on evidence, calculations and clearly defined objectives, both in terms of energy policy and social considerations. The Minister stated that he had found the Ökoinstitut’s study thought-provoking and was open to further improvements. However, he emphasised the importance of the reform measures adopted so far, which provide significant financial support. In this context, a further exchange on the subject was considered.

The reform of the Hunting Act was also discussed. Overall, the Mouvement Ecologique welcomed the process undertaken over the past few months. Although the proposed reform, agreed upon within a joint platform bringing together hunters, environmental organisations and private forest owners, represents a compromise – and although there is certainly still room for improvement from an environmental perspective – the draft legislation nevertheless constitutes an important step towards modernising the current law and should be adopted swiftly. The Minister confirmed that no amendments were planned and that the legislative process would now move forward quickly.