Xavier Bettel becomes Luxembourg's new foreign minister

2023-11-15 21:03:00

Bettel announced this on Wednesday evening in Luxembourg after his Democratic Party (DP) gave the green light for a government alliance with the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV). “I’m really looking forward to this new challenge,” said Bettel, who has been in office as prime minister in the EU’s second-smallest country since the end of 2013.

Bettel succeeds the Social Democrat Jean Asselborn, who was Foreign Minister of Luxembourg for a good 19 years. Bettel said that as Deputy Prime Minister he would also be responsible for foreign trade, development policy and the greater region.

The new government will have 15 ministers instead of the previous 17, said Bettel. Of these, the CSV represents eight and the DP seven. The new prime minister will be the national leading candidate of the CSV, Luc Frieden, who was tasked with forming the government.

The coalition agreement for the new government is scheduled to be signed this Thursday. It sets the program for the next five years.

The three-party coalition of Liberals, Greens and Social Democrats, which has been in power since the end of 2013 and led by Liberal Bettel, was voted out on October 8th due to the Greens’ bitter losses. The CSV emerged from the election as the strongest party, followed by the DP.