Luxembourg
This information is from our Brexit archives, documenting what different countries thought of the negotiations, their relationship with the UK and priorities in the negotiations.
This page was last updated in 2020.
| Head of State
Prime Minister |
Grand Duke Henri (since October 2000)
Xavier Bettel (Democratic Party, since December 2013) |
| Population | 613,894 (2019) |
| Size | 2,586 km2 (999 sq. miles) |
| MEPs | 6 (joined the EU in 1958) |
| Next legislative election | 2023 |
| Presidency of the Council | January – June 2029 |
| Last meeting with Boris Johnson | 16 September 2019 |
| Brexit priorities | As a founding member of the European Union, Luxembourg is known to be a pro-European country, which in the negotiations will seek a united European approach to avoid other countries leaving the bloc. Due to its favourable tax system, Luxembourg in the past has attracted many companies to make the move to Luxembourg. As the UK wants to leave the single market, it might seek to become the EU’s new financial hub, which could prompt companies to leave London to move to a more stable economic environment in Luxembourg.
To protect its own financial centre – which manages over $400 bn in assets – one of Luxembourg’s main priorities will be to ensure that there are mutually agreed regulatory standards that maintain competitiveness among businesses and guarantee financial services can continue to access the EU market. |
| What Mr Bettel said on Brexit | “Before, they were in and they had many opt-outs; now they want to be out with many opt-ins. We’re not on Facebook where there’s an ‘it’s complicated’ status.”
“While I stick to the principle that there can be no cherry-picking, I still think that we should refrain from an orthodox or binary thinking.”“My top priority would be to limit the negative impact for both sides. Pragmatism will be needed in these negotiations on both sides.” On an extension of the negotiations: “If there’s reason [for a delay] I’ll accept, but I still have no reason, I still have no clue what they [the UK] want,” “Don’t put the blame on us because they [the UK government] don’t know how to get out of the situation they put themselves in.” |
| Luxembourg’s priorities | Luxembourg held elections on 14 October 2018. Mr Bettel’s coalition secured just enough seats to stay in government while the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) lost seats. The biggest winner was the Greens.
This government’s priority is to maintain its competitive economy after changes to the EU’s e-commerce VAT rules were made and scrutiny of advantageous taxation deals was increased. Within the EU, Bettel wants to focus on climate change, the digital economy and changing competition rules. |
