About this Episode
Environmental groups including Votum Klima, CELL, ASTM and Greenpeace staged a small protest at Findel airport on Earth Overshoot Day to denounce plans to expand the site, noting Luxembourg hit its national overshoot on 17 February (second earliest globally) and urging investment in high‑speed rail instead of aviation growth as inconsistent with the country’s climate commitments.
Esch‑sur‑Alzette plans to revive and tighten a vacancy tax, with mayor Christian Weis saying a draft bill will go to council in the autumn proposing levies of up to €10,000 depending on flat size and vacancy duration to deter speculative empty units. A vacancy rule existed before but was never enforced because of definitional and administrative hurdles, and the home affairs ministry still has outstanding objections to be addressed.
Luxembourg confirmed it has channelled over €50m of public funds into two space firms now in dispute—Spire and NorthStar, after reporting revealed their legal fight over failed satellite launches. The economy minister said the state will not comment on the litigation but stressed the national space ecosystem is diversified and not dependent on any single company.
Luxembourg will send a water‑bomber plane and 15 CGDIS firefighters to assist French crews battling major wildfires in Gironde, the government said. Assistance will be provided via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the crew will join a Moselle fire unit to support frontline firefighting and logistics.
