About this Episode
A woman has been arrested in Rome over a possible link to the Caritas Luxembourg fraud case. Italian media identify her as Clarissa La Porta from Turin. She is alleged to have helped set up shell companies and bank accounts in several European countries. Parts of the €61.2 million missing from Caritas’ accounts were reportedly moved through these structures. Italian media say Luxembourg issued a European arrest warrant. La Porta was taken to a Rome prison after her arrest.
Opposition parties have criticised tomorrow’s vote on Luxembourg’s implementation of the European Union asylum and migration pact. The LSAP, the Greens, the Left and the Pirates asked for the vote to be delayed. They say parliament and civil society groups had too little time to review the two bills. The draft bill submitted by Family Minister Max Hahn in April would give asylum seekers faster labour market access, better access to language courses and support for vulnerable people and unaccompanied minors. Amendments will be proposed in a committee meeting tomorrow. The opposition fears that they will be rejected due to the short delay, however. CSV rapporteur Stéphanie Weydert rejected the criticism, saying Luxembourg risks a legal gap if the bills are not adopted before 12 June.
The second draft bill that is going to be voted on Tuesday would implement a new screening mechanism for third-country nationals at external borders allowing police to reject asylum seekers before they had the chance to even enter their request. The Luxembourg Refugee Council had already criticized the short delays for this law.
The environmental organisation Mouvement Ecologique is calling for structural reforms in the energy transition. The group says public money should not be used to lower fossil fuel prices for all consumers. It wants targeted support for low-income households instead. Mouvement Ecologique supports state action to limit electricity costs, but says more funding should go into grids and energy infrastructure. It also calls for faster heat pump support, district heating, renovation programmes and social leasing for electric vehicles.
