26 January 2026

Urgent question posed by Marie-Marthe Muller

I asked this question dated 5 January 2026 to obtain information about a couple who will need to leave a social housing unit owned by the City. According to the information we have, this decision is based on several factors related to this couple's personal situation.

From my communications with the City's relevant departments and the <em>Office social</em> (Social Welfare Office), I gather that no municipal department is currently in a position to ensure that these people will receive appropriate support. I'd like to stress that the City's departments perform their duties with professionalism and commitment, and do excellent work. So the situation I described seems to pertain to structural limitations.

The couple in question require intensive support and are not able to live independently. That is why the City must take on its social responsibility and ensure that these people do not end up without an appropriate housing solution. Although the special measures instituting a winter moratorium have not been in effect since 2023, the City does still have a moral and social responsibility towards the people in question, especially amid winter weather and increased health risks.

• What concrete alternatives are currently planned for this couple?
• Does a suitable housing solution exist, and is appropriate support guaranteed?
• Generally speaking, what does the City do to ensure that these kinds of measures do not play a role in increasing the homeless population?

Response provided by Alderwoman Corinne Cahen

I appreciate Councillor Muller's commitment to her fellow residents, and I think all the members of this assembly, no matter what their party affiliation, share this commitment. In the last few weeks, in the spirit of transparency, I provided Councillor Muller with all the information I had.

The housing unit rented to the woman in question is in such a deplorable condition that it will need to be entirely renovated, an undertaking that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of euros. This is already the second housing unit left in such a condition. The photos I forwarded to Councillor Muller show the extent of the damage: holes in the walls, badly damaged doors, taps that have been pulled out and so on. The housing unit is also unsanitary, and strewn with waste and dog excrement. Dog excrement was also found in neighbours' letter boxes on several occasions. The neighbours' mail is currently being delivered to Luxembourg City Hall.

The City does everything within its power when it comes to social issues, and it does not shy away from investing in this area. However, the City is not the Ministry of Health (<em>Ministère de la Santé</em>), and it does not have the resources to provide these people with the proper support, which would probably involve professional psychiatric assistance. People must be willing to accept help. For example, if someone has an appointment at the <em>Office social</em> and does not show up for it, if they do not demonstrate any desire to cooperate and they refuse all help, sooner or later their social worker will find themselves at a stalemate.

Another problem is that the people in question have dogs and therefore cannot be housed in a shelter.

As the <em>Service Logement</em> (Housing Department) told Councillor Muller by phone last Friday, the eviction procedure is underway but the residents do not need to leave the accommodation immediately. But it is inevitable that they will need to leave the apartment after a while, for their own sake but also to protect the other people. At this juncture I cannot tell Councillor Muller where the couple will end up and who will be able to help them. Unfortunately, there is no magic fix. The City does its best to help people who need it, but at a certain point, we find ourselves short on solutions.

Question posed by François Benoy

According to information from the CGDIS (<em>Corps grand-ducal d'Incendie et de Secours </em> – Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps), more than 600 people suffer a cardiac arrest in Luxembourg every year. In around 70% of the cases, the cardiac arrest occurs in the presence of a bystander. According to the report "Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest – Attempted Resuscitations, Annual Report 2021", the CGDIS responded to 263 cases of cardiac arrest in 2021. Only 43.7% of resuscitation attempts were initiated by bystanders, despite the crucial importance of rapid intervention in the event of cardiac arrest. When easily accessible to the public, automated external defibrillators (AED) are an essential tool for improving the chances of survival.

According to the website reagis.lu, there are around 75 defibrillators installed in Luxembourg City. Yet it appears that the vast majority of these devices are located in closed buildings or buildings with restricted access. For example, in Bonnevoie, one of the city's most populous districts, only a few defibrillators are listed. They are in the Luxembourg Chamber of Employees (<em>Chambre des salariés</em>), the Lycée technique de Bonnevoie and at the CFL – that is, in locations that are sometimes remote and not publicly accessible 24 hours a day.

Moreover, there is currently no centralised, easy-to-find list on the City's website showing all the defibrillators installed by the City in its infrastructure (cultural centres, sports facilities, swimming pools, municipal buildings, etc.).

• Where has the City installed defibrillators to date?
• Is there a guiding principle or strategy setting out the criteria for the City's installation of defibrillators – type of building, footfall, accessibility, opening hours and so on?
• Keeping in mind that the City currently has no legal obligation on this matter, does the College of Aldermen agree that it would be wise to systematically install defibrillators in public spaces, as many other municipalities do?
• If so, what would be the guiding principles to consider for such a rollout in public spaces – particularly in public squares, in the districts and in locations that are accessible 24 hours a day – in order to enable a fast response if someone experiences cardiac arrest? And what short and medium-term targets would the College of Aldermen set in terms of the coverage of the city with publicly accessible defibrillators?
• If the College of Aldermen does not wish to go down this route, why not? How does it justify this choice, keeping in mind that quick access to a defibrillator can save lives and that many Luxembourg municipalities have already opted to install AEDs in public spaces?

Response provided by Alderman Maurice Bauer

There are currently more than 200 defibrillators in the capital. In addition to the 75 defibrillators recorded on the website reagis.lu, there are 136 City of Luxembourg defibrillators in the city. Many were added in the last eight years.

The vast majority of our municipal departments have a defibrillator. All the sports centres are equipped with them, as are our swimming pools, sports grounds and cultural centres. There are two defibrillators in the Casemates.

As for guiding principles, initially, defibrillators were installed in places where people play sports and where there are often elderly people.

The majority of the City's 136 defibrillators are inside buildings, so they are accessible only when the buildings are open. Three defibrillators are currently available outdoors: one near the Haus vun der Natur, one near the <em>Service Eaux</em> (Water Department) and one near the <em>Service Parcs</em> (Parks Department). The relevant municipal departments are in the process of developing a strategy aimed at installing more defibrillators outdoors. The proposals to this effect will be presented to the College of Aldermen in spring 2026. Very busy locations – <em>Place d'Armes</em>, <em> Place Guillaume II</em>, <em>Place de la Constitution</em> and so on – will be the top priority.

The City has shared with the CGDIS the locations of the defibrillators in the capital so they can be published on the CGDIS's website, stayingalive.lu. We will make sure that the locations of the defibrillators are also posted on the City of Luxembourg website. I also want to point out that all trams are equipped with defibrillators too.

Question posed by François Benoy

In several of the city's districts, multi-use sports pitches that are open to the public are used regularly, particularly by young people and adults for informal basketball practice. However, according to specific feedback from users and local sports communities, the quality, safety and suitability of some of these facilities are severely limited.

For example, it has been reported that some pitches have very hard surfaces, such as tarmac (for instance, in Kaltreis), which are not suited to regular sports use and may increase the risk of injury. The equipment itself, such as basketball nets in stiff metal structures, is also not considered to be conducive to safe use. Moreover, the complete lack or limited availability of floodlights for nighttime sessions restricts the use of these facilities after work or school (the same goes for Kaltreis), while the lack of drinking fountains at several sites makes them less suitable for use during hot weather or for longer activities.

• How many multi-use sports pitches currently exist in the city, and what types of surfaces do they have?
• Does the College of Aldermen agree that certain surfaces present an increased risk of injury, and does it plan to replace them with more suitable surfaces that are also easier on the joints, such as shock-absorbing synthetic surfaces? If so, by when?
• Are there plans to adjust or replace certain sports equipment, such as the basketball nets, to improve safety and play quality on these pitches?
• What is the lighting situation on the multi-use sports pitches, and is the possibility of keeping the lights on until 22:00 being considered or already implemented at certain sites?
• Does the City plan to systematically equip the multi-use sports pitches with water fountains or water dispensers, and with toilets?
• Does the College of Aldermen plan to further involve users and local sports communities in planning, developing and improving the multi-use sports pitches in order to better meet on-the-ground needs?

Response provided by Alderman Maurice Bauer

There are currently 19 multi-use sports pitches in the capital.

Three multi-use sports pitches are due to be replaced: the one in Gasperich (Muhlenweg) will be replaced as part of the youth centre project; the one in Pétrusse Park, after the Pétrusse Valley work is completed; and the one in Dommeldange (<em>Rue Mongenast-Servais</em>, next to the playground) will be replaced by a new multi-use sports pitch on the roof of the sports centre that is planned as part of the new school campus.

Out of the 19 multi-use sports pitches, eight have a tarmac surface, and the others have a different type of surface. There is also a certain risk of injury on pitches without tarmac, because if the surface is too soft, balls do not bounce properly.

It goes without saying that the City takes into account advances in technologies and available materials when planning new multi-use sports pitches.

All the multi-use sports pitches, as well as the playgrounds and fitness equipment, are inspected three to four times a year by Luxcontrol. It is important for us that residents can use these facilities under optimal safety conditions.

As for the lighting on the multi-use sports pitches, the issue is not that simple. Some users would like to be able to play for longer in the evening. But when we talk to the people who live around a multi-use sports pitch where people play basketball until 22:00, we learn that the quality of life there is no longer very good. So there is a conflict between the legitimate need of residents to be able to have a peaceful evening, and the equally legitimate desire of users of multi-use sports pitches to have a place where they can play basketball or enjoy other recreational activities. Users are asked to be respectful of the local residents.

In addition, we sometimes encounter people whose presence is undesirable and who are engaging in inappropriate activities on the multi-use sports pitches. It also sometimes happens that neighbourhood children and teenagers are pushed out by older people who do not have multi-use sports pitches near their homes. In the coming weeks, we will be discussing the introduction of age and access restrictions.

During the meetings held in the various districts as part of the Apéri'tours initiative, many residents expressed a desire to be able to have additional outdoor fitness equipment, while demand for additional multi-use sports pitches was less pronounced. As part of the development of the City's "Outdoor plan" ("Plan plein air"), the locations where additional multi-use sports pitches and outdoor fitness equipment could be set up will need to be analysed.

According to the City's concept for public toilets, toilets are only installed in places where many people stay for a prolonged period and if there is no other public toilet in the immediate vicinity. A recent inventory found that all the locations meeting these criteria are currently equipped with toilets.

Several multi-use sports pitches already have water fountains. In the coming months, there are plans to install water fountains at the multi-use sports pitches on <em>Rue de Marche</em>, <em>Boulevard Kaltreis</em> and <em>Rue Thomas Byrne</em>. If we discern an additional need, we will install more water fountains to the extent that it is technically possible at the site in question. The City will continue to ensure that the selection of sports facilities available in the districts is as diversified as possible, without losing sight of the conditions needed for everyone to live together harmoniously.