Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg’s development cooperation programme is firmly committed to the goal of poverty eradication, particularly in least developed countries. It falls under the remit of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE) and is financed through the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Fund.
The legal and regulatory framework for the Grand Duchy’s development cooperation was established by the Development Cooperation Act of 1996 and its vision and policy framework are articulated in its “Strategy and Principles” statement. It is closely aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of Agenda 2030. To ensure policy coherence across the government, an Inter-Ministerial Committee for Development Cooperation serves as the key coordination platform. The bulk of Luxembourg’s bilateral aid goes to social infrastructure and services: health, education (including vocational training and professional integration), integrated local development, and water and sanitation, while 5% falls under multi-sector support. Luxembourg’s structures for managing development cooperation are clearly delineated, with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs leading development cooperation policy formulation and programming, while the Ministry of Finance manages relations with the international financial institutions. The executing agency, Lux-Development, receives project mandates from the MAEE and is accountable for the projects’ effective implementation. The MAEE and Lux-Development are co-located with clear responsibilities at the country level: the MAEE engages in policy dialogue, while Lux-Development is responsible for project management.
The Government of Luxembourg does not have a stand-alone AfT strategy but approaches AfT as a component of its multilateral development cooperation.
In matters related to international trade policy and negotiations, the Government of Luxembourg carries out debates and formulates its position and policies in such areas as European Union (EU)–African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and WTO matters. However, it sees the European Union as the driving force in the preparation of Member States’ policies in areas in which the EU has exclusive competence (e.g. trade). It regards the EU as essential for strengthening policy coherence for development, in the light of EU responsibilities, not only in the important fields of trade and agriculture, but also in other areas, such as climate change and the environment.
Luxembourg has negotiated a fourth generation of multiannual indicative cooperation programmes (PICs) with the seven priority countries (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Laos, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger and Senegal), under which it concentrates its interventions more closely in a limited number of sectors. Luxembourg has, in effect, moved ahead with the European Union’s Code of Conduct on Complementarity and Division of Labour in Development Policy, which declares, “EU donors will aim at focusing their active involvement in a partner country on a maximum of three sectors”. It is focusing its intervention on Africa, with five of its seven priority partner countries located in sub-Saharan Africa.
Microfinance has been given significant policy attention by Luxembourg and figures as one of its priority sectors. In 2006, the Government prepared an inclusive financial sectors and microfinance policy, which guides its intervention in the area of microfinance. Through the MAEE’s current microfinance strategy (2012), Luxembourg has become more actively engaged in international policy dialogues on microfinance, providing support to a high number of actors involved in this issue at the national level and maintaining its steady financial support through its development cooperation budget.
Luxembourg supported the Integrated Framework since its creation in 2009. In 2015, at the tenth Ministerial conference of the WTO in Nairobi, Luxembourg renewed its intention, in accordance with its earlier commitments to contribute to the second phase of the EIF over the period 2016-2019.
Luxembourg also supports a three-year UNCTAD project for Strengthening Competition and Consumer Protection Enforcement Capacities in Ethiopia and for more than 10 years, Luxembourg contributed to UNCTAD’s work on eRegulations (Business Facilitation Program).
Agencies
Principal official agency responsible for TCB assistance to developing countries
Tel: +352 2 4781
Fax: +352 475241 / +352 466212 / +352 220673
3, rue de la Congrégation L-1352 Luxembourg
The Ministry of Finance manages around 10-15% of Luxembourg’s ODA as well as Luxembourg’s relations with the international financial institutions. In collaboration with the Central Bank of Luxembourg, the MoF is represented on the executive boards of the Bretton Woods organisations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is thereby able to exert a certain influence, to the extent of its voting power, on the policies of those two institutions. It funds a number of microfinance institutes, such as LuxFLAG and LUXMINT.
Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes
Direction de la coopération au développement
Tel: +352 247 82351
Fax: +352 46 38 42
Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes
Direction des affaires européennes et relations économiques internationales
Tel : (+352) 247 - 82422/ - 82313
Fax : (+352) 22 20 48
Email: secretariatd2 [at] mae.etat.lu
Direction de la coopération au développement
6, rue de la Congrégation L-1352 Luxembourg
Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes
Direction des affaires européennes et relations économiques internationales
9, rue du Palais de Justice L-1841 Luxembourg
The Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, located within MAEE, has the primary responsibility of managing Luxembourg’s ODA. The Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs reports to the Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and its Director chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Development Cooperation. This Committee, established by the Development Cooperation Act of 6 January 1996, advises on the broad orientations of development cooperation policy and on policy coherence for development.
Other government and official agencies with responsibilities directly relevant to TCB
Tel: +352 46 50 16 – 1
E-mail: customer [at] houseoftraining.lu
7, rue Alcide de Gasperi
BP 490, Luxembourg, L-2014
The House of Training was formally established in 2015, bringing together, under one single roof, two long-standing training institutes renowned for their expertise and their vast offerings in the field of continuing vocational training in Luxembourg. These institutions were the Luxembourg School for Commerce (LSC), training institute of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Institut de Formation Bancaire, Luxembourg (IFBL), the training institute of the Luxembourg Bankers Association.
On 1 January 2016, the staff and activities of the Agence de Transfert de Technologie financière (ATTF) were integrated into the House of Training, bringing with it significant synergies and a strong international dimension. ATTF’s activities now have been integrated into the House of Training and new foundations have been built to continue the delivery of its services and to ensure continued success for the years to come as part of the House of Training.
Through its ATTF activities, the House of Training seeks to be the partner of choice for the Government of Luxembourg in the field of knowledge and best practice sharing to selected development partner countries. The House of Training offers internationally oriented seminars and provides technical assistance and specific technical expertise in banking, capital markets and other vocational sectors in Luxembourg and on the international level. Technical assistance is mostly provided through Government funding to some 55 partner institutions in more than 40 countries.
ATTF’s integration into the House of Training has made not only ATTF-style programmes more available to non-partner countries but has also increased access to a far wider range of vocational House of Training resources covering subject areas that are not just financial but also commercial.
Tel: (+352) 42 39 39 – 1
Fax : (+352) 43 83 26
E-mail: chamcom [at] cc.lu
Luxembourg Kirchberg
As a professional chamber and public institution encompassing all sectors of business other than agriculture and crafts (Chambre des Métiers), the Chamber of Commerce sees its rationale and role as guardian of the interests of its member companies. Since these may in some cases pursue divergent sectorial interests, the Chamber of Commerce, in a spirit of fairness to all its members, sees its primary mission in the articulation, representation and defence of the interests of all its members. Sectorial interests are only pursued if they do not conflict with the interests of the other member companies of the Chamber. The 6 operational missions of the Chamber of Commerce are: (i) involvement in the legislative procedure by the preparation of opinions; (ii) promoting the spirit of enterprise and the creation and development of businesses; (iii) promoting foreign economic and commercial relations; (iv) fostering a system of education and training that meets the needs of businesses; (v) providing services to business and the general public and (vi) informing the public and stimulating debate as partner and independent ambassador of the market economy (think tank and proposals of policy).
Tel: +352 272021-1
Fax: +352 272021-399
Luxembourg for Finance is the Agency for the Development of the Financial Centre. It is a public-private partnership between the Luxembourg Government and the Luxembourg Financial Industry Federation (PROFIL). Founded in 2008, its objective is to develop Luxembourg’s financial services industry and identify new business opportunities.
LFF connects international investors to the range of financial services provided in Luxembourg, such as investment funds, wealth management, capital market operations or advisory services. In addition to being the first port of call for foreign journalists, LFF cooperates with the various professional associations and monitors global trends in finance, providing the necessary material on products and services available in Luxembourg. Furthermore, LFF manages multiple communication channels, organises seminars in international business locations, and takes part in selected world-class trade fairs and congresses.
Selected TCB programmes and initiatives in this guide
Strengthening Competition and Consumer Protection Enforcement Capacities in Ethiopia
eRegulations
Strengthening Competition and Consumer Protection Enforcement Capacities in Ethiopia