Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg, is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union and the seat of several EU institutions, notably the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority. Luxembourg's culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its French and German neighbors; while Luxembourgish is the only national language of the Luxembourgish people and of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, French is the only language for legislation, and all three – Luxembourgish, French and German – are used for administrative matters in the country.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has long been a prominent supporter of European political and economic integration. In 1921, Luxembourg and Belgium formed the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) to create an inter-exchangeable currency and a common customs regime. Post-war, Luxembourg became a founding member state of the United Nations, and dropped its policy of neutrality to become a founding member state of NATO. Luxembourg expanded its support for European integration, becoming a founding member state of the Benelux Economic Union, and one of the "inner six" founding member states of the three European Communities; the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community (EEC). Subsequently, Luxembourg became a founding member state of the European Union (EU) when the EEC and ECSC were incorporated into it in 1993. Luxembourg is a founding member of the Schengen Area, abolishing internal borders amongst its member states, named after the Luxembourg village where the original agreement — since incorporated into EU law — was signed in 1985. At the same time, the majority of Luxembourgers have consistently believed that European unity makes sense only in the context of a dynamic transatlantic relationship, and thus have traditionally pursued a pro-NATO, pro-US foreign policy.
Jean was the Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1964 until his abdication in 2000. He was the first Grand Duke of Luxembourg of French agnatic descent.
Charlotte was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964.
Dimitris Avramopoulos is a Greek politician of the conservative New Democracy party, and former career diplomat. He has served in various high-level cabinet posts, including Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for National Defence, and was Mayor of Athens in 1995–2002. He served as EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship in the Juncker Commission between 2014 and 2019.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Luxembourg since 1 January 2015. A bill for the legalisation of same-sex marriages was enacted by the Chamber of Deputies on 18 June 2014 and signed into law by Grand Duke Henri on 4 July. Luxembourg was the last Benelux country, the sixteenth country in the world, and the tenth in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide. Partnerships have also been available in Luxembourg since November 2004.
Maria Teresa is the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of Grand Duke Henri, who acceded to the throne in 2000.
Centre is one of the four multi-member constituencies of the Chamber of Deputies, the national legislature of Luxembourg. The constituency was established in 1919 following the introduction of proportional representation for elections to the Chamber of Deputies. It consists of the cantons of Luxembourg and Mersch. The constituency currently elects 21 of the 60 members of the Chamber of Deputies using the open party-list proportional representation electoral system. At the 2023 general election it had 81,687 registered electors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the government of Luxembourg, headquartered in the Bâtiment Mansfeld in Luxembourg City.
Xavier Bettel is a Luxembourgish lawyer and politician who serves as the 14th deputy prime minister of Luxembourg and as the minister for Foreign Affairs since 2023. He served as the 24th prime minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2023. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies (1999–2013) and Mayor of Luxembourg City (2011–2013).
The Batty Weber Prize or Prix Batty Weber is Luxembourg's national literary prize. It has been awarded every three years since 1987 to a Luxembourg writer for his entire literary work. It is named after the writer Batty Weber (1860–1940) who considerably influenced Luxembourg's cultural life.
Corinne Narassiguin is a French politician who has served as a Senator for Seine-Saint-Denis since 2 October 2023. A member of the Socialist Party (PS), she previously represented the 1st constituency for French residents overseas in the National Assembly from 2012 to 2013.
Princess Claire of Luxembourg is a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg. She is the wife of Prince Felix, who is fourth in the line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg. Claire is also a bioethics researcher.
The Luxembourgish government in exile, also known as the Luxembourgish government in London, was the government in exile of Luxembourg during the Second World War. The government was based in London between 1940 and 1944, while Luxembourg was occupied by Nazi Germany. It was led by Pierre Dupong, and also included three other Ministers. The head of state, Grand Duchess Charlotte, also escaped from Luxembourg after the occupation. The government was bipartite, including two members from both the Party of the Right (PD) and the Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP).
The involvement of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in World War II began with its invasion by German forces on 10 May 1940 and lasted beyond its liberation by Allied forces in late 1944 and early 1945.
Félix Braz is a Luxembourgish politician who served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2018 to 2019. A member of the Greens, Braz also served as Minister of Justice in the Bettel-Schneider coalition government. In October 2019, he resigned as Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice because of health issues.
Taina Bofferding is a Luxembourgish politician who served as the Minister of the Interior and of Equality between Men and Women under the Government of Xavier Bettel.
Paulette Lenert is a Luxembourgish lawyer and politician of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party. She held the positions of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Minister Delegate of Social Security, and Minister of Consumer Protection. She was Minister of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs from 5 December 2018 to 4 February 2020.
The Stade de Luxembourg is the national stadium of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, located in the Luxembourg City quarter of Gasperich. The stadium is host to Luxembourg's national football and rugby teams, as well as the final of the Coupe de Luxembourg, and is listed as a Category 4 stadium by UEFA allowing it to host international matches. Construction on the stadium occurred between September 2017 and July 2021, missing the original 2019 target date for completion. On 1 September 2021, the stadium marked its official opening by hosting its first international match between the Luxembourg and Azerbaijan men's football teams as part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The inauguration ceremony for the stadium took place later that month, on 25 September. The Stade de Luxembourg replaces the outdated Josy Barthel stadium, due for demolition.
Joëlle Elvinger is a lawyer and politician from Luxembourg. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Chamber of Deputies from 2013 to 2019.
