René 'Boy' Konen (23 April 1921 – 14 November 1994) was a Luxembourgish politician and government minister. He served as Minister for Public Works under Pierre Werner, between 1979 and 1984. Before this, he had been President of the Democratic Party, to which he belonged, and a member of the communal council of Luxembourg City. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies between 1974 and 1979 and again, after his ministerial stint, from 1984 until 1993.
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, Luxembourg City, is one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and German cultures, as evident by the nation's three official languages: French, German, and the national language, Luxembourgish. The repeated invasions by Germany, especially in World War II, resulted in the country's strong will for mediation between France and Germany and, among other things, led to the foundation of the European Union.
A minister is a politician who heads a government department, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the "prime minister", "premier", "chief minister", "Chancellor" or other title.
Pierre Werner was a Luxembourg politician in the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) who was the 18th Prime Minister from 1959 to 1974 and from 1979 to 1984.
He gave his name to the René Konen Tunnel in Luxembourg City, construction of which began when Konen was Minister for Public Works. His nickname is also borne by Stade Boy Konen, a sports facility in Luxembourg City used as the national rugby union team's home ground.
The René Konen Tunnel, colloquially known as the Saint Esprit Tunnel, is a 655 m (2,149 ft) road tunnel in Luxembourg City in southern Luxembourg. It carries two lanes of one-way traffic northwards, under Ville Haute, bypassing the narrow streets and pedestrian zone in the heart of the city.
Luxembourg, also known as Luxembourg City, is the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxembourg, the city lies at the heart of Western Europe, situated 213 km (132 mi) by road from Brussels, 372 km (231 mi) from Paris, and 209 km (130 mi) from Cologne. The city contains Luxembourg Castle, established by the Franks in the Early Middle Ages, around which a settlement developed.
Stade Boy Konen is a sports venue in the Cessange quarter of Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is located next to the Croix de Cessange, just outside the A6. Amongst other uses, it is used for rugby union, and is the home stadium of both the dominant Rugby Club Luxembourg and the Luxembourg national team.
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Jean Hamilius | Minister for Public Works 1979 – 1984 | Succeeded by Marcel Schlechter |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Gaston Thorn | President of the DP 1969 – 1971 | Succeeded by Gaston Thorn |
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The politics of Luxembourg takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister of Luxembourg is the head of government, and the multi-party system. Executive power is under the constitution of 1868, as amended, exercised by the government, by the Grand Duke and the Council of Government (cabinet), which consists of a prime minister and several other ministers. Usually the prime minister is the leader of the political party or coalition of parties having the most seats in parliament. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Jacques Santer is a Luxembourg politician who served as the 9th President of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999. He served as Finance Minister of Luxembourg from 1979 until 1989, and the 20th Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1984 to 1995, as a member of the Christian Social People's Party, which has been the leading party in the Luxembourg government since 1979. As Prime Minister of Luxembourg he also led the negotiations on the Single European Act, which effectively set aside the 20-year-old Luxembourg Compromise.
Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman was a Luxembourg-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian Democrat (MRP) and an independent political thinker and activist. Twice Prime Minister of France, a reformist Minister of Finance and a Foreign Minister, he was instrumental in building post-war European and trans-Atlantic institutions and was one of the founders of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO. The 1964–1965 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour.
The Democratic Party, abbreviated to DP, is the major liberal political party in Luxembourg. One of the three major parties, the DP sits on the centre to centre-right, holding moderate market liberal views combined with a strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights, and internationalism.
Gaston Egmond Thorn was a Luxembourg politician who served in a number of high-profile positions, both domestically and internationally. Amongst the posts that he held were the 19th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (1974–79), President of the United Nations General Assembly (1975), and the seventh President of the European Commission (1981–85).
Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin was a French Christian democratic politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the crisis of that year.
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Victor Bodson was a Luxembourg socialist politician and lawyer. He is recognised as Righteous Among the Nations award by Yad Vashem for his actions during the Holocaust when he helping Jews from Germany escape persecution from the German government.
Cessange is a quarter in south-western Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg.
Victor Thorn was a Luxembourgian politician. He was the 11th Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for one year, from 24 February 1916 until 19 June 1917.
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Jean Hamilius is a former Luxembourgish politician and government minister from the Democratic Party. He was born in Luxembourg City. He served as Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Public Works (1974–79) as well as Associate Minister for Foreign Affairs (1976-1979) in Gaston Thorn's government (1974–79). He sat in the Chamber of Deputies between 1969 and 1984, and in the communal council of Luxembourg City (1969–74). He was one of Luxembourg's six Members of the European Parliament from 1979 until 1981.
René Steichen is a Luxembourgian politician and jurist.
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