Introduction
Over the past 6 years, the Är Equipe-DP majority has mainly initiated big and expensive projects. Most of them have not been realized yet. Although, as an opposition party, we unfortunately weren’t being involved in the planning of these projects (like many municipal commissions), we have supported a large number of them – such as the new school, the scout hut, the Aspelt church – because they are necessary or useful for our municipality. Others – such as the Aspelt crèche / senior club / social housing project, the Hellange water tower, the Aspelt castle and its annexes – we did not vote for them because they were poorly planned or located in the wrong place.
This policy of Är Equipe and DP will severely limit our municipality’s room for maneuver during the next period, because the realization of those projects will heavily indebt our municipality (the current five-year plan forsees a debt of more than 80 million euros by 2028!). A healthy financial policy looks different!
Municipal policy is not only about prestigious projects. In many other areas, such as environmental protection, mobility, urban planning, digitalization and housing, municipalities are now being called upon to act. This includes working with with national authorities and involving citizens in decision-making processes. In all these areas, little has been achieved over the past 6 years!
In addition, we have been little involved as an opposition party over the past 6 years. In commissions, for example, only one member of an opposition party could be present, so that we were not represented everywhere. Our motion to create a housing commission was passed in November 2021, but its implementation has been constantly delayed and it still does not exist. At least our motion to create a reception structure (maison relais) for children from preschool classes (Précoce) was approved and should be implemented by early 2024.
As CSV, we are committed to a proactive and supportive municipal policy that is close to the people and their questions, concerns and worries, and above all in cooperation with the people. Our electoral program describes how we envision the development of our municipality in the coming years. Our municipality needs a competent and dynamic political team with a strong and forward-looking vision at the political level. Our 11 candidates meet these requirements!
School
Education in Luxembourg has to operate in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment. Due to the increasing multilingualism of our young citizens, integration and support in small groups are important elements.
Adequate infrastructure with appropriate equipment is required, and digitalisation is a key element. That is why we are committed to:
- realizing the new school building as quickly as possible,
- giving every child in our municipality the opportunity to attend preschool classes (Précoce),
- providing school staff and parents with the necessary support for inclusive work,
- offering specific training to school bus attendants.
Childcare and Maison Relais
Our society has changed rapidly in recent years. Many parents work both because they have to, for financial reasons, or because they want to. As a result, children need to be properly looked after outside school. We think it is important that:
- our existing communal daycare (crèche) in Hellange is preserved and renovated once the new daycare in Aspelt is opened,
- another daycare is planned on the Frisange school campus,
- all children in need of a place in the reception structure (Maison Rélais) get one,
- collaboration between the school and the Maison Rélais is improved,
- the Maison Rélais receives the necessary means to offer quality homework help (as promised by the Ministry of Education).
Volunteering and club life
A municipality lives thanks to its associations and its active members. Without the commitment of volunteer members, there can be no active associations, and without associations, there can be no social life in municipalities. In order to support our associations in the best possible way, we plan to:
- provide associations in our 3 villages with the necessary spaces and places to organize their meetings and events,
- renovate the cultural center in Hellange,
- make the allocation of sports and cultural facilities more transparent and efficient by giving priority to municipal associations,
- make the community room of the new scout hut in Frisange available to all associations,
- create an online portal so that community spaces can be booked directly online and to see which ones are already booked,
- provide more logistical support to associations during their events (for example: a dishwasher trailer, ecological material, …)
- promote volunteering and help associations find members, especially among young people (for example through information material or an “Associations Day”, where associations present their activities).
Culture
Culture brings people together and is an essential element of social cohesion. It is also an important aspect of human well-being. That’s why it’s important for us to:
- hire a cultural manager who, in collaboration with associations and the cultural commission, develops a concept and program to turn the Aspelt Castle into a real cultural center,
- open the Aspelt Castle to the public (for example: for receptions) so that as many people as possible can enjoy the site.
Sport
Like culture, sport is something that brings people together and promotes social life in municipalities. In addition, physical activity contributes significantly to everyone’s health. That’s why we plan to:
- develop sports facilities (for example: a multi-sports field near the school, a beach volleyball court and a petanque track),
- set up a synthetic football field in Aspelt that meets the latest requirements,
- implement as quickly as possible the sports concept developed by the sports coordinator engaged jointly with our neighboring municipalities,
- create mountain bike trails through our municipality and connect them to other existing trails.
Youth
Our young people have suffered particularly from the restrictions of recent years. We recognise that the transition from carefree childhood to the constraints of adulthood is not easy and that young people need a space where they can make and share their experiences. That is why we are committed to:
- setting up a youth center,
- hiring a youth worker to take care of the supervision of young people, whether in the youth center or actively in the field,
- taking initiatives to integrate younger generations into politics and into the functioning of the municipality.
Seniors
Elderly citizens have specific needs and interests. They want to be able to live in their familiar environment for as long as possible, engage with others in society, continue learning, participate in cultural and sporting activities. That’s why we plan to:
- maintain and expand the local neighborhood service (Service de proximité) due to high demand, enriching it for example with concierge services (shoe repair, cleaning, …),
- launch a project for a CIPA assisted living facility in the municipality,
- include housing for seniors in new developments from a certain size,
- develop a municipal senior plan together with seniors to identify other needs and take concrete measures.
Sociality, Integration and Inclusion
For us, the term “Municipality” also means community. A municipality is alive when there is solidarity instead of individualism. For us, integration and inclusion are priority issues in municipal life. We want to create a context in which no one is excluded or forgotten, and we are committed to ensuring that:
- the range of courses for young people and seniors is expanded (swimming lessons, gymnastics, cooking, etc.)
- assistance courses in the field of digitalization (e.g.: online banking, smartphone, …) are offered to especially help seniors keep up with new technologies,
- initiatives are launched to introduce our Luxembourgish culture and traditions to our foreign fellow citizens,
- a municipal disability plan is developed with citizens to identify weak points in our localities and find solutions to solve them,
- public transport is adapted for people with disabilities,
- baby-sitting courses are organized again and the list of baby-sitters on the municipality’s website is regularly updated,
- municipal subsidies and social assistance are adapted to real needs and a social scale is introduced,
- citizens who need help during these difficult times receive adequate follow-up from the social office.
Participation
In today’s society, strictly formal democratic representation is no longer enough. People don’t just want to vote every six years, they want to be consulted and involved in decision-making processes. That’s why we want:
- citizens to be involved from the start in major important projects (for example: through citizen forums, public assemblies, …),
- our advisory committees to also be consulted on their opinions regarding the files and projects that affect their field,
- a participatory budget to be introduced where citizens can submit their own projects and ideas that would then be implemented with the budget if approved.
Housing
Municipalities are increasingly being called upon when it comes to affordable housing. And while they can undoubtedly play an important role, particularly in mobilizing building land, we must not forget that their means are limited and that the solution on the ground can only come from collaboration between all actors. That’s why we plan in the field of housing that:
- the Housing Pact (Pacte Logement) is finally taken seriously and a housing commission is set up,
- all possible efforts are made to create affordable housing in our municipality and acquire land for this purpose,
- a framework is created to allow for housing communities, intergenerational homes or Tiny Houses in our municipality.
Urban Planning
To improve the quality of life in our villages, it is important that we design public space in such a way that people feel good and enjoy spending time there. That’s why we are committed to:
- creating more playgrounds and modern community spaces (for all generations and also for people with reduced mobility) in our 3 villages,
- setting up community gardens and dog play meadows,
- promoting and developing local commerce (for example: grocery store, mobile grocery store, café, pop-up store, etc.) in our municipality,
- again organizing a fun fair in our municipality,
- creating a local flea market with our associations and citizens,
- organizing a market for local and seasonal products in the municipality,
- keeping traffic islands and community spaces clean and more nicely landscaped,
- reviewing and adapting our urban planning regulations in collaboration with citizens.
Mobility
The location of the municipality of Frisange close to the French border has undoubtedly led to a significant increase in traffic in recent years. To achieve positive development in the field of mobility, it is not enough to reduce traffic. Much more investment is needed in attractive and safe “soft mobility” and the development of public transport must continue. A reduction in local emissions can be achieved, for example, by promoting electromobility. For us, it is therefore essential that:
- a user-friendly cycle path between the 3 localities finally becomes a reality,
- new electric charging stations for electric cars are installed near public buildings and squares,
- the city center of Aspelt and Hellange is calmed in terms of traffic, for example through a “shared space”,
- the school street and Hoenerwee in Hellange are renovated and designed to calm traffic, ideally as a meeting zone (zone de rencontre),
- calming entrances to our villages for more safety,
- the municipality’s vehicle fleet is increasingly converted to electromobility to finally meet national requirements,
- the Frisibus service is developed and improved with the help of our neighboring municipalities (for example with an online reservation system or free transport for children and young people),
- efforts are made to achieve a more frequent public transport schedule, especially a better connection between Hellange and Luxembourg City,
- all stops are equipped with a bus shelter with an electronic information display,
- pedestrian safety is guaranteed, for example by increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and using modern lighting and signage,
- the dismantling of the N13 continues in order to restore a beautiful village character to our 3 localities and to offer pedestrians and cyclists more space – and above all safer space,
- residential parking is rethought and a comprehensive concept is developed, giving priority to our fellow citizens for public parking space in the municipality,
- the P&R car park in Frisange is enlarged.
Sustainability
A sustainable lifestyle as well as the protection of nature and the environment are becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. These aspects are also important to us, which is why we plan that:
- the climate pact and nature pact are finally implemented consistently and goal-oriented,
- an “environmental award” is introduced to reward citizens and associations who have done something special for our environment,
- circular economy plays a priority role in new infrastructure projects and resource consumption is reduced,
- the municipality helps associations obtain the “Green events” label for their events and thus become more climate-neutral.
Waste Prevention and Recycling
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Waste prevention, circular economy and finally recycling must be the motto of the municipality in the field of waste. That’s why we support:
- the transformation of the Hellange recycling center into a resource center,
- an analysis of the opening hours of the recycling center to possibly adapt them to the current needs of the population,
- the introduction of a second-hand corner and SuperDrecksKëscht at the recycling center,
- the launch of a Repair-Café to raise awareness about sustainability,
- the implementation of an awareness campaign on “waste prevention, recycling and upcycling”.
Energy
Our society is increasingly confronted with the consequences of climate change and the energy crisis. CSV Frisange supports the responsible use of energy and resources and the development of renewable energies. That’s why we are committed to:
- renewable energies as a central factor in all new projects in the municipality,
- an ambitious energy renovation of existing municipal buildings, such as the hall in Hellange and Aspelt or the existing school in Frisange.
- the installation of photovoltaic panels on all municipal infrastructures, with citizen participation where it makes sense,
- an analysis of the potential and feasibility of wind turbines in our municipality,
- a consistent implementation of energy-saving measures to cope with the energy crisis and save money (for example by no longer lighting public buildings at night),
- a timely switch to full LED public lighting and the introduction of intelligent lighting systems,
- the adaptation of municipal subsidies for individuals in the fields of energy renovation, renewable energies, mobility, bicycles, household appliances and electric charging stations.
Municipal Services
Our daily lives are becoming more and more stressful. That’s why we want to simplify administrative procedures as much as possible, so that people have more time for the things that matter. We therefore plan to:
- allow individual citizens as well as associations to submit as many procedures and requests to the municipality digitally (for example: grant applications, authorizations or room reservations),
- redesign the website www.frisange.lu and mobile application for a clearer and simplified presentation to quickly find what you are looking for,
- set up the municipal administration in terms of personnel, material and organization in such a way that the citizen can rely on competent and responsive services.
Security
Security is clearly an issue that has become increasingly important to people in recent years. This is primarily a matter for national policy, but it can also be addressed at the local level. It is therefore important to us that:
- the CGDIS is optimally supported by the municipality and that the national directive for a central “Intervention Center” is implemented jointly with neighboring municipalities,
- exchanges with police officials are intensified so that more patrols are carried out in our municipality,
- sensitive locations are optimally lit and monitored by video cameras,
- efforts are made to establish a medical center or health center in our municipality,
- a local heatwave plan is prepared in view of increasingly intense heat periods.
Economy and Finances
Healthy public finances have always been the foundation for providing essential services to citizens and improving the quality of their lives. As CSV, we are therefore committed to:
- keeping the municipality’s debt at a manageable level in order to have room for maneuver to vote on short-term or urgent expenses,
- strengthening and diversifying ordinary revenues while managing ordinary expenses with great care and rationality,
- pursuing the idea of an economic and commercial activity zone to create co-working spaces,
- further developing inter-municipal cooperation in terms of infrastructure but also technical equipment (for example: machines, vehicles, etc.),
- systematically reducing the municipality’s energy consumption,
- outsourcing where it makes sense and actually reduces costs,
- providing for a fixed amount each year in the budget for the purchase of land in our municipality.
