Politics

Pirate Party in Luxembourg — Piratepartei Lëtzebuerg (PPLU)

In this article, we delve into the Pirate Party in Luxembourg, exploring its organizational structure and representativeness, examining its leadership and influential figures, as well as its current political agenda.

Table of content

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg, founded in October 2009, stands firmly by the principles of the Pirate Doctrine originally developed by the Swedish Pirate Party. Since its inception, this political fraction has championed the cause of enhanced civil rights, fortified data protection measures, and greater respect for individual privacy.

Pirate Party at a glance

At its core, the party calls for a more open government where people can easily access information, and better chances for everyone to get a good education. Moreover, it strongly believes in changing the rules that govern who owns the rights to creative works and inventions, while firmly standing against any efforts to control or restrict what people can say or share. A key belief of this party is the idea of "grassroots democracy," which means that every single member has a say in determining the party's direction and decisions.

The Pirate Party stands as the sixth-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, securing 2 out of 60 seats after the 2018 legislative elections. The number of seats a party holds can influence the policy direction and government formation.

2 seats

hold Pirates

2 seats

holds Left

21 seats

holds CSV

As a member of Pirate Parties International, the main organization of the global Pirate Party movement, the Luxembourg branch actively participates in international conferences and campaigns.

Elections

Parties

Leaders

Political Guide

Structure and representativeness

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg boasts a membership of 649 individuals, making it the seventh-largest political party in the country. Unlike traditional parties with a single president, the Pirate Party operates with a distinctive structure. At the helm, there is a coordinator, Marc Goergen, and two spokespersons, Rebecca Lau and Starsky Flor, who collectively provide leadership and representation.

The inner life of a party

At the local level, the party is divided into regional constituencies that align with electoral districts. Additionally, there is an independent youth organization known as "Jonk Piraten" or Jopis.

National Congress

It comprises all Pirate Party members and convenes at least once a year to determine the party's direction. The most recent congress took place on June 2, 2022.

Steering Committee

This committee helps to guide and supervise the actions of the Executive Committee. It is made up of members representing each geographical area served by the party, every person holding an elected position at local, national, and European levels from the Pirate Party in Luxembourg. Individuals chosen by the National Congress to focus on specific issues, and a representative from Jonk Piraten are also there.

Executive Committee

Responsible for representing the Pirate Party both internally and externally, the Executive Committee conducts party affairs based on resolutions passed by party organs. It consists of two spokespersons, a treasurer, a coordinator, and up to five additional members.

Regional Constituencies

The party works in four main regions in Luxembourg, matching with the voting districts, further split into smaller sections. They handle local and regional political issues, making choices that follow the party's established plans and values

Electoral system divides the country into four constituencies. The number of seats allocated to each constituency is proportional to its population

seats in the South

seats in the Center

seats in the North

seats in the East

People and influence in the party

Key personnel profiles

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg comprises individuals in key positions, each contributing to the party's mission.

Leaders of the party

Marc Goergen

He joined the Pirate Party in 2012. Goergen held several positions, including president of the Southern constituency and vice-president of the party until 2015. He was elected to the Pétange municipal council in 2017 and became a deputy in 2018. Currently he is a party coordinator.

Sven Clement

Luxembourg parliamentarian representing the Pirate Party since 2018. He also is the co-owner of a digital communications consultancy. Clement was a founding member and the first president of the Luxembourg Pirate Party.

Rebecca Lau

After working in Geneva at the UN office representing Luxembourg, Lau returned and entered the political arena with the Pirate Party. Her efforts were rewarded in 2021 when she was elected to head the party's communications.

Starsky Flor

A member of the Pirate Party since 2013, he stepped up as the party's co-spokesperson, first with Marie-Paule Dondelinger and later teaming up with Rebecca Lau in 2021. In 2018, he narrowly missed out on a seat in the legislature.

Other key members of the Pirates

Gilles Mertz

Treasurer&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;of the Pirate Party Luxembourg

Mandy Arendt

First woman to lead Colmar-Berg as Mayor

Morgan Engel

Coordinator of the Pirate Party in the South

Raymond Remakel

Prominent member of the Pirate Party in the North

The Pirate Party is the seventh-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, behind the ADR. In the 2018 legislative elections, the party secured 7% of the popular vote. These elections brought some impressive results for the PPLU, giving it two seats in the Chamber.

Pirate vote share in 2018

ADR vote share in 2018

15%

Greens vote share in 2018

Participation graphs by Luxtoday. Information source: Wikipedia

Following the 2019 European elections, the party did not secure any of the six available seats in the European Parliament.

There are 705 seats in the European Parliament.

These seats are divided among member countries based on their population size.

6 seats

are granted to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in the European Parliament

96 seats

are held by Germany, the most populous EU state, and the neighbor of the GDL

The Pirate Party Luxembourg doesn't yet hold any of these seats.

Pirate Party’s current political stance

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg embraces a distinct political stance tailored to the digital age. Within the sphere of information society, it champions individual privacy, information self-determination, and open access to knowledge and culture as fundamental principles. Key elements of its ideology include:

The party and its cornerstones

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg primarily represents the interests of those advocating for enhanced civil rights, digital liberties, data protection, and governmental transparency. It champions the cause of a more open and democratic society, where citizens have greater control over their digital lives and a say in shaping government policies.

Party views visualization

The PPLU is known for advocating for information liberties

Privacy and data

The party advocates for strict oversight of data surveillance practices, emphasizing the right to anonymity enshrined in the constitution.

The party argues for a shift in copyright laws, advocating it to be applied solely to commercial use, allowing the free sharing of information.

Patent Reform

Current patent laws can hinder innovation as legalized private monopolies. They believe in reevaluating patent legislation.

Within the sphere of information society, it champions individual privacy, information self-determination, and open access to knowledge and culture as fundamental principles.

Open access

The Pirates promote open access to state-funded research and public administration results. It seeks to ensure that research findings are available to the public.

Anti-censorship

In alignment with democratic principles, the party supports freedom of expression and resists any form of control, influence, or censorship over art and culture.

Education

The party champions free access to educational materials, advocating for tuition-free schools and universities. It also emphasizes digital literacy education.

The Pirate Party envisions a Europe without borders, advocating for the abolition of all barriers, including those limiting access to information and cultural content. They support the broad access to online services throughout the continent.

Political program

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg presents an extensive political program for 2023 elections, you can see the complete agenda on The Pirate Party website. For your convenience, we provide you a direct download link of the program and a condensed summary of some of their key priorities.

Fair taxation

Childcare

Enhanced security

Digital economy

Accessible healthcare

Rewarding green practices

Affordable housing

Citizen engagement

Dignity in aging

Party representation

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg primarily represents the interests of those advocating for enhanced civil rights, digital liberties, data protection and governmental transparency. It champions the cause of a more open and democratic society, where citizens have greater control over their digital lives and government policies.

Electorate demographics

There are certain groups that are more likely to support the Pirate Party.

Younger voters

Tech enthusiasts

Digital nomads

Students and researchers

Voters disenchanted with traditional political parties and looking for a new, non-traditional option may be drawn to the Pirate Party, which often positions itself as an alternative to established political parties.

Pirate party in comparison

	Pirates	LSAP	CSV	Greens
Environment	High	Low	Low	High
Electorate	Young	Older	Older	Young
Trade unions	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Secularism	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Pirate Party office is located in Kopstal

Office location: 1a rue de Luxembourg, Kopstal
Phone number: (+352) 20 33 37
Official website: piraten.lu

Brief history of the party

In its relatively short history since being founded in 2009, the party has made significant strides in various elections.

Founding and early growth: 2009-2015

The Pirate Party in Luxembourg was established in October 2009.
On December 11, 2011, several party members established a youth organization called Jonk Pirate.
In February 2011, the party had 90 members, which grew to 285 by September 2012.
Jerry Weyer, who was vice-president until 2012, also held the position of co-president of Pirate Parties International (PPI) from March 2010 to 2011.
The Pirate Party presented its first electoral list during the partial elections on October 20, 2013, but did not secure a seat in the Chamber.
In September 2013, membership reached 308, further increasing to 331 in April 2014.

Passport, valid for at least 3 months after the expiration date of the requested visa. With at least two blank pages.
Passport, valid for at least 3 months after the expiration date of the requested visa. With at least two blank pages.
Passport, valid for at least 3 months after the expiration date of the requested visa. With at least two blank pages.

Leadership changes and first achievements: 2015 to present

Sven Clement

Founding member and the first president of the Pirate Party

Membership reached 360 people by 2015. From 2015 to 2016, Sven Wohl served as vice president of the party.
In the municipal elections of 2017, three party members were elected as municipal councilors – two in Pétange and one in Remich.
A significant achievement came in the legislative elections of 2018, when the party garnered 6.45% of the national vote, resulting in the election of two deputies — Sven Clement and Marc Goergen, — to the Chamber of Deputies.
Sven Clement has served as the president of the Pirates until 2018. He currently holds the title of honorary president.
In August 2021, the party had about 420 members. By 2023, it has already reached 649 members, making it the seventh largest party in Luxembourg in terms of members.