Syvicol against new ethical standards

The Association of Cities and Municipalities of Luxembourg (Syvicol) has strongly criticised the draft amendments to municipal legislation prepared by the Ministry of the Interior. The main sticking point was the new code of ethics for elected local officials. Although Syvicol itself had previously advocated for the systematisation of rules of conduct, the current version of the document was described as "excessive" and "intrusive".

Syvicol President Emile Eicher emphasised that ethical standards for municipal councillors should be synchronised with the rules of the Chamber of Deputies, but should not be stricter than them. The requirement to declare membership in any associations and public organisations caused particular discontent. According to the committee, such transparency is excessive, since participation in the life of local communities is part of citizens' private lives and is not subject to mandatory reporting even for national parliamentarians.

The issue of gifts was also discussed. The bill proposes setting a limit of €150, which Syvicol considers acceptable. However, the bureaucratic aspect has caused controversy:

• They want to oblige MPs to keep a register indicating the donor, the time of delivery and the estimated value of each item.
• Emile Eicher noted that traditional gifts such as bouquets of flowers or bottles of Luxembourg wine are obviously worth less than the established threshold, and the requirement to record them in lists seems absurd.
• The association insists that reporting should only be required in those rare cases where the value of the gift clearly exceeds the limit, requiring the official to exercise increased caution.

Despite criticism of the ethical component, Syvicol expressed its full support for another part of the government initiative — extending the duration of political leave. This change will allow municipal representatives to devote more time to public activities without compromising their main work, which is in line with the association's long-standing demands.