L-R: Philippe Thill, future financial advisor; Natalia Radichevskaia, future adviser to the OECD; Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance; Katarina Köszeghy, tax attorney; Credit: MFIN

The Luxembourg Ministry of Finance is strengthening its presence in Brussels and Paris in an attempt to better monitor European and international issues.

In this regard, the Ministry of Finance will strenghten its staff in the Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Philippe Thill, a lawyer in the "Budget and financial centre" department and Katarina Köszeghy, a tax lawyer in the "Taxation" department, will thus be seconded to the Ecofin team of the Permanent Representation in Brussels, with effect from September 2018 and January 2019 respectively. They will join Amir Motahari, budget affairs adviser, and Jules Elsen, tax attorney. Philippe Thill will succeed Natalia Radichevskaia as financial advisor and will deal with the Ecofin dossiers, including those related to financial services and economic and monetary union, as well as macroeconomic topics. Meanwhile, Katarina Köszeghy will notably monitor direct taxation issues, including digital taxation and the implementation of BEPS.

Representing the OECD will be counsellor Natalia Radichevskaia, who will strengthen the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg. As a lawyer, she will monitor the financial files processed within the OECD, as well as the implementation of BEPS, digital taxation and information-sharing issues and the fight against money laundering and corruption and the financing of terrorism.

Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna has commented on this development: "Faced with increasingly complex and numerous issues, the Ministry of Finance has significantly strengthened its resources during the current parliamentary term. To best defend the interests of the country with European and international bodies, it is essential for Luxembourg to be represented by high quality specialists. In view of the current challenges and the importance of the dossiers under discussion with the European Union and the OECD, the Ministry of Finance is seconding additional staff in Brussels and Paris."