Credit: Ali Sahib, Chronicle.lu
On Wednesday 17 June 2026, the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg's parliament) unanimously adopted a new law on support for public and specialised libraries.
According to Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture, the legislation replaces the Law of 24 June 2010 on public libraries and aims to strengthen the development of the library sector in Luxembourg while reaffirming the government's commitment to free access to knowledge, information and culture across the country.
The law introduces a tiered funding system designed to better reflect the different needs of public and specialised libraries. It provides increased financial support for the creation of new libraries, the development of emerging public libraries and the expansion of regional library branches.
For the first time, the legislation formally recognises specialised libraries as complementary to the public library network and grants them financial support equivalent to that available to small community libraries. The law also introduces dedicated funding for digitalisation projects and reaffirms libraries' autonomy in areas including acquisition policies, opening hours and collection management. In addition, it aims to encourage the municipalisation of libraries in cooperation with municipalities across Luxembourg.
The legislation also aims to strengthen support for Luxembourg's cultural and literary heritage by requiring part of the annual funding allocated to libraries to support the acquisition of Luxemburgensia publications, noted the ministry.
Commenting on the adoption of the law, Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture Eric Thill said: "With this law, we are creating a stable and ambitious framework to support the development of libraries in the years ahead. At a time when information circulates at an unprecedented speed and digital technologies are transforming the way we live, we are investing in places that play an essential role in the transmission of knowledge, reading, social inclusion and civic participation."
