Mayors of Luxembourg - Bettembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg consists of twelve cantons made up of 100 municipalities. Each municipal council is elected directly by its residents in municipal elections held every six years. The municipality’s mayor is then appointed from among the elected members of the municipal council.

In this series, Chronicle.lu spoke to a selection of the country’s mayors to discuss the challenges within their municipality, their daily activities, how projects are prioritised and how they communicate with residents.

The sixth in this series features Mayor Jean-Marie Jans who represents the municipality of Bettembourg.

Chronicle.lu: What is the size of your municipality, in population and number of nationalities?

Jean-Marie Jans: Bettembourg has around 11,600 residents representing 107 different nationalities, making it one of Luxembourg's most diverse municipalities.

Chronicle.lu: What are the main challenges currently facing the municipality (housing, mobility, infrastructure, environment, demographic growth, etc.) and how is the administration working to address them?

Jean-Marie Jans: One of the main challenges facing Bettembourg is mobility. Thanks to its strategic location, with excellent rail connections and direct access to major motorways, the municipality enjoys outstanding accessibility. While this is a major asset for residents and businesses, it also results in significant traffic, particularly as major infrastructure works by CFL and Administration des Ponts & Chaussées are currently underway.

Another important challenge is adapting our infrastructure to the needs of a growing and evolving municipality. The future introduction of the Alpha project in primary schools will require additional space and represents an important challenge in terms of school infrastructure and organisation. We are therefore working to ensure that our educational facilities can accommodate these developments and continue to provide a high-quality learning environment for children.

Climate resilience is also becoming an increasingly important priority. The municipal council has unanimously adopted last Friday a resolution to develop a Heatwave Plan, which will form part of Bettembourg's future Local Resilience Plan. The plan includes measures such as increasing vegetation throughout the municipality, installing additional public drinking water points, adapting municipal buildings to cope with higher temperatures, and strengthening prevention, coordination and public awareness. As a first concrete step, the municipality will also develop a comprehensive greening concept to enhance vegetation across the communal territory and improve the quality of the living environment.

Like many municipalities in Luxembourg, we are also preparing for demographic growth while addressing challenges related to housing, public services, mobility and the preservation of green spaces. Our objective is to ensure that Bettembourg continues to develop in a balanced and sustainable way while maintaining a high quality of life for all residents.

Moreover, we are preparing to work on the execution of our Masterplan for the centre of Bettembourg.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe the daily activities undertaken by you, as mayor of the municipality of Bettembourg and how you work in conjunction with the other members of your administration.

Jean-Marie Jans: As mayor of Bettembourg, my role combines political leadership with the day-to-day management of the municipality. While the law defines a number of formal responsibilities—including chairing the Municipal Council—I also work closely with the College of Aldermen, the municipal administration and our local partners to ensure that projects are delivered effectively and that residents receive high-quality public services.

No two days are the same. My work includes meeting with residents, businesses, associations and institutional partners, overseeing ongoing municipal projects, representing the municipality at official events, and helping to shape the strategic direction of Bettembourg.

In addition to my statutory responsibilities, I am directly responsible for several key policy areas: the municipal budget, urban planning and infrastructure, mobility, public order and rescue services, culture and our twinning partnerships. These portfolios allow me to help guide the municipality's development while ensuring that Bettembourg remains an attractive, sustainable and welcoming place to live.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe the challenges of being mayor of Bettembourg and what makes your municipality unique in Luxembourg.

Jean-Marie Jans: Being mayor of Bettembourg means addressing many of the challenges faced by growing municipalities in Luxembourg, including demographic development, mobility, infrastructure and ensuring high-quality public services.

What makes Bettembourg unique is the combination of several strengths. Our municipality benefits from an excellent location, with strong railway connections and direct access to major motorways. However, Bettembourg is much more than a transport hub.

It is a place of intercultural coexistence, with 107 nationalities represented among our residents. Through our commitment to the Intercultural Living Together Pact, we actively promote inclusion, dialogue and participation within our community.

Bettembourg is also a place of culture, sport and leisure. The Parc Merveilleux attracts nearly 300,000 visitors every year, while our cultural and sporting associations play an essential role in community life. As the cradle of Luxembourg basketball, Bettembourg has a strong sporting tradition, with clubs offering a wide range of activities for all ages. Events such as the LiteraTour festival, the Prix Laurence literary competition and the Nuit des Merveilles street art festival also contribute to the municipality’s cultural vitality.

Finally, we are strongly committed to sustainability and the protection of nature. Bettembourg was the first municipality in Luxembourg to achieve gold-level certification in both the Climate Pact and the Nature Pact.

Our challenge is to continue developing the municipality while preserving what makes Bettembourg special: its accessibility, diversity, community spirit and quality of life.

Chronicle.lu: As mayor, how do you select and prioritise which projects the municipality will undertake?

Jean-Marie Jans: Our priorities are guided by the coalition agreement adopted after the elections. At the same time, we constantly assess projects according to residents' needs, legal obligations, available funding and their long-term benefits for the municipality.

Chronicle.lu: What are the key projects, developments and upcoming events that will shape life in Bettembourg over the coming months and years?

Jean-Marie Jans: We are preparing to work on the execution of our Masterplan for the centre of Bettembourg (Revalorisation du centre de Bettembourg | Plan directeur - Beetebuerg). That architectural work will be done step by step and will take many years.

Meanwhile, even if these projects may not be the most visible or exciting from the public's perspective, our priority over the coming years will be to strengthen the municipality's essential infrastructure. After investing significantly in recent years in the construction of new public buildings, it is now time to focus on the systems that are fundamental to the municipality's long-term resilience and day-to-day functioning.

This includes reinforcing our drinking water supply, modernising and expanding underground utility networks, maintaining and increasing the capacity of stormwater retention basins and further developing our district heating network. These investments are less visible than new buildings, but they are vital to ensuring reliable public services, supporting future growth and preparing the municipality for the challenges of the coming decades.

By strengthening these core municipal structures today, we are laying the foundations for sustainable development and maintaining a high quality of life for our residents in the years to come.

Chronicle.lu: How does the municipality communicate with residents and encourage them to become involved in local life and decision-making? Do you use English in such communications?

Jean-Marie Jans: We communicate with our residents through several channels to keep them informed and encourage them to take an active role in local life and decision-making. Our municipal website, our very active social media accounts and the CityApp provide regular updates on municipal news, projects, consultations and events.

For major municipal projects, we organise public information sessions to present the plans, answer questions and gather feedback from residents. We also hold citizen participation workshops (participation citoyenne), which allow residents to contribute their ideas and help shape local projects and policies. In addition, residents can actively participate in the municipality's climate and sustainability initiatives through our Klimateam, where citizens work together with the municipality to develop and implement local environmental actions.

We also publish several key municipal publications (Publications et téléchargements - Beetebuerg). Eise Buet, our municipal bulletin, is issued four times a year and provides information on local policies, projects and community initiatives. We also publish Beetebuerg Life, an agenda featuring upcoming events and activities taking place in the municipality.

As for languages, we generally communicate in Luxembourg's three official languages—Luxembourgish, French and German. However, we occasionally publish posts in English on social media when appropriate, particularly when the information is relevant to our international residents or a broader audience. Public information sessions are often organised with live translation into French as well as English.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe any initiatives / projects the municipality has in place to strengthen community relations, integration and volunteering.

Jean-Marie Jans: Strengthening community relations and promoting inclusion are key priorities for Bettembourg. As one of the first municipalities in Luxembourg to sign the new Pacte communal du Vivre-ensemble interculturel (Gemengepakt), we are committed to fostering an inclusive community where everyone who lives or works in Bettembourg feels welcome and has the opportunity to participate in local life.

This commitment is reflected in a wide range of initiatives that encourage dialogue, participation and volunteering. We organise citizen workshops, consultations and community activities that allow residents to contribute to local projects and help shape the future of the municipality. We also work closely with local associations, municipal commissions and volunteers to strengthen social cohesion and community engagement.

A key role in this work is played by our equal opportunities department (Service à l'Égalité des chances), which does an outstanding job of developing and coordinating initiatives that promote equal opportunities, inclusion and intercultural dialogue.

Through its programmes and partnerships, the department helps bring people together, encourages active citizenship and reinforces the strong sense of community that characterises Bettembourg.

An important national initiative is the Biergerpakt (Citizen's Pact), which invites residents and people working in Bettembourg to actively engage in intercultural living together by taking part in cultural activities, workshops and community events that promote mutual understanding, respect and solidarity. Together, these initiatives celebrate the municipality's diversity while strengthening the sense of belonging among all members of our community.