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Claire Lignières-Counathe
(Ambassador of France) : A Power Partnership
Claire Lignières-Counathe, the French ambassador to Luxembourg since 2021, notes the significant number of French citizens living in Luxembourg. She describes her mission in fostering relations with the Grand Duchy on the academic, cultural, and economic fronts and in particular how France can contribute to Luxembourg‘s energy needs.
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What is the focus of your mission in Luxembourg?
My role is to represent France and foster our bilateral relations across all domains. This includes political relations, which are strong and historical. We are committed to supporting Ukraine and deeply engaged in European and global issues, such as human rights and climate negotiations. The embassy provides cultural and consular support to the French community in Luxembourg. On the cultural front, this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Franco-Luxembourgish cultural agreement, which we will celebrate with various events. We also have significant academic and research partnerships. The University of Luxembourg employs French teachers and researchers, and it has a significantnumber of French students and doctoral candidates.Weare preparing for sports collaborationahead of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Economically France and Luxembourg have strong and growing ties”
Could you describe the French presence in Luxembourg?
France and Luxembourg have been long-standing neighbors and friends, with many ties between them. The French presence in Luxembourg has increased markedly over the past fifteen years. There is a growing French resident community, nearing 60,000 people today, including those with dual nationality: that means around 10% of Luxembourg’s residents are French. Additionally, there are over 123,000 French people who commute to Luxembourg for work daily, mainly from the nearby Lorraine region. This represents a considerable part of the workforce. Economically, there are over 1,300 French companies in Luxembourg, employing about 40,000 people, including some of the country's largest employers, like BGL-BNP Paribas, Sodexo, and Auchan.
Could you describe the economic partnership between Luxembourg and France?
Economically France and Luxembourg have strong and growing ties with a focus on bilateral trade and investments. We have ArcelorMittal, a major bilateral economic presence with a history in both countries. There are many French banks in Luxembourg. Luxembourg is a leading investor in France, thanks partly to investments transiting through Luxembourg from other countries. France's electricity supply is largely decarbonized, thanks to nuclear energy. We hope to increase electricity exports to Luxembourg. We're exploring further cooperation in green energy and hydrogen. Our countries are prioritizing cross-border, infrastructure cooperation, such as improvements to public transportation. Projects include the joint funding of rail infrastructure improvements between Metz and Luxembourg, with a budget of €440 million. There are discussions on bus lanes on certain roads, with joint funding from Luxembourg