Latest from Étude· Page 9 of 22

Every section, ordered by publication date. 514 stories in the archive.

World
Colombia Election
Colombia Heads to a Knife-Edge Runoff as Petro Disputes the Count
Far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella led Colombia's 31 May first round with 43.74% to leftist senator Iván Cepeda's 40.90%, forcing a 21 June runoff. President Gustavo Petro refused to accept the preliminary tally, alleging the vote contractor altered software and inflated the rolls; officials say he has no power to reject results. The race will steer security policy, Total Peace and frayed ties with Washington.
By Marie-Anne Kayser1 June 2026
Politics
Politics
Luxembourg's three-month clock runs out, clearing decisive vote to enshrine abortion in the Constitution
A constitutional three-month interval expires on 3 June 2026, clearing the Chamber of Deputies to hold the decisive second vote on enshrining the freedom to access abortion in Article 15. Deputies approved the reform in a first reading on 3 March by 48 to 6 with 2 abstentions. If confirmed, Luxembourg would become the second country, after France, to write the freedom into its Constitution.
By Marie-Anne Kayser1 June 2026
Finance
Pay explained
What is the average salary in Luxembourg — and what's left after tax?
Half of Luxembourg's full-time employees earn under €58,126 gross a year (STATEC). The average — €75,919 — is pulled up by high finance salaries. After ~12% social security and progressive income tax (0–42% plus a surcharge), most workers take home roughly 65–80% of their gross, depending on income and tax class.
By Luc Bertemes1 June 2026
World
Vision 2030
Saudi Arabia Halts NEOM's 'The Line' and Cuts Its 2030 Population Target
Saudi Arabia is scaling back NEOM, its flagship Vision 2030 megaproject. Under new CEO Aiman al-Mudaifer, reporting says work on 'The Line' has been halted until after 2030, with Red Sea tourism and the Trojena ski resort delayed. The 2030 population target has collapsed from roughly 1.5 million to as low as 100,000, while $3 billion is redirected to the port-city OXAGON. Finance Minister al-Jadaan says Riyadh has 'no ego' and will defer or cancel projects.
By Tom Reuter1 June 2026
Finance
Luxembourg taxes
Luxembourg's income-tax classes (1, 1a, 2) explained: who falls into each
Luxembourg sorts taxpayers into class 1 (single, no children), class 1a (single parents, widowed, people 65+) and class 2 (married couples and PACS partners taxed jointly, usually the most favourable). Your class is on your withholding tax card. Tax runs from 0% to 42% plus a 7-9% surcharge. Married cross-border workers default to class 1 unless they request assimilation. A reform replaces the classes with one from 2028.
By Pierre Hansen1 June 2026
Finance
Corporate Relocation
Atari Relocates Its Legal Home to Luxembourg After Shareholders Back France Exit
Atari, the iconic gaming brand currently headquartered in France, will move its legal domicile to Luxembourg after shareholders approved the re-domiciliation by 95.25% at a general meeting on 27 May 2026. The cross-border conversion of Atari SA into a Luxembourg public limited company is expected to complete by July and runs alongside a reverse stock split and the acquisition of Sweden's Thunderful.
By Pierre Hansen31 May 2026
World
Defence and space
Luxembourg approves EUR 301 million financing for second military satellite
Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies voted 57 to 60 on 21 January 2026 to authorise a EUR 301 million financing law for GovSat-2, a secure government and military communications satellite. Run through the 50/50 LuxGovSat joint venture between the Luxembourg State and operator SES, the project routes the build to France's Thales Alenia Space and the launch to Arianespace. Defence Minister Yuriko Backes framed it as a contribution to EU and NATO security and a bet on European strategic autonomy.
By Pierre Hansen31 May 2026
Greater Region
Cross-border rail
Double-decker trains arrive on the Metz-Luxembourg line as France and the Grand Duchy chase 21,000 peak-hour seats
The Grand Est Region unveiled at Metz station on 4 May 2026 the first of 16 double-decker trains now running on the Metz-Thionville-Luxembourg line. Each five-car Z26500 set seats 554 passengers, up from 313, and has been cleared to cross into Luxembourg since 29 April. The plan lifts peak-hour capacity toward 21,000 seats by 2030, with Luxembourg co-funding a new Metz-area workshop.
By Mathias Faber31 May 2026
Luxembourg
Women's Cycling
Nina Berton Takes Home Podium at Festival Elsy Jacobs in Cessange
Luxembourg cyclist Nina Berton finished third at the Festival Elsy Jacobs à Luxembourg, the UCI 1.1 women's one-day race held over 121.6 km in Cessange on Sunday 3 May 2026. The 24-year-old joined an eight-rider breakaway and held on for bronze behind Britain's Erin Boothman and Switzerland's Steffi Häberlin, a day after frustration at the companion race in Garnich.
By Julia Weber31 May 2026
Finance
Money
The digital euro inches closer: what it is, and what it is not
The European Central Bank spent 2026 moving its digital euro from study to trial, inviting banks to join a pilot and pressing lawmakers to pass the enabling regulation. A digital euro would be public money on your phone - a complement to cash, not a replacement - with a cap on how much you can hold and a cash-like privacy mode offline. Here is where the project stands and what it would mean.
By Tom Reuter31 May 2026
Politics
Immigration
EU's recast single-permit rules for non-EU workers take effect on 21 May 2026
New EU rules in force across the bloc from 21 May 2026 modernise the "single permit" - the combined work-and-residence authorisation for non-EU nationals. The recast directive promises faster decisions, the freedom to change employer, and a grace period if you lose your job. Here is what changes, and why it matters most in a country as foreign-staffed as Luxembourg.
By Anouk Origer31 May 2026
Tech & Science
Digital identity
EU requires a Digital Identity Wallet on smartphones by the end of 2026
By the end of 2026, every EU country - Luxembourg included - must offer citizens a Digital Identity Wallet: a free smartphone app to prove who you are and carry official documents. It springs from the eIDAS 2.0 regulation, promises to let you reveal only what a service strictly needs, and is being built in Luxembourg by the public agency INCERT. Here is how it will work.
By Julia Weber31 May 2026
Luxembourg
Cost of living
Luxembourg wages rise 2.5% in 2026 as pension contributions and carbon price increase
Salaries and pensions in Luxembourg rise 2.5% from 1 June 2026 as a new index tranche kicks in. The same year brings higher pension contributions (24% to 25.5%), a carbon tax up to €50 a tonne, a permanent Bëllegen Akt home-buyer credit, and the first moves toward a single tax class in 2028. Here is the full picture for your wallet.
By Marie-Anne Kayser31 May 2026
Finance
Banking
Banks across the euro area now check the name behind every IBAN before transfers
Since 9 October 2025, banks across the euro area - Luxembourg included - must run a free "Verification of Payee" check before you confirm a transfer, flagging when the name you typed does not match the IBAN's real account holder. It is part of the EU's Instant Payments Regulation, which also forces banks to offer ten-second transfers at no extra cost. Here is what changed and why.
By Luc Bertemes31 May 2026
Culture
Culture
Guy Helminger Wins Luxembourg's Batty Weber Prize for 2026
Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture has named Guy Helminger, the 63-year-old author born in Esch and based in Cologne, as winner of the 14th Prix Batty Weber. The €10,000 prize, awarded every three years for a writer's complete body of work, will be presented on 30 September 2026 at the Centre national de littérature in Mersch.
By Léa Schmit31 May 2026
Greater Region
Cross-Border Work
Two ceilings, one commute: the telework rules for Luxembourg's frontaliers in 2026
Luxembourg's economy runs on cross-border workers - 231,519 of them, nearly half the salaried workforce. For 2026, two separate thresholds govern their telework: a 34-day-a-year tax tolerance, now identical for France, Germany and Belgium, and a separate social-security ceiling of just under 50%. Mixing them up can be expensive.
By Pierre Hansen30 May 2026
Europe
Travel
Schengen goes digital: what EES and ETIAS mean for travel to Europe
The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on 10 April 2026, replacing passport stamps with biometric records at Schengen's external borders. Its companion, ETIAS - a €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors - is expected in late 2026. Here is what changes, and how to apply without falling for copycat websites.
By Mathias Faber30 May 2026
Tech & Science
Artificial Intelligence
EU delays the AI Act's high-risk obligations to 2027 and 2028, but keeps transparency rules
Under the 'Digital Omnibus' deal reached on 7 May 2026, the EU agreed to postpone the AI Act's high-risk obligations - to December 2027 for standalone systems and August 2028 for AI built into products - while transparency rules still take effect on 2 August 2026. In Luxembourg, draft law 8476 hands the lead enforcement role to the CNPD.
By Noah Schreiber30 May 2026
Europe
Copyright
Europe's highest court backs Italy's power to make Meta pay publishers
On 12 May 2026 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled, in Case C-797/23, that EU law lets member states require online platforms such as Meta to pay press publishers fair remuneration for the use of their content, upholding the enforcement system Italy built around its regulator, AGCOM.
By Sophie Lentz30 May 2026
Finance
Labour Market
Luxembourg backs 53 short-time-work requests for June, covering up to 2,776 full-time jobs
The Comité de conjoncture gave positive opinions on 53 short-time-work applications for June 2026, potentially covering 2,776 full-time-equivalent jobs.
By Tom Reuter30 May 2026
Profile
Luc Frieden: the CSV prime minister back at the centre of Luxembourg politics
Luc Frieden returned to government in 2023 after a career in law, finance and CSV-led cabinets. His record now matters because Luxembourg faces pressure on housing, growth, public finances and its financial model.
By Tom Reuter30 May 2026
Luxembourg
Migration and Asylum
Luxembourg races to write EU migration pact into law before 12 June; rights groups warn on fundamental rights
Luxembourg is rushing draft bill 8684 through parliament to transpose the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum before the bloc's rules take effect on 12 June 2026. Its centrepiece is a 3-to-7-day screening of undocumented arrivals, run from the former ADEM building on Rue Bender. The Luxembourg Refugee Council "strongly condemns" the text, citing detention of minors, shortened appeals and intrusive phone searches.
By Julia Weber30 May 2026
Opinion
Housing Policy
'Perma-crisis': IDEA says Luxembourg's housing shortage is no longer a crisis but the new normal
Fondation IDEA, the think-tank created by Luxembourg's Chamber of Commerce, argues the housing shortage should no longer be called a "crisis." In Décryptage No. 54, economist Michel-Edouard Ruben calls it a "perma-crisis" — an "established disorder" of scarce supply and high prices. IDEA has pressed four structural fixes as completions lag the government's 6,000-homes-a-year target.
By Mathias Faber30 May 2026
Finance
Explainer
How Luxembourg wage indexation works: the salary index, the 2.5% tranche and the payslip
Luxembourg's indexation system links wages, pensions and social parameters to the cost of living. This explainer shows how the threshold, six-month average and cote d'application work.
By Tom Reuter29 May 2026