An open and digital economy

A diversified and sustainable economy is a top priority for Luxembourg. We have to encourage an innovative spirit to make Luxembourg a hub for start-ups and scale-ups. Digitalization and the focus on climate technology help us to make our growth more socially just and sustainable.

Supporting innovation and self-employment

Business start-ups should be digitised and simplified, and exchanges of data between small businesses and the authorities must be reduced to a minimum, automated and digitised.

New and small enterprises and self-employed people are a very important factor for the economy and its development. Every established business that survives its start-up phase is a major contributor to the Luxembourgish economy in the long term.

Establishment begins with the business permit, which must finally adapt to the digital age. Generally speaking, there is a lack of simple, fast and digitised procedures to facilitate the work of the self-employed and small businesses.

We, the pirates, therefore demand :

• a one-stop shop for business permits and simplification of the procedure;
• improved digital exchanges between the CCSS and the tax and customs authorities;
• Data must be exchanged digitally and automatically between the CNS, CCSS, customs and tax authorities.

All too often nowadays, administrations ask companies for data that they already have. All this costs time and effort. We Pirates want to reduce bureaucracy as much as possible, which is why we demand that no additional data that is already known to the authorities should be requested for each new request made by the administrations.

› In general, we need a cross-sector digitisation in which each ministry and each administration does not develop on its own, but follows a national digital strategy.

Luxembourg as a start-up nation

Many young start-ups need more capital in order to survive, especially after their establishment. At the same time, they find it difficult to raise or borrow the necessary capital themselves in this country and thus often get stuck in their development or go abroad.

› That is why we are committed to ensuring that young companies are exempted from the minimum taxation for the first two years.

Every euro that is invested by private individuals in the economy helps to keep the economy going and creates opportunities for renewal and jobs. In order to motivate people to invest their funds, we want to give small shareholders an incentive to become active on the financial markets themselves.

We propose

• an abatement of €5,000 to €10,000 on investment profits, under the condition that the securities are held for at least six months.
• that a company investment scheme is introduced, so that it is easier to support young companies with financing.

Company foundings are a very important factor for the economy and its development. They help to foster innovations and fight unemployment. Every established company that survives its start-up phase is in the long term a strong enrichment for the economy and a great contribution to our social coexistence. Therefore, we must ensure that as many companies as possible overcome this startup phase and establish themselves permanently in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg as a sustainable economy hub

We cannot and should not encourage just any economic activity in Luxembourg if massive resources such as soil, water or energy are consumed. We stand for companies that fit our country.

› We need a clear and ambitious catalog of criteria that sets the limit values for the consumption of water, electricity and fossil fuels.

› Projects in economic or industrial zones that require a lot of space should be realized in joint approaches in the greater region or inter-municipally.

Luxembourg should continue to grow into a climate-friendly economic hub that:

• Creates and secures long-term jobs;
• Builds on our strengths as a financial hub;
• Makes us a pioneer in terms of climate-friendly technologies;
• Strenghtens our craft trades.

Our craft businesses should be strengthened and the climatetech sector encouraged to come to Luxembourg - for example solar plants in all forms, (micro) wind turbines and carbon capture.

However, we are also convinced that transparent communication about projects that are to come to Luxembourg will benefit people and companies. The practice of memorandums of understanding (MoU) which are negotiated between companies and ministers, and which are not publicly accessible, should stop.

More information on https://piraten.lu.