Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%,
DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP
14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5
note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory
body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members
appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister
Judicial branch:
judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district
courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and
tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and
tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are
appointed for life by the monarch
Political parties and leaders:
Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Gast GIBERYEN];
Christian Social People's Party or CSV (known also as Christian
Social Party or PCS) [Francois BILTGEN]; Democratic Party or DP
[Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist
Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; Marxist and Reformed Communist
Party dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other
minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union);
Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP
(professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil
service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des
Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists);
LCGP (center-right trade union); OGBL (center-left trade union)
International organization participation:
ACCT, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU,
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS-PACCOURD
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171
FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270
consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Peter TERPELUK, Jr. embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue;
similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and
is shorter; design was based on the flag of France
Economy Luxembourg
Economy - overview:
This stable, high-income economy - in between France, Belgium, and
Germany - features solid growth, low inflation, and low
unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel,
has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber,
and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now
accounts for about 22% of GDP, has more than compensated for the
decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive
foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms.
The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for more
than 30% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU
members, has suffered from the global economic slump, the country
enjoys an extraordinarily high standard of living.