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CURRENT AFFAIRS
NEWSMAKERS
Interview by NATALIE GERHARDSTEIN
“ IMPRESSED WITH OUR COUNTRY’S ACHIEVEMENTS”
Summer 2017
freedom, reward for effort, respect and tolerance for other--non-violent-opinions and beliefs, equal opportunity and solidarity. When you talk about Luxembourg to non-Luxembourgers, what do they say? For those who know Luxembourg, most are impressed with our country’s achievements, its international role and contribution, its quality of life, and natural beauties. For those who don’t, they are curious and often wonder how such a small country can survive. Do you feel there is a real national identity? Is it threatened by the evolving demography and the fact that the foreign population is growing? We should remind ourselves that our today’s national identity is a rather recent occurrence. It has been formed to a large extent during and as a result of the Second World War and continues to evolve. As I previously said, I do not feel our identity is threatened by the evolving demo graphy. Quite the contrary, our identity is embracing demographic diversity as one of its unique constituent elements while encouraging the use of our language as the conduit for transmitting our values. What’s your favourite Luxembourgish word? Moien! Wéi geet et? Without us often realising, they reflect our welcoming openness and can be said at any time of the day! We should share them in Luxembourgish with anyone we meet! In 2017, what will you do to ensure that the slogan “Let’s make it happen” will happen? “Let’s make it happen” reflects Luxembourg’s ambition to evolve, to improve, to take up new challenges and succeed! I endeavour to promote these “can do” values with my teenage grandchildren.
SPACE RESOURCES One of the boards Georges Schmit serves on is the Spaceresources.lu initiative, launched in February 2016, which aims to establish a framework on the peaceful exploration and utilisation of space resources for the benefit of humankind, given that Earth’s resources are finite. Luxembourg--with its stable economy, regulatory and legal environment--builds on its established history in the field of satellite, telecommunications and Earth observation, while simultaneously looking forward to emerging technologies in, for example, artificial intelligence and robotics. icon_website w ww. spaceresources.lu CELEBRATING LUXEMBOURG In 2017 Maison Moderne and Nvision celebrate Luxembourg by profiling 100 people who contribute positively to the country’s international reputation and brand image. The series will culminate in a gala evening on 13 December at Luxembourg Congrès. icon_website w ww.celebrating luxembourg.com
Sven Becker (archives)
player in today’s world? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Competitiveness reflects the ability to attract and retain resources--capital, talent, technology--necessary for economic growth. It means that Luxembourg needs to be perceived by business decision makers, entrepreneurs and talented people as a country where they enjoy a high reward in implementing their business goals and live #CELEBRATING their personal dreams. LUXEMBOURG Agility and reactivity in policy making and a high service quality in infrastructure--transportation, energy, Georges Schmit was Luxem data and telecommunications, edu bourg’s top diplomat in Silicon cation, research, healthcare, culture, Valley from 2009 to 2016. He government services--appear to be currently serves on the advisory essential ingredients. Luxembourg board of the government’s does well in most of those areas, but Spaceresources.lu initiative. should strive for continuous improvement in all of them. Natalie Gerhardstein: Can you How has Luxembourg society sum up in a few sentences what evolved during the last 20 years? Increasing diversity seems to have been you do for a living? Georges Schmit: After having spent the leading factor to characterise some 35 years in economic develop Luxembourg society over the past ment and innovation policy design generation. Diversity of national origin and implementation, I recently retired of our population, diversity of the from the Luxembourg Ministry of economy and of value creation, diversity the Economy. I spent the last seven of educational and cultural offerings… years of my career as the consul While this trend may have caused fear general of Luxembourg in San of identity loss for some, I feel that Francisco, which gave me the op- diversity also has largely enriched our portunity to identify and understand society and has become an essential new technological and business ingredient of our ever-evolving identity trends. This in turn helped to ignite and the values it stands for. and design recent government policy What does it mean to be a initiatives, such as in the fintech and Luxembourger? space resource areas, and to promote To me it means both understanding Luxembourg as a forward-looking your roots--Luxembourg is a historical location to do business in Europe. accident as we have been reminded Today I continue to advise the gov- recently, and our identity as a nation ernment, the University of Luxem- is still very young and continues to bourg, as well as private companies evolve--and being open to new trends in these areas. and opportunities for personal growth What does Luxembourg need to and societal evolution. It means do to remain competitive and a embracing the values of personal