"The glass is half full"

Well: Serge Wilmes, CSV Minister for the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, mentions the term "pragmatic" seven times in the interview with the Journal in order to differentiate the policy in this area from the previous government. Before being appointed to Luc Frieden's government team, the 42-year-old was the first alderman in the capital for six years and a member of parliament from 2011 to 2023.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: Mr Wilmes, you achieved ministerial status for the first time just over a year ago. How did you experience your first year? Are you still motivated?

Serge Wilmes: I don't think it was my first executive experience. I was previously the first alderman of the City of Luxembourg for six years. In this role, I was also involved with the issues for which I am now responsible as a minister. Among other things, I was jointly responsible for parks and green spaces as well as urbanism in general in the capital. In my second term of office, which only lasted a few months, I was an environmental commissioner, although of course I didn't think that I would be appointed environment minister by the environmental commissioner. Nevertheless, it was good preparation.

A municipality is of course a limited territory, even if it is the largest municipality with the greatest challenges. The difference is that now, at local level, it is all the municipalities in the country, plus the national level, the European level and the global level. That is of course a completely different challenge.

You have been travelling a lot over the past year, as is usual when you take office. On these occasions, how often have you had to explain Prime Minister Luc Frieden's statement that he wants to stand up for an environmental and climate policy that "inspires, not annoys"?

Hardly at all. Because I believe that this statement was intuitively understood by most of my fellow citizens. I don't want to talk about other parties; I'm focussing on my own work. But the election results have spoken a clear language. And that also has to do with the fact that many fellow citizens, including myself in my capacity as alderman, have experienced the attitude with which environmental policy was pursued.