Where Luxembourg's student grant reaches its limits

By Sherley De Deurwaerder, Lex Kleren Switch to German for original article

Luxembourg provides generous financial support to its students – including, in fact, those whose families live in the border regions. However, one Luxembourgish student is unable to receive the money she is entitled to, as this would require her to first get in touch with a parent from whom she has long been estranged. Cases like hers could become more common as more people move abroad, highlighting gaps between EU member states' rules.

In this country, there is an unwritten rule: anyone who has passed the Première classique goes on to university. Nicole (name changed by the editors) was no exception.

The 21-year-old grew up in modest circumstances in the Grand Duchy, in a small, remote village – until, a year ago, her family had no choice but to give up their home. Continuing to rent, let alone buy, a property in Luxembourg was out of the question for her single mother. Instead, they moved across the border to Rhineland-Palatinate whilst Nicole was revising for her final exams.

However, when she subsequently applied for her student grant (known as AideFi) in Luxembourg, she unexpectedly found herself caught in a bureaucratic vicious circle. After submitting her application, the Luxembourg system required her to provide proof that she was not already receiving financial support in her new country of residence. In theory, in this case, it's simply a matter of contacting the Bafög office (Bafög is an abbreviation for the German Federal Training Assistance Act). But in her case, Nicole will spend the summer and the first few weeks of her studies chasing after a bureaucratic mirage. In fact, based on her family's income, she was actually entitled to the maximum level of support.

A bureaucratic vicious circle

"I have to prove that I'm not receiving any money from my country of residence. To get this so-called negative notice, I have to apply for Bafög in Germany. But they require documentation from both parents." Nicole pauses briefly, pressing her lips together. "But I'm not in contact with both my parents. The authorities in Germany couldn't care less; they insist that I contact both of them. And if I don't, they send him (her father, ed.) all sorts of strange threatening letters… well, they call them 'reminders', in which they say he has to sort it out." Even though her father had his custody rights revoked years ago, he is legally obliged to continue paying her mother maintenance every month, as, strictly speaking, Nicole hasn't yet completed her apprenticeship.

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