The Grand Duke is the head of state. He formally shares executive power with the Government, sanctions and promulgates laws, exercises regulatory powers and represents Luxembourg internationally. Measures of the Grand Duke require ministerial countersignature, which establishes ministerial responsibility. The Government consists of the Prime Minister, ministers, ministers delegated and, where appointed, secretaries of state. Its Council of Government meets weekly and directs executive policy, prepares and implements the budget, introduces legislation and handles public order. Government departments include areas such as foreign affairs, finance, justice, home affairs, health, labour, education, mobility, housing, the environment, research and culture. The Chambre des Députés is Luxembourg's unicameral parliament with 60 deputies. It votes on laws, the annual budget and the general accounts and shares legislative initiative with the Government. The Conseil d'État is an independent advisory institution with 21 councillors. It reviews draft laws, legislative proposals, amendments and grand-ducal regulations for compliance with higher-ranking law. Its suspensive veto can delay a law and trigger the constitutional second-vote procedure; a councillor's mandate may last no more than 12 years. The Cour constitutionnelle reviews constitutional questions referred by courts. The ordinary courts deal with criminal matters, civil disputes and political rights, while the administrative courts review disputes involving administrative decisions. The Tribunal administratif is generally the first instance and the Cour administrative the final instance. A challenge to an administrative decision normally has a three-month deadline, and an appeal normally has a 40-day deadline, subject to the applicable procedure. Luxembourg is a unitary state. It has 12 cantons and 100 communes as of 1 January 2025. Cantons are territorial divisions used mainly for structure and statistics; they are not regional governments. The commune is the only decentralised territorial authority and the closest level for many everyday services. Its conseil communal makes political decisions, while the collège des bourgmestre et échevins carries out executive functions. Communes handle local services, police regulations, communal budgets and accounts and the general development plan, known as the PAG. Inter-municipal syndicates provide some services jointly. The Ministry of Home Affairs supervises communes, and many communal acts become enforceable after transmission and publication, although approval remains required for communal taxes and certain major acts. Central ministries, administrations and public establishments provide public services. The Ministry of the Civil Service handles public-service status, pay, personnel, organisation, training through the National Institute of Public Administration and discipline. The Centre des technologies de l'information de l'État, or CTIE, provides central digital-government, interoperability and information-security services. Guichet.lu supplies information, while MyGuichet.lu supports online procedures and regional physical service desks. The Digital Government Strategy 2026–2030 follows digital-by-default, once-only, inclusion and data-sovereignty principles. A natural or legal person can generally request administrative documents related to administrative activity without proving a personal interest. Requests can be submitted through MyGuichet.lu or in writing. Access is generally free; copies may cost the actual reproduction or postage expense. The authority normally answers within one month and may extend the period by up to two additional months. Restrictions cover matters such as foreign relations, national security, public order, privacy, ongoing proceedings, trade secrets and confidential government deliberations. A refusal can be challenged before the Commission d'accès aux documents, or CAD, within one month; the CAD has five members and gives non-binding opinions. The administrative courts remain available. The procedure for administrative decisions includes procedural guarantees known as PANC, including information, reasons and an opportunity to comment. The Ombudsman offers a free and independent way to complain about maladministration involving the State, communes and public institutions, but it does not replace a court. The external control of places where people are deprived of liberty is performed by the Contrôleur externe des lieux privatifs de liberté, or CELPL. The Commission nationale pour la protection des données, or CNPD, supervises data protection and privacy under the General Data Protection Regulation and related law. Luxembourgish, French and German are used in public administration and justice. Legislative acts are drafted in French, whose version is authentic. Authorities respond in the applicant's language as far as possible. Public participation includes e-petitions submitted through the Chambre des Députés; a petition reaching 5,500 signatures leads to a public debate. Freedom of expression and the media operate within constitutional and media-law limits. The annual State budget authorises and plans public revenue and expenditure. The Chambre des Députés votes on the budget and the general accounts. For 2026, current revenue is budgeted at EUR 26,875,821,633, capital revenue at EUR 148,150,200, current expenditure at EUR 25,799,872,471 and capital expenditure at EUR 4,283,377,173. The Inspection générale des finances, or IGF, prepares the budget, gives financial opinions, monitors execution, reviews investment programmes and can propose savings or organisational changes. The Court of Auditors, with five members serving six-year mandates, externally reviews the legality, regularity, economy, effectiveness and efficiency of public spending, but not its political appropriateness. The Police grand-ducale provides national internal security, public-order policing, prevention, protection and criminal investigations. It has four police regions, 55 sites or commissariats and 13 locations operating around the clock; emergency police calls use 113. The volunteer Armée luxembourgeoise supports national defence, critical infrastructure protection, crisis and disaster assistance, ammunition disposal, NATO commitments and peacekeeping or crisis-management missions. The Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours, or CGDIS, is a public establishment under the Ministry of Home Affairs and handles civil protection, emergency medical services, fire and hazard response, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, and protection of people, the environment and cultural heritage through 112. The High Commission for National Protection coordinates crises and protects national interests. The Service de renseignement de l'État, or SRE, assesses and helps prevent terrorism, espionage, interference, violent extremism, proliferation involving weapons of mass destruction or defence equipment and cyber threats connected with national security. It is not authorised to conduct internal political surveillance, and special measures require judicial approval.
State in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a sovereign, independent parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The Constitution, in force in its current form since 1 July 2023, is the highest legal norm and protects fundamental rights, the rule of law and the separation of powers. State authority operates through the Grand Duke, the Government, the Chambre des Députés, the courts, public administrations and communes.
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