Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Luxembourg)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (French: Ministère des Affaires étrangères, MAE) is a ministry of the government of Luxembourg, headquartered in the Bâtiment Mansfeld in Luxembourg City.[1]

The Mansfeld Building, since 2017 headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

It is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (French: Ministre des Affaires étrangères), a position in the Luxembourgian cabinet. This post is currently held by Jean Asselborn. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for determining Luxembourg's foreign policy and representing the government abroad.

History

The position of Minister for Foreign Affairs has been in continuous existence since the promulgation of Luxembourg's first constitution, in 1848. Until 1937, the position was held concurrently by the Prime Minister,[2] thus ridding it of any true significance as an office. However, in 1937, Joseph Bech resigned as Prime Minister, but was immediately reappointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs upon Pierre Dupong's premiership. When Bech became Prime Minister again, in 1953, the two jobs were united once more.[3] Over the next twenty-six years, the jobs were separated and united another two times. However, since 1979, the two positions have been kept in separate hands.

Several times since World War II, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has also been the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the smaller party in a coalition government; this has especially been the case since the 1980s. This is not the case for the current Minister, Jean Asselborn, however.

Since 24 March 1936, the title of Minister for Foreign Affairs has been an official one, although the position had been unofficially known by that name since its creation. From the position's creation until 28 November 1857, the Minister went by the title of Administrator-General.[4] From 1857 until 1936, the Minister went by the title of Director-General.[5]

Organisation

As of 2017, the Ministry consists of a general secretariat and 8 Directorates:[6]

  • Directorate of Political Affairs
  • Directorate of European Affairs and International Economic Relations
  • Directorate of Protocol and the Chancellery
  • Directorate of Finance and Human Resources
  • Directorate of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action
  • Directorate of Consular Affairs and International Cultural Relations
  • Directorate of Defence
  • Directorate of Immigration

List of Ministers for Foreign Affairs
Minister Party Start date End date Other posts Prime Minister
Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine None 1 August 1848 2 December 1848 Himself
Jean-Jacques Willmar None 2 December 1848 23 September 1853 Himself
Charles-Mathias Simons None 23 September 1853 26 September 1860 Himself
Baron de Tornaco None 26 September 1860 3 December 1867 Himself
Emmanuel Servais None 3 December 1867 26 December 1874 Himself
Baron de Blochausen None 26 December 1874 20 February 1885 Himself
Édouard Thilges None 20 February 1885 22 September 1888 Himself
Paul Eyschen None 22 September 1888 11 October 1915 Himself
Mathias Mongenast None 12 October 1915 6 November 1915 Himself
Hubert Loutsch None 6 November 1915 24 February 1916 Himself
Victor Thorn None 24 February 1916 19 June 1917 Himself
Léon Kauffman PD 19 June 1917 28 September 1918 Himself
Émile Reuter PD 28 September 1918 20 March 1925 Himself
Pierre Prüm PNI 20 March 1925 16 July 1926 Himself
Joseph Bech PD 16 July 1926 5 November 1937 Himself
5 November 1937 23 November 1944 Pierre Dupong
CSV 23 November 1944 29 December 1953
29 December 1953 29 March 1958 Himself
29 March 1958 2 March 1959 Pierre Frieden
Eugène Schaus DP 2 March 1959 15 July 1964 Deputy Prime Minister Pierre Werner
Pierre Werner CSV 15 July 1964 3 January 1967
Pierre Grégoire CSV 3 January 1967 6 February 1969
Gaston Thorn DP 6 February 1969 15 June 1974
15 June 1974 16 July 1979 Himself
16 July 1979 22 November 1980 Deputy Prime Minister Pierre Werner
Colette Flesch DP 22 November 1980 20 July 1984 Deputy Prime Minister
Jacques Poos LSAP 20 July 1984 26 January 1995 Deputy Prime Minister Jacques Santer
26 January 1995 7 August 1999 Deputy Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker
Lydie Polfer DP 7 August 1999 20 July 2004 Deputy Prime Minister
Charles Goerens DP 20 July 2004 31 July 2004
Jean Asselborn LSAP 31 July 2004 4 December 2013 Deputy Prime Minister
4 December 2013 Present day Xavier Bettel
Léon KauffmanVictor ThornHubert LoutschMathias MongenastPaul EyschenÉdouard ThilgesFélix de BlochausenEmmanuel ServaisVictor de TornacoCharles-Mathias SimonsJean-Jacques WillmarGaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine

See also

Footnotes
  1. "Contact." Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved on 27 August 2017.
  2. Thewes (2003), p. 104
  3. Thewes (2011), p. 141
  4. (in French and German) "Mémorial A, 1857, No. 49" (PDF). Service central de législation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-08. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  5. (in French and German) "Mémorial A, 1936, No. 25" (PDF). Service central de législation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-08. Retrieved 2006-08-29.
  6. "Organigramme - gouvernement.lu // L'actualité du gouvernement du Luxembourg". www.gouvernement.lu (in French). Retrieved 2017-11-02.

References
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