Environment
Luxembourg is a small country in Western Europe surrounded by Belgium in the west, Germany in the east and France in the south. The rivers Our, Sure and Moselle mark the eastern border.
History
Luxembourg was granted the status of Grand Duchy in 1839 and was given as a personal possession to the Dutch royal family. In 1867 the Treaty of London declared Luxembourg’s neutrality. In 1890, Luxembourg became independent.
The discovery of the iron ore in 1850 led to the creation of a major steel industry, which drew tens of thousands of foreign workers to the mines and steel factories, and brought prosperity to the whole country.
Despite its neutrality, Luxembourg was occupied twice by German troops during the two World Wars. In 1948 it gave up its neutrality to join the new economic, political, and military organizations of Europe, including NATO. The Grand Duchy is a founder member of the EU, and was host to the first European institutions in 1953. At present eight European Union institutions are headquartered in Luxembourg, and the EU Council of Ministers meets there during April, June and October.
Governance
The 1868 Constitution guarantees equality of all Luxembourgers before the law, freedom of religion, of expression and of association. The 1984 Law on Languages designated French as the legislative language and Letzeburgesh as the national language, with French, Letzeburgesh and German used in administration. In practice Letzeburgesh is used much less in administration than French or German.
Citizenship is mainly open to those born in Luxembourg to a parent born in Luxembourg. The 2001 citizenship law offers naturalization to immigrants after five years of continuous residence, down from 10 years previously, but they must have a basic knowledge of Letzeburgesh, sufficient income, and renounce their previous nationality.
From 2004 the Ombudsman service has been available to all residents, citizens and non-citizens, for complaints about mistreatment, including discrimination. The trade unions also provide counselling services regarding discrimination.
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