Simple directory > Regional > Luxembourg

Country : Luxembourg Official name: Groussherzogtom Lëtzebuerg, Grossherzogtum Luxemburg, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) Head of State: Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (acceded 7 Oct 2000) Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker (CSV) (appointed by the Grand Duke in 1995) Ruling party: Coalition government: Chrëschtlich Sozial Vollekspartei (CSV) (Christian Social People's Party) and Demokratesch Partie (DP) (Democratic Party) (since 4 Aug 1999; the CSV was re-elected 13 Jun 2004) Area: 2,586 square km Population: 457,700 (2004) Capital: Luxembourg-Ville Official language: Lëtzebuergish (Luxembourgish); French and German are the administrative languages. Currency: Euro (eur) = 100 cents (from 1 Jan 2002; previous currency Luxembourg franc, locked at Lf40.34 per euro) Exchange rate: eur0.77 per US$ (Nov 2004) GDP per capita: US$56,754 (2003) GDP real growth: 1.20% (2003) Labour force: 282,000 (2003) Unemployment: 3.80% (2003) Inflation: 2.50% (2003) Balance of trade: -US$1.93 billion (2003)

Historical profile

Modern-day Luxembourg was occupied by the Burgundians, Prussians, Spanish and French until the nineteenth century, when it came under German and Dutch control.

1867 Luxembourg was granted independence.

1914–18 Luxembourg was occupied by the Germans.

1921 The Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was formed.

1940–45 Nazi Germany occupied Luxembourg.

1948 The Benelux Economic Union (Benelux) was inaugurated between Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands and became effective in 1960, establishing the three countries as a single customs area in 1970.

1949 Luxembourg became a founding member of NATO.

1957 Luxembourg became one of the founder members of the forerunner to the EU, the European Economic Community (EEC).

1964 Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated after a reign of 45 years and was succeeded by her son, Prince Jean.

1974 After being in power since 1918, the Chrëschtlich Sozial Vollekspartei (CSV) (Christian Social People's Party) was defeated by the Demokratesch Partie (DP) (Democratic Party) in general elections.

1979 The CSV regained power.

1990 Luxembourg was an original signatory of the Schengen Agreement to remove all border controls.

1994 Jean-Claude Juncker became prime minister.

1999 A CSV/DP coalition government was formed after the CSV failed to win enough seats in the parliamentary elections to have an outright majority. Juncker remained as prime minister.

2000 Grand Duke Jean abdicated and was succeeded by his son, Prince Henri.

2002 Luxembourg was named by a French parliamentary committee as a haven for tax evasion and money laundering. The euro became sole legal tender.

2003 After EU talks on new rules for the taxation of savings invested abroad, in January, Luxembourg won the right to decide when they would drop the withholding tax and begin exchanging information.

2004 The Chrëschtlich Sozial Vollekspartei (CSV) (Christian Social People's Party) was re-elected in the parliamentary elections on 13 June.

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