Santer-Poos III Government

Jacques Poos (left) and Jacques Santer (right) in 1989

The Santer-Poos III Government was the government of Luxembourg between 13 July 1994 and 26 January 1995. It was the third of three led by, and named after, Prime Minister Jacques Santer. Throughout the ministry, the Deputy Prime Minister was Jacques Poos.

It was formed following the general election of 1994. It represented a coalition between Santer's Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and Poos' Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), which had once more been elected the largest and second-largest parties in the legislature.

Ministers

Name Party Office
Jacques Santer CSV Prime Minister
Minister for the Treasury
Minister for Cultural Affairs
Jacques Poos LSAP Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Cooperation
Fernand Boden CSV Minister for the Family and Solidarity
Minister for the Middle Class and Tourism
Minister for the Civil Service
Jean Spautz CSV Minister for the Interior
Minister for Housing
Jean-Claude Juncker LSAP Minister for Finances
Minister for Work
Marc Fischbach CSV Minister for National Education and Scientific Research
Minister for Justice
Johny Lahure LSAP Minister for Health
Minister for the Environment
Robert Goebbels LSAP Minister for the Economy
Minister for Public Works
Minister for Energy
Alex Bodry LSAP Minister for Planning
Minister for the Police Force
Minister for Physical Education and Sport
Minister for Youth
Marie-Josée Jacobs CSV Minister for Agriculture, Viticulture, and Rural Development
Minister-Delegate for Cultural Affairs
Mady Delvaux-Stehres LSAP Minister for Social Security
Minister for Transport
Minister for Communications
Georges Wohlfart LSAP Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Cooperation
Source: Service Information et Presse

Formation

At the general election of 12 June 1994, the CSV and the LSAP remained the two strongest parties and received 21 and 17 seats respectively.[1] The third-placed party, the Democratic Party, received only 12 Deputies in the new Chamber.[1] The Greens (Déi Gréng GLEI/GAP) and the "action committee" ADR (Aktiounskomitee fir Demokratie a Rentegerechtegkeet) each received five representatives in the parliament.[1] The CSV and LSAP decided to continue their coalition: the Santer-Poos partnership entered its third legislative period.[1]

The government was later reshuffled after Jacques Santer was appointed president of the European Commission on 23 January 1995.[1] The European Council of heads of state and of government, in Brussels on 15 July 1994, had designated the Luxembourgish Prime Minister to this post to succeed Jacques Delors.[1]

Foreign policy

The government's policy was marked by the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty and the enlargement and deepening of the European Union.[2] It aimed to reaffirm Luxembourg's place in a united Europe that was respectful of differences.[2] Luxembourg wanted to be a full partner, while preserving its identity and specificity.[2]

Domestic policy

Domestically, the government was faced with a considerable need for public investments, especially with regards to roads, schools infrastructure, the hospital sector and refuse collection and waste-water infrastructure.[2] The key points of government action were, apart from improvement of infrastructure, educational reform, environmental protection, the modernisation of public administration as well as family policy and social security.[2]

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Thewes (2011), p. 218
  2. ^ a b c d e Thewes (2011), p. 220

References

  • Thewes, Guy (2011). Les gouvernements du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg depuis 1848 [The governments of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg since 1848] (PDF) (in French). Service Information et Presse. pp. 218–221. ISBN 978-2-87999-212-9. Archived 2014-07-07 at the Wayback Machine