Luxembourg
Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.
Luxembourg was a founder member of the European Union and, despite its size, it enjoys considerable political influence as well as deriving economic benefit from being the seat of several Euro-institutions, among them the European Court of Justice, the European Investment Bank, the Court of Auditors, the statistical service, and the administrative center of the European Parliament.
The Grand Duchy is a hereditary constitutional monarchy presided over a Council of Ministers led by the prime minister. Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, of the conservative Christian Social party, heads a coalition with the Democratic Party. He came to power in 1995 when his predecessor, Jacques Santer, became president of the European Commission. His government presided over the abdication of the monarch, Grand Duke Jean, in favor of his son, Prince Henri, in October 2000.
The election of M.Santer to the head of the European Commission put the top Brussels post in the hands of a Luxembourger for the second time, M. Gaston Thorn having previously held it between 1981 and 1985.
The Grand Duchy was an original signatory of the 1990 Schengen Agreement whereby Member States set out to abolish internal border controls. Although the Agreement took some time to bring into force, the Grand Duchy now has open borders with all its immediate neighbors, namely Germany, France, and Belgium.
There are currently no known threats to expatriate travelers to or residents in Luxembourg, traditionally one of the most stable countries in Europe.
Prior police approval is required for public demonstrations in Luxembourg, and police oversight is routinely provided to ensure adequate security for participants and passers-by.
