Staycation
The setting for Stephanie Empain's summer interview was no coincidence: she chose the sculpture trail above the Upper Sure Lake, a place she describes as her personal "staycation." For the president of The Greens, time spent at the lake means true relaxation. She enthuses about paddle boarding, cycling, and hiking in the region. This summer began with a paddle tour on the lake before she set off with her family on a cycling trip to France's Atlantic coast and then travelled to Copenhagen for the local Ironman.
An unconventional career
Empain's route into politics has been far from linear. She started as a coordinator with the army, played a key role in developing the ORT tourism office in the Oesling region, served as a Member of Parliament, and after her time in the Chamber ended in 2023, retrained to become a primary school teacher. "I'm probably not the kind of person who can do the same job for 10 or 15 years," she reflects. Her current role as a teacher resulted from a bet with herself: when the Chamber passed the law on new teacher training, she decided that if she was not re-elected, she would complete the course. That is exactly what happened.
We are not closing the social gap enough
Empain is self-critical about her party's achievements. "I believe we have at least tried to do as much as possible in Luxembourg, especially by striving to ensure the energy and climate transition is socially just," she said. "But the fact remains that, both here and in Europe, we have not truly succeeded in reducing social inequality." She sees the frustration this causes as an explanation for the rise of far-right parties, but not a justification. "Turning to far-right parties out of frustration is not the solution."
Empain is particularly uneasy about developments in Germany. She is extremely concerned about Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD is polling strongly ahead of the 6 September elections. She recounts how friends in Germany are genuinely asking themselves how they would live under a far-right government.