A Historic Turning Point?
Today, a transition is underway, heading towards a real paradigm shift, and Luxembourg is the first country to prepare for the change at the national level. Under the joint impetus of the Ministry of Economy, the Chamber of Commerce and IMS Luxembourg as well as in close collaboration with the American economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin, a strategy has been defined to set the main guidelines for the development of a new sustainable model for the country, and shape directions which will enable the country to pursue its future development. Attention: this will potentially mark a historic turning point.
The forum: a key milestone
The results of the Strategic Study of the Third Industrial Revolution in Luxembourg were officially presented at the Luxembourg Sustainability Forum on the 14th of November. A much anticipated event, as reflected by more than 800 participants and the numerous foreign delegations attending. The high expectation was largely justified, since the stated ambition was to set the ground for a new sustainable economic paradigm shift in the country. Another reason for this interest, was the presentation of more or less 500 pages of recommendations that were published, marking the outcome of a one-year long participatory process which involved more than 300 national and international stakeholders.
A comprehensive and actionable plan
The 229 recommendations, which have been identified for 9 different pillars, present credible measures, which are firmly rooted in the reality of our country. That day, Etienne Schneider announced 9 major practical measures, already adopted by the Council of Government, 9 announcements which demonstrate the will to fully engage in this strategy. Moreover, the Ministry of Economy sees this study as a general orientation for the qualitative development of the country and wishes to become a pioneer at European level in this regard.
What comes next?
This study won’t remain just words on paper. The key ingredients listed in the publication, are crucial to generate a new sustainable economic model, put forward by different socio-economic actors. The main challenge today consists in preserving the momentum, by moving quickly from theory to practice. To achieve this, stakeholders should be accompanied through the whole change process.
A dedicated governance takes shape
Last February, the Ministry of Economy defined a governance model with the aim to support the transposition of various concrete actions proposed in the strategy. The latter is structured around the thematic platforms, and will be reporting to the Strategic Monitoring Committee led by Etienne Schneider. The platforms, which correspond to the 9 pillars defined in the study, will strive to work on the regulatory, operational and technical aspects, in line with the measures’ implementation. The Strategic Monitoring Committee, in which IMS will be represented, will centralize information and prioritize measures that will be submitted to the Council of Government.
IMS, spearhead network
Beyond the 9 specific measures announced by the government, our objective today is that companies may use this study to try to convert. IMS believes in their ability to accelerate change through their significant leverage effect. In this respect, IMS assists its members during their reflections and supports their willingness to implement relevant measures. Inspiring initiatives have already being implemented through the network in a wide range of sectors, such as Enovos, Vyzvoice, LEE, Tarkett, ALD Automotive, Luxembourg Stock Exchange and many more. The aim is to showcase best practices and highlight innovation, success, collaboration ... In a nutshell, to breath life into the new ecosystem that is the Third Industrial Revolution.
This strategy can mark a major milestone in Luxembourg, under the condition that everyone takes advantage of this unique opportunity and acts responsibly.
The first 9 measures adopted by the Council of Government
1. Creation of a National Energy Internet;
2. Promote electromobility and launch a program for emission-free personal vehicles;
3. Progressive introduction of the concept “mobility-as-a-service”, to encourage sustainable mobility behaviour, in which citizens, use a multimodal approach, by choosing the combination of modes of transport that are best suited to their daily needs;
4. Implement a smart district lighthouse project to demonstrate the socioeconomic benefits of smart, sustainable and circular neighbourhoods / cities;
5. Establish a sustainable food production roadmap towards transparency and trust;
6. Develop technology platforms set up for industry and public research centres;
7. Launch an intermediation platform for sustainable development finance called the “Luxembourg Sustainable Development Finance Platform”;
8. Implement an infrastructure which offers the capacities required in the field of High Performance Computing (HPC);
9. Promote circular economy through public procurement.
To be read also in the dossier "The Third Industrial Revolution":