The Paris attacks - an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Government

Following the attacks that took place in Paris on 13 November 2015, the government met on 14 November 2015 for an extraordinary Council under the presidency of the Prime Minister and Minister of State, Xavier Bettel.

After this meeting, Xavier Bettel informed the press (video on demand (vod) available here) of the government's position and the decisions taken regarding the Paris attacks.

The Prime Minister expressed his support for the French people and stressed that the brutal and murderous acts were also attacks against an open society like ours, and that the French people could count on the Luxembourg government to stand beside them.

Flags will be flown at half-mast in the Grand Duchy until Tuesday

The Prime Minister insisted that in light of the information currently available, there is no indication of any links between the attacks in Paris and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

The Prime Minister also insisted that the risk of a terrorist attack on national territory has not changed since the attacks in Paris.

Notwithstanding the threat level and given the serious nature of the Paris attacks, in its meeting on 14 November the government decided to reinforce the security measures in place at the country's borders, in stations and at the airport.

The presence of the security authorities will be increased at the points deemed 'sensitive' and the Anti-terrorism Coordination Group (Groupe de coordination en matière de lutte contre le terrorisme, GCT), put in place in connection with the VIGILNAT plan, will evaluate the terrorist threat on a permanent basis.

The Prime Minister also announced that the Minister of Education, Children and Youth has prepared a memo for schools to ensure that the attacks will be discussed in the classroom.

Furthermore, as it currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Luxembourg proposed that the French government call an extraordinary meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council.