Council of State (Luxembourg)
Advisory body to the legislature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Council of State (French: Conseil d'État [kɔ̃sɛj deta] ⓘ) is an institution in Luxembourg that advises the national legislature, the Chamber of Deputies as well as the Government. Until 1 January 1997, it was also the country's supreme administrative court, but this function was ceded to the newly created Administrative Tribunal and Administrative Court.[2]
| Conseil d'État Staatsrot Staatsrat | |
| |
 | |
| Formation | 27 November 1856 |
|---|---|
| Founder | William III of the Netherlands |
| Legal status | Advisory body |
| Coordinates | 49°36′41.48″N 06°08′5.791″E |
| Members | 21 Councillors |
| Marc Thewes[1] | |
Vice-President | Alex Bodry Alain Kinsch |
| Website | conseil-etat.public.lu |
The Council of State was created by King-Grand Duke William III in the Coup of 1856. It was originally entirely appointed by the Grand Duke, but this was changed in 1866, and, despite the roll-back of many changes brought about by the coup, the Council of State has otherwise remained.[3]
Composition
The Council of State is composed of twenty-one councillors, who are formally appointed by the Grand Duke upon nomination, in order, by the government, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Council of State itself. Of these, at least eleven must hold degrees in law.[4] Neither number applies to the Hereditary Grand Duke, who may be appointed as an additional member of the Council.[4] Membership is restricted to Luxembourgish nationals, who are resident in the Grand Duchy, are in possession of their full civil and political rights, and are at least 30 years old.[4] The final restriction does not apply to the heir to the throne, who may be appointed upon being granted the title of Hereditary Grand Duke after turning 18 years old.
Furthermore, the composition of the Council must, as best as possible, reflect the composition of the Chamber of Deputies, with candidates being proposed by parties that have obtained at least 3 seats in the two previous general elections.[4] Since a 2016 reform, a relative gender balance must also be assured, with at least 7 councillors having to be women.[5][4] This threshold was first reached in 2018, with the appointment of Véronique Stoffel, who was proposed by the ADR.[6]
Current councillors
As of 9 June 2026[update], the members of the Council of State are:[4]
| Position | Name | Nominated by | Proposed by | Councillor since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Marc Thewes | Government | CSV | 4 February 2015 | |
| Vice Presidents | Alex Bodry | Council | LSAP | 20 January 2020 | |
| Alain Kinsch | Council | DP | 4 February 2015 | ||
| Councillors | Monique Adams | Council | LSAP | 28 January 2022 | |
| Héloïse Bock | Chamber | DP | 25 July 2015 | ||
| Marc Colas | Council | CSV | 27 November 2015 | ||
| Deidre Du Bois | Chamber | Greens | 30 November 2019 | ||
| Luc Feller | Council | CSV | 13 March 2024 | ||
| Lynn Frank | Government | CSV | 15 May 2025 | ||
| Paulette Lenert | Chamber | LSAP | 9 June 2026 | ||
| Lucien Lux | Government | LSAP | 24 December 2013 | ||
| Marc Meyers | Government | DP | 24 March 2021 | ||
| Jeannot Nies | Chamber | CSV | 11 May 2015 | ||
| Josiane Pauly | Chamber | Greens | 20 October 2021 | ||
| Alex Penning | Government | ADR | 21 March 2024 | ||
| Isabelle Schlesser | Government | Independent | 1 July 2016 | ||
| Thierry Schuman | Chamber | CSV | 24 July 2024 | ||
| Véronique Stoffel | Chamber | ADR | 5 March 2018 | ||
| Dan Theisen | Government | DP | 10 June 2015 | ||
| Paul Wirtgen | Government | CSV | 14 March 2022 | ||