Paul Engel has been mayor of Groussbus since 2017. Parallel to the discussions on the merger with the commune of Wal, he proceeded with all the scheduled projects in Groussbus: I didn’t want to throw our plans upside down. That would only cost money and time.

Paul Engel does not mean to push anyone aside. He wants to work together with his citizen and implement new projects to move their village forward. This is very important to him. It’s about the whole package, it’s about the municipality. We have to be ready for the future. Next year, for example, will start with the construction of a new town hall in the Sprëtzenhaus in Groussbus (1,112 inhabitants).

For Paul Engel it was clear that he would have to merge with a partner from the canton of Réiden because they had already been working closely together. The agreement with the commune of Wal (1,034 inhabitants) was reached relatively quickly. Furthermore, the analyses showed that the merger would be profitable: Not everything will immediately get better, but a merger makes many things possible that cannot be done alone. Together we are stronger, together we can achieve more!

After the approval of the municipal councils, the referendum may be held even before the start of the summer holidays. Until then, the biggest challenge will be to provide our citizen with all the information they need – ­despite the Covid-19 pandemic! It seems particularly important to me to give people hope for a better future. Especially now that the vaccine finally arrived!

In 2023, we will have a partnership of equals. The local council of the merged municipality Groussbus-Wal will be composed of 6 advisors from Groussbus and 6 advisors from Wal. Each partner commune will provide 2 aldermen, one of whom will be mayor. As of 2029, the munici-pality will then only consist of a single section. The head office will be moved to a new town hall in Groussbus, but the two school sites in Groussbus and in Gréiwels will both remain in place. The old town hall in Groussbus will probably serve as an extension for the school.

A citizen of a small commune has the right to the same services as a citizen of a large commune, argues Paul Engel. And with a merger, the municipality would get new options in terms of finances and manpower to meet its obligations:Everything will just be easier. Especially when you consider how the municipalities are growing across the country.

Paul Engel does not push for prestigious projects. He simply wants to offer his citizen the best possible services and a good quality of life. Just like everyone in this country deserves it…

Paul Engel

Paul Engel is born in Useldeng, married and father of 2 girls. The 45-year-old CREOS official has lived for 15 years in Dellen, a small village in the municipality of Groussbus (Groussbus, Dellen, Léierhaff). In 2015, the enthusiastic musician and theatre player started his political career as a candidate for the complementary local elections, where he was immediately elected. In 2019, Paul Engel ran as a neutral candidate and was elected first by a margin of 70 votes. Since then, the DP politician has served as the mayor of Groussbus.