Shop opening hours and Sunday work in retail came back to the Chamber four times between November 2024 and December 2025. The Chamber debated the bill extending Sunday work in retail from four to eight hours, a motion asking for an updated LISER study before any extension, the plans announced in the declaration of May 2025, and bill 8472 replacing the 1995 law on shop closing hours, which the Chamber adopted on 18 December 2025. The quotes below are taken verbatim from the Compte rendu officiel of each sitting.
\nOn 23 January 2025, in the debate on the motion asking for an updated LISER study, Stéphanie Weydert argued that changing the legal framework brings clarity for employees and businesses.
\n\n\nMir sinn der Meenung, dass d’Upassung vum juristesche Kader souwuel fir d’Ëffnungszäite wéi och fir d’Sonndesaarbecht Kloerheet souwuel fir d’Salariéë wéi och fir d’Betriber mat sech bréngt.
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We take the view that adapting the legal framework, for opening hours as well as for Sunday work, brings clarity for employees as well as for businesses.
\nSitting of 23 January 2025, Stéphanie Weydert, CSV
\nOn 18 December 2025, in the debate on bill 8472 on shop closing hours, Stéphanie Weydert rejected the reading that the bill liberalises opening hours without limit.
\n\n\nEt ass kee Fräibréif fir eng onbegrenzte Liberaliséierung vun den Ëffnungszäiten.
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It is no blank cheque for an unlimited liberalisation of opening hours.
\nSitting of 18 December 2025, Stéphanie Weydert, CSV
\nOn 23 January 2025, in the debate on the motion asking for an updated LISER study, Carole Hartmann cited a 2017 court ruling that the present opening-hours law is unconstitutional.
\n\n\nMir hunn awer hei ganz konkreet – an do schwätzen ech méi kloer d’Ëffnungszäiten un – eng Situatioun, dass säit 2017 e Geriichtsurteel do ass, dat eis seet, dass mer an enger Verfassungswiddregkeet sinn.
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We have here very concretely - and I am speaking more about opening hours - a situation where since 2017 there is a court ruling telling us that we are in unconstitutionality.
\nSitting of 23 January 2025, Carole Hartmann, DP
\nOn 18 December 2025, in the debate on bill 8472 on shop closing hours, Corinne Cahen framed the bill as equal treatment between shops across the country.
\n\n\nHei geet et ëm Gerechtegkeet an dorëms, dass jiddwereen d’selwecht däerf opmaachen am ganze Land, an net an där enger Stad esou an an där anerer Stad esou.
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This is about fairness and about everyone being allowed to open the same way across the whole country, and not one way in one town and another way in another town.
\nSitting of 18 December 2025, Corinne Cahen, DP
\nOn 14 November 2024, in his question élargie on shop opening hours, Georges Engel described the government bill on Sunday work in retail.
\n\n\nDen Text gesäit vir, datt d’Salariéen am Eenzelhandel, also am Établissement de vente en détail, déi aktuell sonndes véier Stonne kënne schaffen, an Zukunft bis zu aacht Stonne solle kënne schaffen.
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The text provides that employees in retail, that is in the retail sales establishment, who can currently work four hours on Sunday, should in future be able to work up to eight hours.
\nSitting of 14 November 2024, Georges Engel, LSAP
\nOn 18 December 2025, in the debate on bill 8472 on shop closing hours, Georges Engel criticised the liberalisation, saying it came without a clear demand and without an impact analysis.
\n\n\nDës Liberaliséierung, déi kënnt ouni kloer Demande vun de Konsumenten, ouni kloer Demande vun de Salariéen an ouni Impaktanalys.
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This liberalisation comes without a clear demand from consumers, without a clear demand from employees and without an impact analysis.
\nSitting of 18 December 2025, Georges Engel, LSAP
\nOn 23 January 2025, in the debate on the motion asking for an updated LISER study, Djuna Bernard argued the debate should rest on updated facts.
\n\n\nMir kéinten hei déi ganz Debatt hunn op Basis vun aktualiséierte Fakte vun 2019 bis haut, fir kënnen driwwer ze diskutéieren.
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We could hold this whole debate on the basis of updated facts from 2019 until today, so that we can discuss it.
\nSitting of 23 January 2025, Djuna Bernard, déi gréng
\nOn 18 December 2025, in the debate on bill 8472 on shop closing hours, Joëlle Welfring criticised the government, saying it had no answer on what the text will bring in reality.
\n\n\nDobäi kënnt, dass d’Regierung – och no engem Joer legislative Prozess – selwer keng Äntwerten op d’Fro huet, wat den Text an der Realitéit wäert mat sech bréngen.
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On top of that, the government itself – even after a year of legislative work – has no answers to the question of what the text will bring about in reality.
\nSitting of 18 December 2025, Joëlle Welfring, déi gréng
\nOn 14 May 2025, in the debate on the plans for Sunday work and longer opening hours, Sven Clement criticised the change, saying it is sold as freedom while it takes freedom from the weakest.
\n\n\nMee och, datt hei eppes als „Fräiheet“ verkaaft soll ginn, dat deene Schwächsten hir Fräiheet ewechhëlt, fir deene Bessergestallten d’Fräiheet ze ginn, och sonndes mëttes akafen ze goen.
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But also that something is to be sold here as freedom which takes away the freedom of the weakest in order to give the better-off the freedom to go shopping on Sunday afternoons too.
\nSitting of 14 May 2025, Sven Clement, Piraten
\nOn 18 December 2025, in the debate on bill 8472 on shop closing hours, Sven Clement rejected the bill as a patchwork of privileges and announced a vote against.
\n\n\nMee dat hei ass keng eenheetlech Léisung. Dat hei ass eng Fléckschousterei vu Privileegien. Mir stëmme géint dësen Text.
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But this is not a uniform solution. This is a patchwork of privileges. We are voting against this text.
\nSitting of 18 December 2025, Sven Clement, Piraten
\nOn 23 January 2025, in the debate on the motion asking for an updated LISER study, David Wagner accused the majority of using the court ruling as a pretext.
\n\n\nEch fannen dat och relativ grav, datt d’Majoritéit hei en Arrêt als Virwand hëlt, fir hir salariatsfeindlech Politick kënnen duerchzesetzen.
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I also find it quite serious that the majority here uses a court ruling as a pretext to push through its anti-employee policy.
\nSitting of 23 January 2025, David Wagner, déi Lénk
\nOn 14 May 2025, in the debate on the plans for Sunday work and longer opening hours, Marc Baum stated that Sunday work beyond four hours without a collective agreement worsens conditions for the staff concerned.
\n\n\nSonndes am Commerce méi wéi véier Stonne schaffen ouni Kollektivvertrag gëtt eng Verschlechterung fir déi Leit, déi dovunner betraff sinn.
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Working more than four hours in retail on a Sunday without a collective agreement is a worsening for the people affected.
\nSitting of 14 May 2025, Marc Baum, déi Lénk
\nOn 14 November 2024, answering the question élargie on shop opening hours, the Minister of the Economy stated that the derogations amount to a de facto liberalisation of opening hours.
\n\n\nDat heescht de facto: Duerch alleguerten déi Derogatiounen, déi mer hunn, hu mer eng Liberaliséierung vun den Ëffnungszäite vun de Geschäfter.
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That means de facto: through all the derogations that we have, we have a liberalisation of shop opening hours.
\nSitting of 14 November 2024, Lex Delles, Ministre de l’Économie, des PME, de l’Énergie et du Tourisme
\nOn 14 May 2025, in his reply to the debate on the declaration, the Prime Minister answered that dialogue did take place on the opening-hours text although the unions reject the result.
\n\n\nEch wëll awer soen, datt grad och an deem Text, dee si zitéiert huet, nämlech dee vun der Regierung, vum Wirtschaftsminister iwwert d’Ëffnungszäite vun de Geschäfter, de Wirtschaftsminister deen Dialog geféiert huet, d’Gewerkschaften awer mam Resultat net d’accord sinn.
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But I want to say that precisely in that text she quoted, the government's text from the Minister of the Economy on shop opening hours, the Minister of the Economy did conduct that dialogue, but the unions do not agree with the result.
\nSitting of 14 May 2025, Luc Frieden, Premier ministre
\nOn 18 December 2025, in the debate on bill 8472 on shop closing hours, the Minister of the Economy defended the bill as a clearer framework for employees and for retail.
\n\n\nMee ech sinn iwwerzeegt, dass mer hei méi e klore Kader hunn, méi en einfache Kader hunn, méi en ugepasstene Kader hunn, dee jiddwerengem entgéintkënnt, wou mer souwuel op där enger Säit d’Salariéë stäerken, wéi awer op där anerer Säit och de Commerce ënnerstëtzen, fir dass deen och nach an Zukunft ka funktionéieren.
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But I am convinced that we have a clearer framework here, a simpler framework, a better adapted framework that meets everyone, where on one side we strengthen the employees and on the other side we also support retail, so that it can still work in the future.
\nSitting of 18 December 2025, Lex Delles, Ministre de l’Économie, des PME, de l’Énergie et du Tourisme
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