Jean Asselborn – Keynote Speaker

Jean Asselborn was Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister for almost two decades. The longest-serving EU foreign minister has now retired – but hardly anyone has left such a lasting impression on the European stage.

Jean Asselborn has left his mark on Europe and he has shaped Luxembourg’s image in the world. Jean Asselborn is a convinced and committed European who stands up for the values of the community, for freedom and democracy and for freedom of movement – always aware that none of this can be taken for granted. To him, Europe is part of everyday life in the Greater Region of Luxembourg.

Jean Asselborn (*1949) became involved in the Luxembourg trade union movement at a young age. He completed his secondary education in 1976 at the Atheneum Luxembourg and then became head of administration at the inter-municipal hospital in Steinfort. He studied law at the University of Nancy II and graduated in private law in 1981. From 1982 to 2004, Asselborn was mayor of his home town of Steinfort. As a member of the Lëtzebuerger Sozialistesch Aarbechterpartei (LSAP), he entered the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies for the first time in 1984. In 1989, he became leader of his party’s parliamentary group and was its chairman from 1997 to 2004.

From 1999 to 2004, Jean Asselborn was Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies. At the same time, he was a member of the Committee of the Regions and Vice-President of the Party of European Socialists from 2000 to 2004. After the 2004 elections, Jean Asselborn became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration and retained these posts after the 2009 elections. In 2013, Jean Asselborn became Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Asylum and retained these posts until his party left office after the 2023 parliamentary elections. Jean Asselborn’s commitment has been honoured with numerous accolades.

In 2010, he was honoured with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his outstanding services to German-Luxembourgish relations and the close European policy cooperation between Germany and Luxembourg. In 2013, Jean Asselborn was appointed Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur of France and in 2016, the Franco-German Journalism Prize (DFJP) honoured him with the Grand Media Prize. Jean Asselborn is known as a man of clear words. He is an inspiring speaker – friendly, down-to-earth and authentic, the experienced foreign policy expert gives his audience new perspectives on geopolitical affairs and European issues.