In Luxembourg
• New destination. Luxair announced nine new European destinations will be added to its schedule. From 1 April, it is possible to fly to Alicante in Spain from Luxembourg’s Findel airport. On 31 March, Porto Santo was added to the flight schedule. On the same day, the Finnish airline Finnair returned to Findel after a 44-year absence to operate flights between Luxembourg and Helsinki.
Luxair’s third Embraer aircraft arrives in Luxembourg
• Borders. On 9 April, the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) will be rolled out at Findel airport. This system applies to travellers entering the Schengen Area. In practical terms, passport stamps will be replaced by an automated digital registration system, involving the collection and storage of personal and biometric data from third-country nationals travelling to one of the 29 European countries using the system.
• Transport. National railway operator CFL is taking advantage of the Easter holidays to carry out several works on the railway lines. Until 12 April, train services are suspended on several key sections, between Bettembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette, between Luxembourg City and Ettelbruck, and between Luxembourg and Diekirch. Furthermore, no trains are running from the capital to Belgium. Passengers can use a replacement bus service.
Supermarkets, restaurants, hotels: the planned openings in 2026 in Luxembourg
• Retail. In southwestern Luxembourg, the Niederkorn Mall will open its doors on Thursday 16 April. Customers will find a Delhaize supermarket, a crèche, a hairdresser and a gym. Further shops will open at the shopping centre up to 2028.
• Taxes. Workers will be able to file their tax returns from 7 April, the opening date for all types of tax returns. The deadline for submitting returns is 31 December.
• Chargers. Smartphones and other small electronic devices have been subject to the EU’s standardised charger requirement since the end of 2024. From 28 April, laptops sold in the EU must also be fitted with a USB-C charging port.
In France
• Taxes. The tax return filing period also begins in France, starting on 9 April. The deadline for submitting your return, either online at impots.gouv.fr or via a paper form, depends on the department of residence.
• Energy subsidy. 1 April marks the start of the distribution of energy vouchers for 2026, a subsidy ranging from €48 to €277 depending on income and household size. Over 4.5 million beneficiaries can take advantage of this measure.
• Energy prices. The price of natural gas is falling slightly. From 1 April, the benchmark price will fall by 0.7% compared to March, representing a drop of 0.1 cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The average benchmark price will therefore stand at €0.139 per kWh, inclusive of all taxes.
• Winter moratorium. Introduced on 1 November, the winter eviction moratorium ends on 1 April. Tenants whose rent has not been paid may once again be evicted. In 2025, some 30,000 households were evicted, according to figures from the National Chamber of Judicial Officers, representing a 27% increase compared to 2024.
• Cattenom. On 1 April, a new director will take up his post at the Cattenom nuclear power plant, located a stone’s throw from Luxembourg. Nicolas Bachelet will succeed Jérôme Le Saint, who is leaving for Paris to take up the post of director of production for all EDF nuclear power plants in France, comprising 57 reactors.
In Belgium
• Pay. The minimum wage is increasing by €35.70 gross from 1 April. This rise brings the average guaranteed monthly minimum income to €2,189.81 gross per month. Around 100,000 Belgian workers are on the minimum wage.
• Unemployment. As part of an ongoing reform, a third group of long-term unemployed people will be excluded from unemployment benefits from 1 April. This concerns jobseekers who have accumulated less than eight years of full unemployment benefits during their working lives. As a reminder, this reform of the system provides for a cap on unemployment benefits of a maximum of two years. In total, nearly 168,000 people are expected to lose their benefits by 1 July 2027.
• Nightlife. Brothels and all businesses in the Brabant and North districts of Brussels must close between 1am and 6am from 1 April. This measure will remain in force for three months and aims to tackle crime and the feeling of insecurity in the neighbourhoods near Brussels North Station.
In Germany
• Fuel prices. A new law on fuel prices comes into force in April. It aims to limit significant fluctuations in prices at the pump. From April onwards, petrol stations will only be able to increase their prices once a day, at midday.
• Civil service. Public sector workers in 15 of Germany’s 16 federal states, with the exception of Hesse, will receive a 2.8% pay rise, with a minimum increase of €100 from 1 April.
• Health. Regular smokers aged between 50 and 75 will be entitled to one free lung cancer screening per year. People who have smoked for at least 25 years are eligible for this measure, which aims to detect cases of cancer at an earlier stage.
• Drugs. The sale of nitrous oxide, used as a recreational drug in recent years, will be banned to children and teenagers from 12 April. It will also be impossible to obtain it via vending machines or by mail order. Furthermore, GBL and BDO, two substances used as ‘date rape drugs’ by sexual offenders to abuse their victims, will also be banned from online sale from the same date.
(This article was originally published by Virgule. Translated with the aid of an AI tool and then reviewed and edited by Aaron Grunwald.)
