Yves Piron, current head of Luxembourg’s refugee reception system, will not seek to renew his mandate after a government audit first launched in 2024 and presented to lawmakers this week points to persistent structural and operational challenges within the administration.
Family affairs Minister Max Hahn confirmed on Monday during a parliamentary committee meeting that the director of the Office national de l’accueil (ONA), “will not extend his mandate”, which expires at the end of the year, with the position to be advertised in the coming weeks.
The announcement came as the Inspectorate General of Finance (IGF) presented its audit of ONA’s functioning, management and organisation. Hahn described the report as a set of “instructions” for future reforms.
Despite a near-doubling of capacity since 2019 to more than 8,000 beds, ONA facilities remain overcrowded, currently accommodating around 9,000 people. The IGF noted that the system has remained largely in “crisis-management mode”, with migration policy described as insufficiently anticipatory and strategically underdeveloped.
Around 76% of recognised refugees remain in ONA accommodation for more than 12 months, the report states, concluding that this highlights a structural gap between ONA’s legal mandate and its operational reality, calling for a clearer definition of responsibilities.
Beneficiaries of international protection frequently remain in reception structures, as they are unable to secure housing on the private rental market, according to Piron.
The audit recommended accelerating the use of newly acquired buildings, even prior to the completion of renovation works, in order to reduce delays that can extend over several years.
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Governance and staffing
The audit also highlights governance issues, including a high proportion of temporary contracts. More than 70 of around 300 employees are employed on fixed-term contracts (CDD), a situation the IGF said “affects continuity and institutional knowledge”.
It also noted that recruitment processes are lengthy, while reliance on temporary staffing has contributed to organisational instability.
Piron told the parliamentary committee that the situation was linked to the emergency context following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when around 70 temporary staff were recruited in anticipation of short-term needs.
“We had many CDDs at that time because of the emergency situation,” he said, adding that several staff have since been retained or converted to permanent contracts.
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Reform proposals
Among the options outlined in the report is the transformation of ONA into a public institution, an idea Hahn described as “interesting”, particularly in light of potential enhanced interministerial governance.
The minister also raised the possibility of expanding ONA’s role in the development of accommodation capacity: “Couldn’t ONA build it itself one day… and thus perhaps speed up the whole process,” Hahn said.
During the session the family affairs minister also confirmed that the Inspection du travail et des mines (ITM) will remain responsible for safety inspections of ONA facilities, following concerns over institutional independence.
Hahn had ordered the IGF audit of the refugee welcome agency after a Luxembourg Times and Luxemburger Wort investigation revealed flaws in the financing of a translation app. A February 2023 audit of transactions related to the app previously identified several institutional shortcomings at the ONA that point to poor book and record keeping.
