The Minister of Finance for the Luxembourg Government talks to Lisa Burke ahead of the upcoming elections on 8 October.

Yuriko Backes grew up in Japan and spent her life before government as a career diplomat, before joining the coalition on 5 January 2022, following the resignation of Pierre Gramegna.

In this conversation, we talk about Minister Backes' top priorities if elected. Naturally, they cover the usual spectrum of housing, taxes and climate change, to name but a few. However, given her time in office, Yuriko Backes can add weight to the conversation of a true long-term vision for what's needed for Luxembourg to remain a competitive economy and continue to attract talent.

Minister Backes speaks of precise ideas she / the DP party have in order to help young people with housing, to work with the university here to hone the skills needed for 'talent made in Luxembourg'.

A couple of passion points for Yuriko Backes are women in positions of leadership (especially within finance and politics) and the sustainability sector. She speaks of the need for diverse leadership, the tax incentives they have in mind for solar panels and move towards impact investment.

Finally, Minister Backes tells us that there are many ways to get involved with political action in Luxembourg, even if we can't vote in the national elections.