As soon as we have confirmed details for the next Chapter meeting, this page will be updated.
Previous events
Visit of the Chambre des Députés of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
12 October 2023
We are delighted to reflect on the enriching experience of our Luxembourg Chapter of Friends of ERA’s visit to the Chambre des Députés of Luxembourg on 12th October 2023.
The Chambre des Députés welcomed us for an informative guided tour with many behind-the-scenes insights into the workings of this prestigious Luxembourg institution.
The visit ended with a presentation in the historic Grand Chamber of the Luxembourg Parliament where our special guest speakers, Norbert Lorenz (Director of the Legal Service of the EP) and Christian Pennera (former Jurisconsult of the EP) gave us a first-hand insight into the tasks and operations of the Legal Service of the European Parliament.
The evening was rounded off with a pleasant joint dinner in the restaurant Am Tiirmschen, offering to our Friends of ERA a good traditional Luxembourg cuisine in a charming ambience.
All in all, fantastic event… Looking forward to more gatherings like this!
A Memorable Evening at Maison Schuman with the Luxembourg Chapter of Friends of ERA
14 June 2023
On June 14th 2023 the Friends of ERA Luxembourg chapter had the pleasure of gathering at the picturesque Maison Schuman in Clausen for a truly delightful and enriching experience. Under the warm embrace of the summer weather, members and guests came together to explore the birthplace of Robert Schuman, the renowned „Father of Europe.“ Led by the knowledgeable staff of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), the guided tour captivated everyone with its remarkable lecture and interactive films. With their expertise and engaging storytelling, the C²DH team shed light on the life and achievements of this major European figure. The insightful tour served as a reminder of the values and principles that continue to shape our united Europe.
The event commenced with a warm welcome from Michèle Stoffel, the enthusiastic coordinator of the Luxembourg Chapter of Friends of ERA, who had impeccably organized the gathering. The atmosphere was jovial and filled with camaraderie as approximately 20 friends of ERA came together to celebrate their shared passion for European integration. After our lovely visit, we had dinner at the restaurant Notaro to end our night.
The Luxembourg Chapter was pleased to welcome new guests to this special gathering, and we hope that their experience will inspire them to join the Friends of ERA Association. By joining our community, they will have the opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals, contribute to European integration efforts, and participate in future events that foster mutual understanding and cooperation.
Guided visit of the National Library of Luxembourg (BnL)
8 December 2022
Taking advantage of its ideal location on the Plateau de Kirchberg, the National Library of Luxembourg (BnL) was the venue for our latest Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter meeting on Thursday, 8st December 2022.
The event started with a guided tour of the National Library by M Pascal Nicolay, librarian-documentalist. He led us through the different sections of the new building and gave us behind the scenes with his interesting facts.
The evening concluded with a dinner in the cosy atmosphere of restaurant Tempo. We were happy to welcome 16 guests, some of them the usual suspects at our dinners and some new Friends joining us for the first time. The overall ambience during this event was very pleasant: cheerful talks over good food and wine until late in the night – and most importantly the repeated interest by all attendees for follow-up Chapter events.
We warmly thank Michèle Stoffel, our Luxembourg Chapter coordinator, for her inspiration and guidance in the organisation of this event.
Private guided tour of the remains of the court of Count Siegfried I in Echternach
14 June 2022
The Luxembourg Chapter of the Friends of ERA met on 14 June 2022 in the town of Echternach for a guided tour through the archaeological remains of the medieval court of Siegfried I.
In early 2020, construction workers came across the vestiges of a large centuries-old building on the site of the former „Petite Marquise“ hotel. Since then, the archaeological research has been in full swing. The walls date back to the time of Count Siegfried I (c. 918/929-998), the founder of Luxembourg.
Thanks to Christiane Bis-Worch and her enthusiastic team from the Institut National du Patrimoine Archéologique of Luxembourg, the visit was a very informative experience with interesting glimpses behind the scenes of the archaeological investigation. It was a unique opportunity to visit this ancient site before it is covered up again to continue the construction work.
The evening concluded over a pleasant al fresco dinner for the group of 12 Friends of ERA who joined.
Private guided tour of Villa Pauly and dinner at restaurant Chiche!
15 December 2021
The highlight of the Luxembourg Chapter activities in 2021 was the visit to Villa Pauly, on 15 December 2021. During the Second World War, the Villa Pauly was the headquarters of the Gestapo in Luxembourg.
Our guide, Mr Claude Marx, who survived the Second World War as a child hiding in France, led us through Villa Pauly and complemented the current exhibition with interesting stories.
The event concluded over dinner at the restaurant CHICHE! where the Luxembourg participants of the Friends of ERA had the opportunity to try different delicious Lebanese mezze over lively conversation. The restaurant, a pop-up project, showed to be another example for social inclusion by hiring people of all origins that have a hard time finding a job but who generally have fabulous cooking skills.
Almost 20 participants joined us for the evening. A special guest was Ms Nilab Dian, a former judge of the supreme court of Afghanistan, who was rescued from Kabul to Luxembourg in August 2021. The Afghan judge escaped certain death by the Taliban thanks to the combined efforts of several fellow European judges, some of whom also attended the evening.
This get-together was organised by our new Luxembourg Chapter Coordinator, Michèle Stoffel, and attended by the Chair of the Friends of ERA Association, Jettie Van Caenegem, and the Director of ERA, Jean-Philippe Rageade.
All in all, it was an enjoyable long-awaited evening for everyone, which finally became possible after the long months of Corona isolation.
Visit of the Cité judiciaire du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
26 September 2019
More than 20 members of the “Luxembourg Chapter“ joined the visit to the Cité judiciaire du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg to get an understanding of the structure andfunctioning of the Luxembourg judiciary. Special thanks go to Jeannot Nies, Deputy Prosecutor General, for opening the doors of the Cité judiciaire for our group and for the excellent guided tour with many interesting insights behind the scenes. Mr Nies’ thorough presentation of the Luxembourg judicial system engaged the audience and generated a lively discussion.
The evening continued with dinner at Independent Café, just a few steps from the Cité judiciaire.
The total number of participants at the dinner was 25. The event was organised by the convenor of the Luxembourg Chapter, Carlo Schockweiler, and ERA was represented by John Coughlan, Deputy Director, and Joanna Kuzaj, Friends of ERA Liaison.
13th General Meeting of the Association
6 March 2019
Followed by a visit to the private art collection of the EIB and dinner with the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter
We were delighted that 25 Friends were able to join us on 6 March 2019 for the 13th General Meeting of the Friends of ERA Association. This time we chose Luxembourg as a meeting point, not only because of its role as a home to many important EU institutions, but also because of its very lively and active Friends of ERA Chapter. After a guided tour of the EIB private act collection the guests went to the restaurant Tempo for a joint dinner – the perfect place to enjoy excellent food, good wine and interesting conversations. During the course of the dinner the guests exchanged the latest news about ERA and discussed how to further develop our Friends network.
Our sincere gratitude goes to the attendees of the evening, in particular Carlo Schockweiler (Coordinator of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter) for hosting our General Meeting at the Administrative Court of Luxembourg as well as for his personal contribution to the organisation of the social programme of the event.
Here you can find all the information about the topics that were discussed during the 13th General Meeting.
Äddi and looking forward to welcoming you again soon in Luxembourg.
Guided visit of the Musée Dräi Eechelen
17 October 2018
This time the members of the Luxembourg chapter assisted an insightful guided tour of the Musée Dräi Eechelen (Musée des Trois Glands). An exceptional historical building, the restored fortress of fort Thüngen, built in 1732-33, houses since 2012 the Museum Dräi Eechelen. The museum visit ended in a nice dinner at the neighboring restaurant Tempo.
Once again, the culturally inspired events of the Luxembourg Chapter proved to be the best platform and meeting point for its members to gather and exchange.
Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain
1 December 2016
Ideally located in the heart of the city, the Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain was the scene for our latest Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter dinner on Thursday, 1st December 2016.
The evening started with a guided tour of the current exhibition “The Political Nightfall” by Aude Moreau, a young Canadian artist. Her photographic works, short films and sound works cast a hitherto unexampled light on North American cities.
The evening continued with dinner in a cosy and friendly atmosphere at the café-restaurant Ca(fé)sino. We were happy to welcome 23 guests, some of them the usual suspects at our Friends dinners – although most were joining us for the first time. The overall ambience during this event was very pleasant: cheerful talks over good food and wine until late in the night – and most importantly the repeated interest of all attendees for follow-up Chapter events.
We warmly thank Carlo Schockweiler, our Luxembourg Chapter coordinator, for his inspiration and guidance in the organisation of this meeting.
Under the Mirabelle Tree
9 July 2016
Dinner with the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter, visit of the Distillery Pit Dolizy et Margot Guillon
To no great surprise, the dinner of the Luxembourg Friends last Thursday in the village of Ehnen turned out to be a very pleasant get-together. The warm weather contributed wonderfully to the perfect setting of the evening, and true to our word, dinner was indeed outside underneath the Mirabelle tree. It was a great pleasure to see so many Friends at the event, some having made long journeys to attend, all the way from Brussels and Wiesbaden. 
A special thank-you goes to Carlo Schockweiler, our Coordinator of the Luxembourg Chapter, who made the whole evening possible and a joy to attend. Of course, the evening wouldn’t have been such a success without Carlo’s friends Margot and Pit, who were wonderfully welcoming and such hospitable hosts, allowing their private orchard to be used for the event, and delighting the guests with homemade delights and traditional fruit schnapps.
We agreed that the next meeting will take place in the autumn, presumably sometime around October. We expect that it will be in Luxembourg City, so as to have as many Friends there as possible. We will also try to endeavour to invite a prominent personality of the legal sector, who could present an interesting speech to kick-start the conversation of the evening.
We extend our cordial thanks once again to those who joined us last week, and attach a picture as a little memory of the great evening.
Äddi and have a nice summer!
Tour of the Schengen Museum and Dinner
8 October 2015
Meeting of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter
We were extremely honoured to have Charles Elsen, former Director-General of the Council of the EU and one of the first members of the Friends of ERA Association, organise and support this wonderful event. 
Amidst the confusion and doubts of Schengen, it was humbling to have a guided tour of the Museum and remember the roots and history of Schengen, and not in the least forgetting its continued importance in the present day. That this was done by Charles himself, one of ‘the fathers of the Schengen Agreement’, was a privilege that won’t be forgotten by ERA or the attendees.
The consequent dinner in the Domaine Henri Ruppert winery was a perfect end to the day, with 18 attendees making it a popular and lively evening- including former scholar of the ERA Scholarship mag. Vladislovas Vitkevicius, who himself became a Friend of the Association, and came all the way from Vilnius to attend. On behalf of Jettie van Caenegem (Chair of the Friends of ERA) and Carlo Schockweiler (Coordinator of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter), many thanks for all those who attended and we look forward to hosting more events with the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter in the future.
Dinner with the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter
29 April 2015
We were delighted that 15 friends joined us on 29 April 2015 for a dinner together at the Café de Paris in the heart of Luxembourg. Over wine in the warm ambient environment of the restaurant, we exchanged the latest news from ERA and how to further develop our Friends network. For the next meeting, everyone was agreed on inviting a prominent speaker in order to stimulate a topical debate and discussion.
Our sincere gratitude goes to the attendees of the evening, as well as Prof Manuel Medina Ortega (Chairman of the Friends of ERA), who came all the way from Madrid to join us, and Mr Carlo Schockweiler (Coordinator of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter) for their contribution to the organisation of the event.
Äddi and looking forward to welcoming many of you in Luxembourg again.
Friends of ERA Association Luxembourg Dinner
8 Oktober 2014
First Meeting of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter
To our great delight, the first meeting of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter took place on 8 October 2014, at the Café de Paris in Luxembourg. Not only was it a lovely dinner, but all attendees were enthusiastic at the prospect of the 
Chapter meeting twice a year and establishing the meetings as a regular event. The next event, planned for spring 2015, will hopefully include a prominent legal personality who could contribute an interesting speech or presentation to stimulate debate for the evening. We hope that many more Friends, as well as friends of friends, would come to join us for these events.
On behalf of Prof Manuel Medina Ortega (Chairman of the Friends of ERA Association) and Mr Carlo Schockweiler (Coordinator of the Friends of ERA Luxembourg Chapter), we give our sincerest gratitude for those who attended and made the evening such a wonderful event, and look forward to many more to come.