Arlon and Habay merge, an act that condemns the Houdemont hospital

Arlon and Habay merge. The info, if it is premature (the colleges were to communicate at the beginning of May) is nonetheless proven. Serge Bodeux, mayor of Habay, and Vincent Magnus, that of Arlon, have confirmed what has filtered: the act of intent will soon be voted on and the Region informed. In the same way that there is little for the merger project between Bastogne and Bertogne, the news takes the citizen by surprise.

As for the Ardennes municipalities, the money offered by the Walloon Region, the economies of scale, the pooling of services obviously counted for a lot, but even more it is the strategy of the mayor of Arlon Vincent Magnus aiming to keep his acute hospital which guided the whole operation.

All actions taken become illegal

A rigorous study by the City’s lawyers had concluded that a merger between the two entities would make illegal the actions taken in the process of building the new Vivalia 2025 hospital planned for Houdemont, municipality of Habay!

Not only does the building permit application submitted to the municipality of Habay in October 2021 become null and void, but also everything that has been done upstream. All studies, requests for subsidies to the Region, investment plans, impact studies… become outlawed retroactively.

Money from the Walloon Region will go to another project

The consequences are clear, the €305,000,000 that the Walloon government had reserved for the Vivalia 2025 project in its hospital construction plan presented in 2019 will be allocated to other investments. It is too late to start the whole procedure over again on time.

A catastrophe for the future of health care in Luxembourg?

“No, only responsible management and common sense”replies the mayor of Arlon, quite proud of the good trick played on all those who had proclaimed loud and clear that now nothing will stop the Vivalia 2025 plan.

The mayor of Arlon promised in return to the Habaysiens the investment of all the sums collected thanks to this merger.

Expropriated farmers want to keep the money

As if the file was not already announced very explosive, is grafted to it the anger of the farmers who were expropriated and (generously) compensated.

These lands which are supposed to belong to Vivalia today will also return to their former owners… who no longer want them. Farmers want to keep their money.

They will come and say it by tractor in Bastogne, chaussée d’Houffalize, in front of the office of the president of the intercommunal health care, Yves Planchard, today evening, at 5 p.m.

It was all a joke. You have just read our April Fool’s Day.

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