Restaurants can charge for tap water, says ministry

A government campaign to encourage restaurants to offer tap water to their guests is set to finally see the light of day next spring, but that doesn’t mean that the water will be free.

Members of parliament in 2019 debated a petition demanding that restaurants in Luxembourg should have to offer tap water to guests. The government said that it didn’t want to legislate on the issue but rather encourage restaurants through an awareness campaign.

With the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, this campaign was delayed but is set to launch in spring 2023, the minister for small and medium-sized enterprises, Lex Delles (DP), said in answer to a parliamentary question on 16 June.

The government will provide jugs to restaurants wishing to take part to save them the cost of investing into more material. The production of the dedicated bottles added to the delay, Delles said. Under the campaign, tap water will also be added as an item on restaurant menus.