Month: October 2017

Butter is in short supply in France due to strong foreign demand. The price of butter has risen by 60 percent in 12 months, according to government figures, resulting in problems for specialist exporters and a shortage on supermarket shelves that’s hitting consumers.

China and the Middle East in particular have developed a taste for French butter, and products in which it is used, according to Dominique Charge, who heads the national cooperative of dairy products.

So serious is the situation that over the weekend Le Figaro ran an article on how to cook without butter. The problem is expected to worsen by Christmas, provoking an acute crisis for producers of traditional pastries and a shortage for French customers where it hurts most, in the stomach.

Meanwhile, several French producers have refused to contemplate imports of butter from other EU countries, since the quality is not up to their own high standards.

One local restaurant in Port Hercules told Monaco Life that butter supply so far has not be affected, but the price has.

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The Government held two important meetings on Tuesday, October 24, to provide more details on ongoing negotiations with the European Union. Both were held in the Rainier III Auditorium.

In the morning, a meeting chaired by Gilles Tonelli, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, was held with the Monegasque Committee of Regulated Professions (CMPR), one of a series of meetings to discuss the progress of these important negotiations.

In the afternoon, the conference was co-chaired by Gilles Tonelli and Didier Gamerdinger, Minister of Health and Social Affairs, with the main unions and employee and employer organisations of the Principality, the first such meeting with the Government’s partners. Other meetings on the same topic will be held during the year 2018.

While Monaco is anxious to have the best possible relations with the European Union, particularly in the context of trade relations, the Principality is determined that its specific characteristics are recognised and incorporated in any future formal agreement.

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Minister of State Serge Telle hosted the heads of companies that are signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding relating to the integration of young Monegasque and resident graduates into working life.

Also in attendance at the event, which took place at his residence on Thursday, October 19, were Government Ministers, the Executive Unit of the Graduate Integration Commission, a number of young graduates who have found a job thanks to the Commission for the Integration of Graduates (CID), as well as leading personalities.

Created in February 2010 by the Prince’s Government, the Graduate Integration Commission works in response to the express wish of the Sovereign Prince to preserve in the Principality the intellectual wealth of Monaco’s youth and to facilitate the return to Monaco of expatriate graduates.

HE Serge Telle warmly thanked the representatives of the 145 companies that agreed to make this partnership for youth such a successful reality. He also paid tribute to the quality of work provided by the Executive Unit, which after seven years of operation, has helped more than 1,000 young graduates to received an individualised interview.

The Minister of State reiterated the need to stay active in the integration of graduates. An example of this approach was the holding in January at the Auditorium Rainier III, the sixth “professional discovery afternoon” for students in the final classes of the Principality.

The focus of the January event was on the sectors generating employment in Monaco: the hotel industry, health, banking professions, public accounting, yachting, the profession of bank lawyer, IT related to new technologies, the Monegasque civil service, engineering and construction.

Thanks to all these initiatives, coupled with those of the Employment Service, young people in the Principality are making every effort to build their futures.

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Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, received Pantelakis D. Eliades, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cyprus; Tomasz Mlynarski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland; Igor Slobodnik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic; and Jane Coombs, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of New Zealand, at a luncheon at the Hermitage Hotel on Thursday, October 19.

The four newly-appointed diplomats had presented their credentials to the Sovereign Prince in the morning.

HE Pantelakis D. Eliades joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 1989. In 1995, he was appointed to MFA Political Affairs. Subsequently, he held the positions of First Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Cypriot Embassy in Rome. In 2003, he was appointed representative of Cyprus to the Political and Security Committee of the European Union in Brussels, then became Director of the Department of Foreign Policy and Common Security of the MFA. In 2008, he was promoted to Ambassador in Germany.

HE Tomasz Mlynarski had a professional career at the Institute of Political Studies and International Relations at the University of Krakow between 2006 and 2012. From 2006, he also served as CEO of Polish Music Publishing, then as a Member of the Supervisory Board of the Foundation “Cooperation Fund”. Specialised in the issues of European integration, energy security and foreign policy, Mr Mlynarski has led numerous scientific conferences.

HE Igor Slobodnik was appointed Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in London in 1997. In 2001, he took over the Directorate General of Political Affairs of the Ministry of Defence, then that of Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 2008. Within the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, he took up the post of Secretary of State in 2015 and became Head of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa Division in 2016. He was also Ambassador in Berlin and Brussels.

HE Jane Coombs was appointed Economic Advisor in 1999, then Assistant Director in the Environment Division in 2003. She was successively promoted to New Zealand’s Ambassador to Seoul in 2005, and Deputy Chief of Mission to the Embassy in Washington in 2009. She has been General Manager of the Americas Division since 2012 and of the North East Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade from 2015.

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The operation “Moi (s) sans tabac”, launched last year, will take place again this November and provide an opportunity for residents of the Principality to quit smoking altogether. The objective is to encourage smokers to stick to one month without a cigarette and to create the trigger for a permanent cessation.

To help them in this process, the Prince’s government has requested that the Principality be associated, as a partner, with the operation “Moi (s) sans tabac” – using a play on words for “month” and “me” – initiated by the French Ministry of Health.

Monaco’s Department of Health and the Princess Grace Hospital Centre have joined forces to distribute free kits that can be picked up, at no cost, from participating pharmacies in the Principality.

Didier Gamerdinger, Minister of Health and Social Affairs said, “The campaign is a positive concept for the good health of the residents of the Principality. It must become an annual event that encourages smokers to stop.”

Beyond 28 consecutive days of not smoking, the chances of quitting permanently are multiplied by five. A major media campaign initiated by France, will be relayed in Monaco.

As of Monday, October 23, smokers who want to quit and receive ongoing support can register via the Tobacco info Service website, smartphone app, or by calling 39.89.

In addition, consultations with health professionals at the Princess Grace Hospital are also free, and accessible by phone: 377 9 98 97 41. (Photo: Oftenfun)

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