Prince Albert passes the Olympic torch to the South Korean actor Eui-sung Kim. Photo: JO Pyeongchang
HSH Prince Albert took part in the Olympic Torch Relay of the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Friday, February 9, ahead of the Games’ Official Opening ceremony.
Prince Albert took part in the same ceremony, carrying the Olympic flame prior to the openings, in 2016 at the Rio Olympics in Brazil and four years ago at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Having been lit in Greece on October 24, 2017, the Olympic torch travelled the 2,018 kilometres to South Korea over 101 days thanks to a total of 7,500 runners.
Prince Albert has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1985 and President of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission since 2015.
The Monaco Economic Board’s first networking event of the year – Members Rendezvous – attracted 220 companies operating in the Principality, from 16 industry sectors, on Tuesday, February 6, at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel.
More than 300 gathered to hear the latest news of the MEB’s activities and expand their business contacts. Chairman Michel Dotta said that a total of 51 initiatives ensured that 2017 was a particularly busy and innovative year. Six Trade Missions took place, including, for the first time, a double official mission to Bratislava in Slovakia and Chisinau, Moldova, in May, accompanying official visits by Prince Albert.
Taking full advantage of different opportunities, the MEB then organised three missions in three weeks from June 19 to July 8, to Tel Aviv, Israel, Astana in Kazakhstan and Tunis, the largest city in Tunisia.
Lastly, a Trade Mission was arranged to Moscow to coincide with performances by the Ballets de Monte-Carlo company at the Bolshoi.
In Monaco, the three Members Rendezvous attracted 270 participants on average per meeting compared to 220 in 2016. Starting in September 2017, the MEB added a B2B session before the main networking event, an experience that was repeated on Tuesday, February 6, with more than 60 meetings scheduled involving 56 companies.
With some 40 operations already confirmed, 2018 looks set to be as productive. The European continent is the focus for the first half with a Trade Mission to Stockholm in March, for which there is still time to register. Frankfurt is also being studied for June and could be confirmed on February 22 when HE Meyer Landrut, Germany’s Ambassador in France, comes to Monaco for an Ambassador’s Lunch.
In the second half of the year, two trips are planned to Asia accompanying Prince Albert’s official visits. The first is to Beijing in early September for a new culture-business synergy tied in with the inauguration of the Grimaldi Forum’s Princes and Princesses of Monaco exhibition in the Forbidden City, then Hanoi, Vietnam, in November.
In 2018, the MEB will embark on a survey to learn more about member companies and gauge their opinions on the economic situation. For Michel Dotta “It’s about constantly improving the quality of services and actions the MEB provides to its 500 members.”
MEB is organising the “E-Estonia Conference” – an English-language conference on Estonia’s E-administration and E-services – at MonacoTech on Friday, February 16, at 8:15 am.
SMILO and the Prince Albert II Foundation sign a cooperation agreement. Photo: Facebook:SMILO – Small Islands Organisation
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has signed a 3-year cooperation agreement in Bonifacio, in the south of Corsica, as part of a programme to help the NGO SMILO – the Small Islands Organisation.
This new accord dated February 1 will support five small Mediterranean islands: green waste for Levant island (France), fishing waste in Kerkennah (Tunisia), waste generated by tourists for Lavezzi island (France), military waste in Sazani island (Albania) and waste related to recreational boating in Tavolara (Italy).
The lengthily entitled project “Sustainable and Innovative Management of Waste in Small Mediterranean Island Territories under the SMILO Sustainable Islands Label” is part of an international initiative for sustainable islands, launched in 2014 by the Conservatoire du Littoral to promote a better balance between human development and island preservation by supporting the implementation of waste management practices. The Bonifacio initiative is now part of it.
The Foundation is already active with BeMed on the theme of plastics in the Mediterranean and has made a consistent commitment to support the project.
In Bonifacio, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation presented the BeMed initiative and some collaborative approaches with SMILO were initiated during a technical workshop.
Photo: Facebook Jeune Chambre Économique de Monaco
The Welcome Office has announced the first event in its Entrepreneurship Training Cycle 2018 in collaboration with Monaco’s Junior Chamber of Economy (JCEM).
The Welcome Office, a key contact for entrepreneurs and future residents of the Principality, supports, as it does every year, the initiatives of JCEM, which works through various activities to promote entrepreneurship and the economic attractiveness of the Principality.
This year again, the collaboration is reflected in the holding of the first module of the Training Cycle on Thursday, February 15, starting at 6 pm at the Welcome Office (9 rue du Gabian, 1st floor). This will be an opportunity for the Welcome Office to present to registered participants the various methods of setting up in the Principality, both privately and professionally.
This annual meeting will be followed by six training modules, led by the Junior Chamber, focusing on specific topics of interest to future entrepreneurs and future residents, such as taxation, social legislation, business planning, marketing and other topics.
More than 300 rowers from nine nations will compete in Monegasque waters for the 14th Challenge Prince Albert II on Saturday, February 17, and Sunday, February 18, all hoping to win one of the top spots.
The presence of many of the world’s top rowers proves that the Challenge Prince Albert II is one of the largest sea-rowing events after the World Championships
The organising team reports that nearly 100 volunteers will ensure the smooth running of the event this coming weekend. The course in front of the main breakwater and off the Oceanographic Museum will present more difficult conditions than usual for the participants and with many surprises in store for the two rounds over 3,000 metres on Sunday.
Monaco’s rowers are registered in eight of the nine races and silver medallists in the 2017 World Championship Doubles category, Mathieu Montfort and Quentin Antognelli, looking for a win at home.
France will also compete representing the École Polytechnique, HEC Paris, the École Supérieure de Commerce in Paris, and the École des Sciences Politiques in Menton.
The 6,000m race will take place Saturday from 10 am to 4:40 pm and the 3,000m distance Sunday from 9 am to 11:30 am.
