Month: February 2018

HE Carole Lanteri, Ambassador and Representative of the Principality to the United Nations Office in Geneva, participated in a Divonne-les-Bains retreat on Thursday, February 1, in the Francophone Group, dedicated to strengthening the Human Rights Council.

Ambassadors and experts from the member countries of the Group of Francophone states discussed the current challenges facing the UN Human Rights Council. Topics – such as the effectiveness of decisions taken, budgetary constraints, the efficiency of working methods and respect for multilingualism – were on the table.

Ms Lanteri co-chaired, together with the Ambassador of Switzerland, the session on challenges related to the internal functioning of the Human Rights Council. This session discussed the problems of delegations following the work of the Council, in particular the multiplication of the number of texts negotiated and adopted as well as the large number of meetings necessary to respect the calendar. The discussions held during this session threw up some solutions to meet the challenges.

The Human Rights Council is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly. As the main United Nations forum for the promotion and protection of human rights, the Council is based in Geneva, where it holds three annual sessions. It is composed of 47 States elected by the General Assembly for a period of three years.

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Organisers of the Monaco Yacht Show have issued a statement emphasising that attendees of this years show should book hotels through the official booking partner, Monaco Check-In.

In a statement issued on Friday, February 2, the MYS Organising Committee said: “You might have already been contacted by companies for booking your hotel nights for the 2018 Monaco Yacht Show (September 26 to 29).

“The MYS exclusively partners with the agency Monaco Check-In to offer you the best rates to stay in Monaco during the show.”

The statement adds that any other company that pretends to partner with the Monaco Yacht Show for selling hotel nights is “totally wrong.”

“As organisers of the MYS, our aim is to recommend you the most loyal and viable suppliers for preparing your participation.”

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Nice City Council voted to increase the rate of housing tax for second homes at a public meeting on Friday, February 2, local French daily Monaco-Matin reports.

Until now, second home owners were required to pay housing tax at a 20 percent higher rate than principal home owners, but from 2019 the surcharge will increase to 60 percent, the ceiling allowed by French law.

The opposition on the City Council agreed with the move, with Socialist leader Patrick Allemand saying that someone who pays for a second home in Nice has the means to pay a few hundred euros of additional housing tax.

The only opponent of the tax hike was Benoit Kandel, well-known for his liberal economic outlook.

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Prince Albert visited Newquay Wednesday where he “swapped the Monaco Grand Prix for St Eval Kart Circuit”, reports CornwallLive.com.

The soon to be 60-year-old Sovereign flew by private jet into St Mawgan to celebrate the birthday of Jane Hill, a mutual friend of Prince Albert and fellow Olympic bobsledder Tom De La Hunty.

In 2006, Prince Albert attended Mr De la Hunty’s 50th birthday party in Cornwall. For this week’s visit, however, Mr De La Hunty was absent from the festivities as he is coaching the Dutch bobsleigh team at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

After arriving in Cornwall on Wednedsay, Prince Albert and “his entourage headed to St Eval Kart Circuit for a private race event on Wednesday afternoon” before heading to Captain Jack’s restaurant on Marcus Hill, owned by Ms Hill and her fiancé Robin Foster, Mr De La Hunty’s brother-in-law.

According to Cornwalllive.com, Miss Hill said: “Prince Albert was an Olympic bobsleigh driver, and he knew Tom very well through that, and that’s how we got to know him.

“It was my birthday, and we wanted to invite him over and he came, which was a lovely gesture.

“I also invited some other friends over from Monaco. He flew into Newquay Airport, where we picked him up.

“We discussed what we should do, and we decided to go karting, because my son Tommy is the British open champion. It was a fun thing to do.

“Prince Albert has got to know our children, and he has followed my son’s karting career with interest.

“Tommy has Albert’s endorsement on his kart, and they are very close. So the prince decided to go karting with us.

“In the evening we had dinner at our restaurant, Captain Jack’s. We opened the restaurant for him. Our son is chef and he cooked us a lovely meal, and we had a good time.

“He was only here for a day, because he obviously has other commitments, and we all stayed at the Victoria Hotel, because Albert also knows the owners.

“It’s absolutely mad, but that’s what we did.”

Craig Broad, manager at St Eval Kart Circuit, commented that the group was in a “party mood”.

Mr Broad said: “Prince Albert came over for a friend’s birthday, who lives in Newquay. We had about 48 hours’ notice for him to come down, and there was a security inspection.

“He came over on Wednesday afternoon, there were about 14 people in the party. I can’t give names, but there were some high up there people, including film producers.

“He was here for about an hour and a half. It was a slight shame because they got caught in the hail.

“But the group was in quite the party mood, playing games among themselves. It was an upbeat group.

“The Prince didn’t talk about Newquay, or Cornwall, but he was very approachable and a really nice guy.

“He chatted to us, shook our hands and said thank you.

“We get celebrities popping in quite often, I must admit, but it’s the first time we’ve had royalty here,” he added.

“Normal it will be celebs who are on TV; we get Nick Knowles popping in quite a bit, we’ve had Gordon Ramsay and other chefs, and EastEnders stars among others.

“It’s a crazy, crazy world.”

Laurence Garino, Director of Monaco Welcome & Business Office

ML: Mme Garino, could you share a little of your professional background?
LG: After finishing Business School I worked for a few years in Paris with the Havas Group. Returning to Monaco in 1995, I worked for the Minister of Finance and Economy, under the authority of HE Henri Fissore and HE Franck Biancheri for five years.

In 2000, I had a great opportunity to join the Grimaldi Forum, and participated in its launch and in its development, as Sales and Marketing Director, for 10 years.

Then, in 2010, the Government introduced several measures to improve administrative procedures, facilitate the relocation of future residents and entrepreneurs, optimise entrepreneurship, and boost the retail sector. It was in this context, that I was asked to set up the Monaco Welcome Office.

ML: Could you tell us about the history of the Welcome Office & Business Office? What exactly is a “Made in Monaco” welcome?
LG: The Monaco Welcome Office was created in 2010 to welcome entrepreneurs, investors, and future residents, wishing to settle in Monaco. By providing simpler procedures and more straightforward information, the Welcome Office helps them to set up their projects, in a relatively short timeframe, in line with the demands of today’s world.

The Monaco Welcome Office is a key contact in the Principality, for all individuals and investors interested in moving to Monaco, whether on a private or professional basis. This Service offers a wide range of tools, key contacts and useful information to simplify the different procedures and to highlight the Monegasque network.

The Welcome Office also plays an important role in Monaco’s retail sector and is a key contact for the Principality’s shopkeepers.

Finally, it was given the responsibility by the Government for implementing measures within the private sector related to the global welcome plan, and following the labelling process called “Monaco Welcome Certified”.

ML: The Welcome Office initiative serves existing businesses in Monaco and potential businesses in Monaco. For existing businesses, you offer the Monaco Welcome Label certification. Who and how can a business apply? What advantage does this 3-year certification bring to a company?
LG: The Government wants to encourage and support a high-quality welcome to the Principality, and this needs the full mobilisation of efforts across the public and private sectors.

The Monaco Welcome Label enhances and maintains the quality of the welcome offered in the Principality. Its aim is to share standards for businesses that welcome clients, in order to establish a “Made in Monaco” welcome. It’s designed to offer its customers reliable, consistent and objective information regarding the quality of the welcome in the Principality.

The label can be obtained for any kind of activity or structure that welcomes clients and wishes to make improvements to the services it offers, with the exception of activities carried out in shared offices, or from home, which are not eligible for the service.

Obtaining the label is an entirely voluntary process based on a state of mind and a genuine wish for self-improvement. The online application is very easy and takes only a couple of minutes. If successful, the company will be Monaco Welcome certified for 3 years, including an incognito visit in order to maintain a high-quality welcome during this period.

ML: Regarding entrepreneurs who are interested in setting up a business in Monaco, what specific tools and information can you provide? Is this information free?
LG: First of all, the Welcome Office is a Government Service, working daily to assist people and give out information, in a stress-free way.

Secondly, it is important to emphasise that our Service is actually made for anyone who has a business idea in Monaco and wants to know how to make it real, whether you are a business owner or a complete stranger to the business environment.

The information and the tools we provide are essentially related to the administrative process involved in setting up and running a business: regulated activities, application forms, timelines, main rules, legal forms, social charges, head office requirements, etc.

We also introduce our visitors to the key public or private entities in Monaco.

As a complement, we also help people understand how to relocate to Monaco for personal rather than professional reasons, as some of them contact us from abroad and wish to settle down here privately as well.

These tools and information can be paper-based documents we create, or official online sources we lead them to. Here are two very important tools we have designed:

– “Settling in the Principality of Monaco”, a brochure that introduces Monaco both as a place to live in and as a business destination.

– “Monaco Welcome”, an application for smartphones and tablets, to find all sorts of practical information quickly and easily – for example, doctors, restaurants, driving license exchange, school registration, etc.

We also manage the pages of the Official Government website for businesses, “Service Public Entreprises”, available in French and English (www.spe.gouv.mc) and one specific page on the Official Government portal for individuals, “Service Public Particuliers” (settlinginmonaco.gouv.mc).

ML: You offer services in English (and other languages). What are some of the most common questions new businesses ask you? What are some of the most common misconceptions people have about setting up a business in Monaco?
LG: Indeed, we speak fluent English and Italian, in addition to French.

Surprisingly, the most common questions are often misconceptions, such as “Is it mandatory to be a Monaco national to start a business ?”, “Is it true I can have a postal box somewhere and claim I have a business there?” or “Monaco-based companies pay no tax, right?”

Besides these misconceptions, which can be addressed quickly, there are more serious questions that are frequently asked. They regard the amount of money needed to start the application process, the various legal forms available, the rules that concern their activity, and the expenses they need to think about according to their project.

ML: Regarding individuals/families who are considering moving to Monaco, or those who have just arrived, how can you assist them with their integration?
LG: When it comes to moving to Monaco, we can help them understand what the process is like and what steps must be taken for a perfect relocation, because preparing for the relocation is very important. Concerning their integration, we make sure they get in touch with useful contacts here, such as associations that represent their national community, or members of the diplomatic network. We also give them all the necessary information and contacts to finalise their relocation and start living in Monaco: school registration, health and insurance services, driver’s license exchange, and a lot of other advice that make them quickly feel at home.

ML: Monaco Welcome offers free workshops, in English and Italian. Who can participate and what do the workshops offer? Do you host other events?
LG: We organise information meetings, exclusively for those who have recently become residents, or who hope to become residents soon.

We tend to host these events three times a year, in both English and Italian, with a small group of people, allowing personal interaction with our team.

The dates are announced on the Government website and available on the Monaco Welcome app – Entrance is free but you must register beforehand (+377 98 98 98 98 – welcome.business@gouv.mc).

We also participate in other private events organised by local companies and associations, always with the same objective: to deliver straightforward and up-to-date information on setting up a business and relocating to Monaco.

We cooperate with the Monaco Economic Board, Association des Consuls Honoraires de Monaco, CREM, IUM, and so on.

ML: In your owns words, why would you encourage a business or family thinking of coming to Monaco to contact the Welcome Office?
LG: Our Office offers a special welcome for private individuals and entrepreneurs; it is the gateway to the privileged circle of Monegasque residents, businesses and the Monegasque Administration. With dedicated and friendly premises, we provide a high-quality welcome and a single contact point to facilitate their venture and integration.

For more information about the Monaco Welcome & Business Office, see their website. Article first published February 1, 2018.