Month: July 2018

Nearly 300 players from across the Principality’s economic spectrum came together on Monday, July 2, at the Monte-Carlo Beach to discuss business opportunities at a BtoB session followed by a networking cocktail. The commission working on job placements for graduates (Commission d’Insertion des Diplômés) and the Energy Transition Mission were also present, there to make contacts with entrepreneurs.

It is the third time a BtoB session has opened the MEB Members’ Rendezvous, and again proved a great success: 98 people from 60 entities and 14 business sectors took part in 62 meetings, all targeted interviews of 10 minutes for maximum effectiveness.

The cocktail was held around the legendary Monte-Carlo Beach pool. Among public figures present were Stéphane Valeri, National Council President, and Secretary of State Jacques Boisson, fulfilling one of the MEB’s missions as a force for discussion between institutions and the men and women driving Monaco’s economy.

Another bridge, the Monaco Government’s Energy Transition Mission, had a stand to raise awareness of its goals. The team in charge of the National Pact on Energy Transition aims to mobilise the Monegasque community to achieve national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set by HSH Prince Albert. More than 20 signed up to the Pact at the meeting.

Also present was Muriel Bubbio, in charge of fostering work placements for graduates and for whom it was an excellent opportunity to meet so many entrepreneurs. For the MEB, its task is vital. Its networks provide excellent opportunities both for young graduates and also those with experience who are abroad and want to return to their country.

In his welcome speech, Chairman Michel Dotta highlighted the role being played by the MEB in the digital transition taking place. This has gained momentum since the arrival of Frédéric Genta, the inter-ministerial Chief Digital Officer in charge of the Principality’s transition.

Lastly, Michel Dotta presented the highlights for the second half of 2018:
July 10: H.E. Thiep Nguyen, Vietnam’s Ambassador to France and Monaco will present his country’s advantages at an Ambassador’s Lunch. The MEB is accompanying an official visit by HSH Prince Albert to this country of 100 million inhabitants, from November 5-9.

September 4 to 8: another Trade Mission, this one to Beijing in China, when HSH the Sovereign Prince will inaugurate the exhibition, Princes and Princesses of Monaco, organised by the Grimaldi Forum in the Forbidden City.

Finally, after the summer holidays, another Members’ Rendezvous (September 17) and a talk on September 19 by Jean-Pierre Petit, President of macro-economics and investment strategy research firm, Cahiers Verts de l’Économie. As always there is one goal: to foster and promote Monaco’s dynamic economy by helping companies grow their businesses and attracting new investors.

In the presence of HSH Prince Albert, France handed over the chairmanship of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to Monaco, Australia and Indonesia, during a ceremony at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.

In his address, HE the Sovereign Prince recalled the great responsibility of human societies whose development and short-term focus threatens the world’s coral reefs.

Monaco, during this co-presidency, will focus on the reinforcement of the political tools needed for the management and preservation of the reefs and on public mobilisation and new financial capabilities to counter the threats.

HE Mr Bernard Fautrier, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, took part in a session devoted to the financing of international commitments on the reefs.

The co-chairmanship of ICRI until 2020 is recognition of Monaco’s concern with the problem and its expertise. The Scientific Centre of Monaco has been wholeheartedly supported by the Prince’s Government, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and by the Coral Reef Life Declaration, made in October 2017 by the Sovereign and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Mr Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior, and Mrs Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, signed an agreement on July 4, 2018, extending cooperation between the Principality and the European Agency in all areas of Europol’s remit, including fighting terrorism, cybercrime, organised crime, drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.

The Minister of the Interior visited Europol Headquarters in The Hague (Netherlands), with a delegation composed of the Director of Public Security, Richard Marangoni, and the Commissioners.

This visit helped to consolidate and deepen the links established on the basis of a first agreement signed in 2011. Since then, Europol has considerably developed its strategic and operational capabilities as well as its coordination.

Europol provides support for nearly 40,000 investigations annually. The visit also allowed for discussions with the operational managers of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) and Financial Intelligence Units (FIU), in charge of the fight against terrorism and money laundering.

Prospects for cooperation in the field of cybercrime were also discussed in order to strengthen the investigative capacity of the Monaco police service in the face of this type of crime.

The conviction of Mr John Olsen, the director of JP Construction SARL, for fraudulent bankruptcy, delivered by the Monaco Criminal Court, was overturned on appeal.

His legal team argued successfully before the Monaco Appeal Court on June 12, 2017, citing Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, that the original conviction should be quashed.

The successful appeal centred on the delay in informing Mr Olsen of the nature of the criminal complaint levied against him over a two-year period, and the wrongful assertion on the part of the prosecutors that Mr Olsen could not be contacted after he left the Principality.

One hundred days before the opening of its 28th edition, the Monaco Yacht Show launched its countdown in the atypical environment of the Monaco heliport.

A hundred guests – partners, exhibiting companies and private clients of the show – were invited to an exquisite cocktail reception in the relaxed atmosphere of soft sunlight on the French Riviera to discuss their participation in the MYS this September, which promises to be a new and exceptional edition.

As a foretaste of this September’s show, when the most outstanding superyachts on the planet will exhibit in Port Hercules and anchor offshore, the luckiest guests of the quiz held during the reception immediately boarded a helicopter operated by MYS partner Monacair for a panoramic flight over the Bay of Monaco.

Earlier in the evening, Gaëlle Tallarida, General Manager of the MYS, held a press conference and presented the show’s strategies to attract future superyacht clients.

In the presence of twenty journalists and representatives of the show’s media partners, Ms Tallarida highlighted the projects reserved for private customers who will be visiting the show: the third edition of the Monaco Yacht Summit, the Sapphire Experience – the VIP visit programme – and the public relations events hosted abroad to promote the show and the superyacht industry to a high-profile audience.

The evening was also the opportunity to unveil the new setting of the 2018 floating exhibition, which will display 120 superyachts with an average length of 49 metres. On the quays, the different exhibition areas dedicated to the yachting and luxury sectors, and the thematic areas related to superyacht lifestyle like the Tenders & Toys, the Car Deck and the brand-new Art Pavilion – dedicated to the exhibition of art pieces – will set the tempo to visit the 580 exhibiting companies.