Day: 11 February 2019

At the invitation of Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, President of the Republic of India, HSH Prince Albert II traveled to New Delhi on 4 and 5 February 2019 to make an official visit combining economic and environmental meetings. and diplomatic relations with the highest authorities of the state.

On Monday, February 4, early in the afternoon, the Sovereign Prince hosted the Indian Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) which brought together business leaders of the two countries (about thirty Monegasque entrepreneurs), in the presence of Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation and Mr. Gilles Tonelli, Government Counselor – Minister of External Relations and Cooperation of the Principality. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between FICCI and MEB on increased cooperation and exchanges between the two entities.

In the late afternoon, HSH the Prince and the leaders of His Foundation (FPA2) participated in a conference on the theme “Energy and Climate” organized by The Energy and Resources Institutes of New Delhi (TERI). A MOU was also signed at the end of this meeting.

In the evening, a private dinner in honor of His Serene Highness was offered by Mr. Raja Randhir Singh, Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee.

On Tuesday, February 5, in the morning, HSH Prince Albert II visited the Raj Ghat, memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation. The Prince, accompanied by his delegation, took refuge there and then laid a wreath in tribute.

The Sovereign Prince then met the highest authorities of the country. He was first received in audience by Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Then, the Sovereign went to the Presidential Palace called “Rashtrapati Bhavan”, residence of Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, President of the Republic of India since 2017. After an audience with the Indian President, the Prince planted, in the beautiful garden of the residence, a rose “Princess Grace”. At the end, a lunch was offered by President Kovind to the delegations of the two countries who were able to exchange on this occasion.

In the afternoon, the Prince went to the National Gandhi Museum and then presided over a reception organized by the Monaco Embassy in India where a hundred Indian and Monegasque personalities were invited.

At a press point today, Didier Gamerdinger, Government Counselor – Minister of Social Affairs and Health, wished to discuss the current issues in the field of news of work.

“It is normal for the unions to have demands, but I want to make it clear that relations with the Government are regular and courteous, and I am in constant dialogue with both employee representatives and employers. I stand there, although differences of opinion may emerge, the approach is open on my part in the constant concern to work for the prosperity of the country.I am careful not to question what works and to that the subtle balances of the working relationship in Monaco, which promote the economic dynamism of the country, are not upset, “he wished to recall in the preamble.

With 3,000 temporary and 13 temporary work agencies, temporary work gives the Principality’s various business sectors the necessary flexibility and adaptability to work. Currently governed by common labor law, the adoption of a specific legal framework for temporary work would be a useful complement to our provisions. Drafting work is underway within the Department. It will be shared later with the social partners.

With regard to trade unions, the legal framework dating back to 1944 needs to be modernized.

In order to correspond to the reality of today, a reflection with the social partners will be initiated, in particular with a view to simplifying their creation process and giving flexibility to the duration of the mandate of the union offices. On the occasion of this reflection, the criteria of union representativeness will be discussed.

The integration of digital into the employment relationship has become indispensable. With 55,000 employees and 40,000 work permits processed each year, the dematerialization of documents, the simplification of procedures or the development of teleservice applications are essential and involve changing the law. The Department has initiated, in conjunction with the Delegation for the Digital Transition, the IT reforms that will make life easier for businesses and employees.

The National Councillors went back in time with a visit to the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco.

The halls Albert I and Prince Rainier III retrace the major stages of the evolution of humanity, including the first traces of installation in the cave of the Observatory of Monaco are from -400 000 years, the time of homo erectus.

The archaeological excavations, initiated by Prince Albert I, in Monaco and perpetuated by Leonce de Villeneuve in the Observatory cave (1916-1920), are currently being pursued by Elena Rossoni-Notter and her teams of researchers.

The new director of the museum, Elena Rossoni-Notter, said: “Excavations never stop. Numerous discoveries are still within our reach, thanks to new technologies, methods and scientific approaches that allow us to reconsider, with a new look, collections of ancient excavations.”

The elected officials undertook, during this visit, to further support the excellent work undertaken by the MAP. President Stéphane Valeri said: “The promotion of the Monegasque heritage is essential: not only does it cement our community around a common foundation, but it also contributes to spreading our history and culture far beyond our borders.

“The elected members of the National Council will fully support the MAP and its team, dynamic and passionate, so that their excavations and research lead to discoveries and new public exhibitions that will benefit everyone.”

More information on MAP: https://map-mc.org

José BADIA, President of the External Relations Commission, and head of the delegation, Brigitte BOCCONE-PAGES, Vice-President of the National Council, Guillaume ROSE, President of the Commission for the Negotiation of the Negotiation with the European Union and Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, National Councillor, participated as members of the Monegasque delegation from 21 to 25 January at the first part of the Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

At the opening of the Session, Liliane Maury Pasquier, re-elected President of PACE for a second term of one year, recalled that, 70 years after the creation of the Council of Europe, the promotion of peace and reconciliation, “the foundation of the success of the largest pan-European organization”, remains at the heart of this Organization’s mission.

In a brief plenary session, PACE members pledged to take action in their national parliaments to eliminate sexism, harassment and violence against women, following the initiative #NoInMyParment.

Brigitte BOCCONE-PAGES said, “Monaco fights against all forms of violence and discrimination against women.”

During the Session, there was also a joint debate on public service media in the context of misinformation and propaganda, and on the freedom of the media as a condition for democratic elections.

José BADIA affirmed that “a pluralistic press is the only guarantee of a diversified and balanced information, which allows the voters to exercise their choice in an enlightened way, at the time when the false information circulates faster than never.”

Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo added: “Although favorable to a press of opinion, I consider that it must be able to be clearly identifiable. Transparency must be the rule. The readers, listeners, must know to which opinion the support is related. Only this display is the guarantee that the broadcast messages are received in their context.