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Day: 22 September 2020

New rules for border crossings into Italy

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/09/2020

People travelling from Monaco to Italy for quick trips will not be required to produce PCR test results, however passengers flying out of Nice for longer periods will be subject to the new rules.

The Italian Health Minister has announced that travellers arriving from seven regions of France, including the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, will be required to take PCR tests for long-term entry.

This is part of the country’s efforts to stem the tide of the latest wave of Covid-19 cases hitting Europe, though not all people entering will be treated equally.

According to the new rules, cross-border workers will not be subjected to testing, nor will those who are entering for less than 72 hours. This means that Monaco and Riviera residents who regularly visit Italy for work or shopping will not be affected.

However, those who fly out of Nice Côte d’Azur airport for an extended holiday in Italy will be subject to the new rules.

“I signed a new ordinance extending the obligation of molecular or antigenic tests to citizens of Paris and other regions of France with significant circulation of the virus,” Roberto Speranza, Italy’s Minister of Health, announced on social media on Monday. “The European figures are critical. Italy is better off than other countries, but great caution is needed not to circumvent the sacrifices made so far.”

The seven regions of France that Italy has placed on alert are PACA, Paris, Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône Alps, Corsica, Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitania.

Italy was the first and hardest hit country when the coronavirus first came to Europe earlier this year, so it comes as little surprise that measures to ensure there is no repeat are being put in place. In addition to the new rules for certain travellers, the usual health regulations are still in place, such as social distancing, obligatory mask-wearing in all indoor public spaces as well as masks outdoors from 6pm to 6am.

 
Photo: Ventimiglia
 

Half year balance sheet takes stock of crisis

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/09/2020

The crisis brought about by Covid-19 cost the Principality €900 million in profits for the first half of the year, the latest report from IMSEE has revealed.
The Monegasque Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE) unveiled the Principality’s Economic Bulletin to the press on Monday 21st September.
Alongside Government Ministers Didier Gamerdinger and Jean Castellini, Director of IMSEE Sophie Vincent discussed the exceptional nature of the April-May-June 2020 period.
According to Ms Vincent, in the first half of the year, the Principality’s turnover plunged 13% compared to the same period in 2019, losing more than €900 million.
“Only two sectors resisted the trend: Construction and Scientific and Technical Activities, and Administrative and Support services. On the other hand, the hotel and catering industry lost 60% of its turnover and there was also a very clear decline in wholesale trade, but also in retail trade,” she revealed, adding, “foreign trade fell back to the level of 2016-2017, recording -51% for purchases and -37% for sales.”
At the end of June 2020, there were 8,000 fewer jobs compared to June 2019 (- 13.8%) in the private sector, despite rebounds of +13% between May and June once confinement was lifted. The hotel and catering industry alone saw a jump of 74%.
Meanwhile, due to business support measures, the number of business closures was lower than in 2019, with 208 against 268.
Regarding employment, Minister of Social Affairs and Health Didier Gamerdinger said the aid benefits implemented by the government, such as the CTTR, “erected a protective shield for companies and their employees.”
However, he announced that five new social claims were underway in the Principality, in addition to the existing 20, concerning around 30 employees in the yachting sector.
He also confirmed that the State and its social partners were currently working on the concept of labor flexibility to further stem the effects of the crisis to come.
 
 

Photos: Monaco celebrates historic concert under the stars

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/09/2020

Cecilia Bartoli, the future Director of the Opera de Monte-Carlo, has made her mark on the Principality, performing with the Musiciens du Prince-Monaco in the first cultural event to take place in the new Place du Casino.
140 years after the inauguration of the Monte-Carlo Opera and the Salle Garnier by the great Sarah Bernhardt, Cecilia Bartoli, together with the Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, inaugurated the brand-new Place du Casino with a concert on Saturday 19th September.
Organised by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer Group and the Monte-Carlo Opera, the concert was honoured by the presence of HSH Prince Albert and HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover, accompanied by Beatrice Casiraghi and members of the Princely family.
“It is a pleasure and an honour for us to welcome Cecilia Bartoli and Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco,” said Jean-Luc Biamonti, CEO of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer. “We could not have hoped for a more beautiful cultural event for the new Place du Casino, whose open and flexible configuration now makes it possible to welcome such public events.”
Mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, recognised as one of the most beautiful voices in the world, Principal Conductor Gianluca Capuano, and the Musiciens du Prince-Monaco delighted 200 privileged guests who had gathered in front of the legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo, performing a series of famous arias and a repertoire inspired by the 17th and 18th centuries.
It was the first public performance by Cecilia Bartoli since her position as Director of the Opera was announced late last year.
“For the Monte-Carlo Opera, it is also a joy to showcase the talent of Cecilia Bartoli, who will assume her direction from January 2023,” said Jean-Louis Grinda, Director of the Monte-Carlo Opera.
Cecilia Bartoli will be the first female in the opera’s history to take on the position.
Saturday night’s ensemble was created in July 2016 by the Opéra de Monte-Carlo under the direction of Jean-Louis Grinda, with the support of Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Princess of Hanover. The concert is part of a European tour which will take the ensemble to some of most beautiful venues and festivals across the continent and serves as a prelude to  the Opéra de Monte-Carlo’s new season, which begins on 21st October 2020.
 
Click on the pictures below to enlarge…
 


 

Related stories:

Bartoli becomes first female director of Monte-Carlo Opera

 
 
Top photo: © Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer – JC Vinaj
 
 

Brighter, faster and more powerful

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/09/2020

The Principality now has a new, easily identifiable way to locate electric vehicle recharging stations, introducing bright yellow ‘Monaco On’ recharging points that are also faster and more powerful.

Due to higher demand, the government of Monaco is gradually replacing randomly-placed self-service outlets with electric vehicle service stations in public car parks and on the road, grouping together several terminals as a way to make them more readily recognisable to users.

The new outlets will be faster and more powerful, in response to the latest breed of electric and hybrid vehicle’s needs. They have always been free to use, only now, they will be more clearly recognisable and efficient.

The Casino, Grimaldi Forum and Portier car parks are already equipped and the Fontvieille Shopping Centre is next on the list. A total of 91 fast charging stations are installed or in the process of being installed. 71 of them are 7kva stations and 20 are 22kva stations. On the road, nine sites are on offer. There are 11 fast charging stations, seven semi-fast charging stations and four slow charging stations currently online.

There will be more stations rolling out in the next few weeks and they will mostly be found in high-traffic areas such as shopping areas or attractions. To coordinate and unify, the on-street terminals will soon be dressed in yellow like those in the car parks, making them amply visible to motorists.

“Ecological vehicles should be favoured in an urban space such as ours. It is in this perspective that the government is now developing an ever larger and more efficient network of charging stations, which are gradually being revamped in order to be noticed more easily, thanks to the Monaco On brand,” said Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning Marie-Pierre Gramaglia.

It marks the next step in the government’s ongoing policy to support the use of electromobility in the Principality. Policies to this effect have been in place since 1994 and include such benefits as reductions in prices of annual public parking subscriptions, free street parking and no annual registration fees. There are almost 1,000 free charging points around the city, and no resident is more than 300 metres from one of these stations.

 
Photo from left to right: Gilles Manera of the Public Parkings Service, Minister of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Director of the Mission for the Energy Transition Annabelle Jaeger-Seydoux, and Director of Urban Planning Jean-Luc Puyo © Communication Department / Stéphane Danna

 

 

Peace and Sport unveils new app

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/09/2020

A new app by Monegasque organisation Peace and Sport is making it easier for educators and facilitators to spread the message of using sport as a means of creating a more peaceful and non-violent world.

Joël Bouzou, former World Champion and Olympic gold medallist in the Modern Pentathlon, first hit upon the idea that sport could be a tool used for peace back in 2007. This seed of an idea became Peace and Sport, his charitable foundation that has been a success in turning conflict into friendly play.

Since its inception, Peace and Sport has been critical in helping child soldiers reinsert themselves into normal society; it has given war orphans new-found confidence and refugees a purpose; and has helped give kids access to education who may otherwise not have that option.

Photo: President and Founder of Peace and Sport Joël Bouzou© Manuel Vitali/ Communication Department

On Monday 21st September, the organisation led by Mr Bouzou, rolled out a new app to get their message out to even more people. The launch was attended by Monegasque dignitaries including Minister of State Pierre Dartout, National Council Vice-President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès, and Director General of the Department of the Interior Christophe Prat.

Created in collaboration with Nice company MyCoach, the new application brings together an e-learning platform with instructions for facilitators, educators and teachers who may not be well-versed in the world of sport. Videos and tutorials show them how to incorporate the methodology developed by Peace and Sport to help displaced and underprivileged children and adults learn new sets of values under the auspice of friendly competition.

The app also features a way to make it possible to track the results of the work being done in order to attract more investment and interest in the organisation.