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Month: September 2022

A busy few months ahead for MEB members

by: Staff Writer
15/09/2022

On the Yacht Club of Monaco’s Observatory Deck, the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) returned to work on Tuesday after the summer holidays for its 42nd Members Rendezvous. It was an opportunity to look ahead to the many events planned between now and the end of the year.

To an audience of 350 decision-makers and officials at this networking cocktail, Chairman Michel Dotta’s welcoming remarks reflected a certain optimism, following an excellent summer season in terms of tourism and good results for other sectors like construction and real estate. For his part, MEB Executive Director General Guillaume Rose presented the many events the team has arranged between now and the end of the year.

Two talks by renowned economists are on the agenda: Jean-Pierre Petit, President of Cahiers Verts de l’Economie, in partnership with Jutheau et Husson on 16th September, then Christophe Barraud, Chief Economist and strategist at Market Securities on 4th October as part of the Monaco Business Show, of which MEB is a partner. There will also be a talk by the MEB / Monaco Matin Eco Club on attractiveness at the show.

MEB will also take the opportunity to renew its cooperation agreement with the Sophia Antipolis Foundation, with a signing on their shared stand, to ramp up its regional activities.

It also continues its partnership with the Government’s digital transition programme, Extended Monaco for Business, including co-organising a conference on proptech on 24th November.

Finally, the yearend sees the 11th MEB / Monaco Matin Eco Club Awards which recognises outstanding companies in the Principality on 29th November in the Grimaldi Forum.

Photo from left to right Jean-Jérôme Perrin-Mortier, Director General of Peace and Sport; Guillaume Rose, Executive Director General of the MEB; Michel Prost-Dumont and Sophie Arnaud-Deromedi, respectively Vice-President and President of the Foreign Trade Advisors of France in Monaco; Michel Dotta, President of the MEB, H.E. Maguy Maccario Doyle, Ambassador of Monaco to the United States and Canada, credit MEB / Carte Blanche

Many activities are planned on the international scene, with three Trade Missions on the agenda, first to Montréal and Toronto (18th to 24th September) with Monaco’s Embassy in the United States and Canada, then to Madrid (13rd to 15th October) with Monaco’s Embassy in Spain, and lastly to Paris (13th to 15th December) to coincide with a performance by the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

In Monaco, two delegations of entrepreneurs, one from Carinthia in Austria (7th October) and the other from Estonia (20thOctober) are expected to forge new economic ties.

And now that digital technology is indispensable for prospecting, MEB will participate in the China International Import Expo, a major trade fair for Chinese importers and companies wanting to set up or grow their business. Monaco will have a virtual national pavilion created in collaboration with the Monaco Embassy in China.

Another big opportunity will be when the Principality hosts the Mondial des Conseillers du Commerce Extérieurs de la France(CCE) from 19th to 21th October. Sophie Arnaud-Deromedi (Adstoria) and Michel Prost-Dumont (Banque Populaire Méditerranée), Vice-President and President of the CCE in Monaco presented the event alongside Guillaume Rose. It will gather around 1,000 French business leaders, working in more than 100 countries. Fifty MEB company members will have a chance to meet them at one-on-one meetings, and benefit from the business sessions and a networking cocktail.

Another organisation highlighted was Peace and Sport. Its CEO, Jean-Jérôme Perrin-Mortier talked briefly about its mission to promote peace through sport in regions where there are tensions and conflict. These are tangible projects that provide opportunities for companies to develop their CSR policies. Jean-Jérôme Perrin-Mortier will be back again for the International Forum that Peace and Sport is organising in Monaco 1st to 2nd December 2022.

At the Members Rendezvous, participants took full advantage of the fabulous setting to exchange cards, talk business and find prospective customers during a five-star cocktail.

 

Photo above credit: MEB / Carte Blanche

 

 

 

Fedcom extend AS Monaco partnership

by: Luke Entwistle
15/09/2022

Fedcom, a ‘heritage’ partner of AS Monaco, has extended its partnership with the Principality club until 2025, continuing a collaboration that dates back 25 years. 

Fedcom became a heritage partner last season “as a sign of its recognition of its loyalty to the club”. The collaboration will see the continued visibility of Fedcom, owned by AS Monaco Basketball owner Alexey Fedorychev, both at the Stade Louis II, as well as at the club’s brand new performance centre in La Turbie.

Fedcom had previously been an AS Monaco shirt sponsor and featured on the club’s kits as recently as last season. However, eToro now features as the main sponsor on all of the club’s kits this season.

Diversifying assets

As well as consolidating their partnership with the Principality’s football team, Fedcom are also strengthening ties to basketball within Monaco. Fedorychev became the owner of the Roca Team last season, in what was a record-breaking campaign.

Now, Fedcom have purchased the broadcasting rights for Euroleague, not just in Monaco, but also in France, according to L’Équipe. Fedcom have bought the rights off L’Équipe, who owned the broadcasting rights last season.

Currently, it is unclear how the Roca Team’s, as well as ASVEl’s Euroleague matches, will be broadcast. A digital platform is reportedly under consideration, although the exact contours of that are yet to be defined.

Also undefined are the terms of the broadcasting deal itself. No fee has been disclosed, and whilst the contract is said to run for four years, this has yet to be confirmed either.

Both deals affirm the company’s commitment to sport within the Principality and represent the continuation of a fruitful partnership that is already over two decades old.

 

Photo by AS Monaco

 

 

 

 

Air Traffic Controller strike to disrupt travel on Friday

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/09/2022

The French Civil Aviation Authority has asked airlines to cut the number of flights in half on Friday, anticipating major disruptions due to a planned air traffic controllers strike.

France’s air navigation services manage one of Europe’s biggest, and most jam-packed, areas of airspace. Controlling more than three million flights, 60% of which are flights flying over but not landing in the country, they have a massive job and huge responsibilities.

Air traffic controllers and their union, the Syndicat National des Contrôleurs du Trafic Aérien (SNCTA), are asking for higher pay, and they are going on strike to try and get it.

The strike, planned for Friday 16th September, means travellers should expect flight cancellations and significant delays, whilst Eurocontrol, Europe’s air travel regulator, looks for ways to avoid French airspace. Additionally, the Civil Aviation Authority is encouraging “passengers who can, to postpone their trips and to enquire with their airline to know the status of their flight” to do so.

Air France, easyJet, Transavia, Ryanair, and Volotea are expected to be the most affected by the action. They collectively operate about 64% of all flights scheduled to depart France on Friday.

French airspace extends over 14 million square kilometres spanning mainland France, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and French overseas territories. The French State Air Navigation Service provider controlled 3.2 million flights in 2018, an average of 8,800 flights per day, with peaks of up to 11,000 flights.

The air traffic controller strike is an extension of the summertime woes plaguing the air travel industry. Airlines were forced to cancel thousands of flights, responding to massive staffing shortages as well as strikes by pilots, cabin crew, and baggage handlers all angling for better pay and working conditions.

 

 

 

Canadian MMA icon to chair Sportel Awards in Monaco

by: luke@monacolife.net
14/09/2022

Georges St-Pierre, known as one of the best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters worldwide, will chair the Sportel Awards jury at the Grimaldi Forum in October.

The two-time UFC champion, called “rush” in reference of his lighting speed, is a two-time UFC champion and will chair the Sportel jury between 22th and 24th October.

St-Pierre, born in Quebec, has an incredible record (26 wins out of 28 fights, including eight by knockout, six by submission and 12 by decision) and made his long-awaited comeback at Madison Square Garden in 2017, following a four-year absence. He has been voted Athlete of the Year and Fighter of the Year on several occasions.

The Canadian officially retired in 2019 after a glistening 17-year career and is now focusing on his other projects, most notably his acting career, including appearances in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ and ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’.

He will chair the Sportel Awards Ceremony on 24th October, an event which rewards the best sports books and sports images of the year. “In addition to the missions that I have been assigned to, chairing the jury and selecting the most beautiful sports images, it is above all a great human adventure that promises to be exceptional. It is a unique opportunity to meet the greatest champions in their respective disciplines in one place, to share our common values and passion,” said St-Pierre.

The awards, created in 1990 and under the Honorary patronage of Prince Albert II, is an event that allows exceptional and unique encounters with champions during public events specially dedicated to them, such as signings, exclusive meetings, and screenings.

On St-Pierre’s attendance at the event, Laurent Puons, CEO of Monaco Mediax said, “Georges St-Pierre is a real MMA legend, an athlete whose incredible performances have been highlighted all throughout his career thanks to his determination, his humility and to his moral and physical strength.”

He added, “He is an athlete with unique human values. I am extremely happy and proud that he has agreed to chair the jury of experts who will be selecting the most beautiful sports images of the year.”

 

 

Photo source: Sportel

 

 

 

 

New escalators and e-bikes connecting Beausoleil and Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/09/2022

Prince Albert II has officially opened six new public escalators in Beausoleil and, alongside the dozen new MonaBike stations going into service, non-vehicular travel between the Principality and Beausoleil has never been easier.

Soft mobility is a term bandied about quite often these days. It is loosely defined as modes of transport outside of cars and public transport that get people from point A to point B under their own steam, such as walking, cycling, rollerblading or scootering.

The popularity of these methods grows as more people become aware of the health and environmental benefits of getting out of their cars, as well as the time and money-saving aspects: No car means no paying for petrol or parking.

Monaco has long embraced alternatives to vehicle travel and now the enthusiasm has spread to neighbouring Beausoleil.

Prince Albert, alongside Beausoleil Mayor Gérard Spinelli and other Monaco government ministers, officially inaugurated the first MonaBike station installed on French territory on Tuesday 13th September – Marché near the market – offering 12 e-bike connections.  By the end of 2022, there will be a total of three stations: Marché, République on Boulevard de la République, and Victor Hugo in the future car park.

Prince Albert II of Monaco inaugurates the MonaBike station with Gérard Spinelli, Mayor of Beausoleil (left) and Bernard Gonzalez, Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes (right). Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department

In line with Monaco’s soft mobility strategy, walking is also being encouraged thanks to the co-financing of 10 new escalators in Beausoleil – two were delivered in 2018, two in January 2022, and six were unveiled on Tuesday.

“Therefore, the 458 steps separating the market at Riviera Palace no longer constitute an obstacle to climb but a friendly, free and harmless stage in an interurban route, as can be seen from the 5,500 daily users who take the Riviera line (which goes from Avenue du Général de Gaulle to Avenue Carnier) and thus the recent Alcazar line which already counts 1,500 passages per day,” said the government in a statement. “All of these means of soft mobility aim to improve the quality of life and reduce the number of vehicles for personal use in a common desire to reduce greenhouse gases, further strengthening the Franco-Monegasque friendship.”

Mayor Spinelli, enthused by these new projects, has said he would like to install another 13 escalators in the coming years, at a projected cost of €16 million.

 

 

 Photo above of Prince Albert and Gérard Spinelli, Mayor of Beausoleil, credit Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

How to get involved in the beach clean-up organised for Èze

by: Stephanie Horsman
14/09/2022

Saturday is World Clean-Up Day and to celebrate, The Animal Fund is asking people to join them in tidying up the beach in Èze, gathering plastic waste that would otherwise find its way into the sea.

The Animal Fund (TAF) is a non-profit marine conservation association registered in France, Monaco, the United Kingdom, and Denmark that focuses on protecting the ocean as well as saving dolphins and whales from pollution, overfishing and maltreatment.

In honour of World Clean-Up Day, the organisation is hosting a beach clean-up in Èze alongside Blue Coast Brewery, Fonds Bleu Diving and the Village of Èze, to get rid of the rubbish and plastic waste littering the coastline and endangering marine life.

Participants will be provided with gloves and trash bags for the work part of the event, while educational quizzes, refreshments and entertainment will also be organised. The clean-up will be all the more poignant by knowing that millions of other people all over the planet will be doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, and together a difference will be made.

TAF’s work is highly education-based, and to get the word out, they collaborate with 55 schools and 12 universities on awareness programmes and events. Among TAF’s numerous campaigns, their primary one is to stop the use of single-use plastics, replacing them with sustainable alternatives. Additionally, they advocate the change of consumer habits by consuming less plastic in general. 

In 2022 alone, they have spearheaded a multitude of conferences, clean-up operations, talks, workshops, and exhibitions.

The World Clean-Up Day Èze event will take place on Saturday 17th September from 10am to 12pm on Èze Beach. To sign up, email info@theanimalfund.net and for more information, visit the website on https://theanimalfund.net/en/news/events/

 

 

 

 

Photo of Eze beach by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life