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Month: October 2022

Roadworks scheduled in Grand Ida zone

by: Elsa Carpenter
31/10/2022

Ongoing work in the Grand Ida zone, a major development in the west of the Principality, will require road closures into the New Year.  

As part of works on the soon-to-be finished Grand Ida neighbourhood, the Dorsale tunnel between the underground Aureglia and Canton roundabouts will be temporarily closed until 6th January 2023.  

Due to the low risk of “noise and vibration” pollution to nearby residents, the Monegasque government has scheduled the works to take place on weekday nights, with the aim of reducing traffic disruption in the Principality.  

Effective from Monday 31st October, the works will take place in successive stages between 9pm and 6am, Monday to Friday, until 6th January 2023. Exceptions include the nights of 1st November and 8th December.  

The housing element of the Grand Ida complex on Boulevard Rainier III is expected to be finished in the last quarter of 2023. When complete, it will provide 160 apartments across three buildings as well as a car park, a crèche, premises for several associations, offices and shops.  

 

 

Photo source: Pastor & Fils

Toxic fumes erupt from Mareterra site

by: Cassandra Tanti
31/10/2022

Thick black smoke and toxic fumes bellowed from the Mareterra site on Monday after an electrical fire broke out in Monaco’s newest district under construction.

The blaze took hold at 10.30am Monday morning, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.

The fire is said to have been caused by an electrical explosion in a high-voltage transformer which was feeding power to the site.

Emergency response included six vehicles and 25 firemen from Monaco, who brought the blaze under control at around 12.29pm.

No-one is believed to have been injured.

 

Photo by Monaco Life

 

 

Monaco’s hospitality sector agrees minimum wage

by: Elsa Carpenter
31/10/2022

After lengthy discussions spanning several months, Monaco’s hospitality industry has agreed to implement a minimum pay scale for workers that reflects the French system.  

On 18th October, the Monegasque Hospitality Industry Association (AIHM), the Union of Hotels, Cafés and Restaurants (HCR) and the Monaco Union of Chefs and Pastry Chefs met to sign an amendment to the Principality’s collective labour agreement that would establish concrete minimum wages for workers in hotels and restaurants.  

In an official communiqué, the Monegasque government said: “[The government] welcomes the signature of this agreement. It marks a renewal of dialogue between the parties that must continue with a view to improving working conditions in the industry.” 

 

 

Photo source: Monaco Communications Department

Prince Albert II Foundation to take plight of the Med to COP27

by: Stephanie Horsman
31/10/2022

Prince Albert II will head to the upcoming COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh to lead a special event alongside his eponymous foundation at the very first Mediterranean Pavilion, a space dedicated to addressing issues that affect the region.  

As COP27 fast approaches, Prince Albert II and representatives from the Prince Albert II Foundation (FPA2) are getting ready to travel to Egypt to champion the causes that they have long fought for, such as ocean preservation and conservation, and the “blue economy”.  

For the first time, there will be an entire pavilion set up to look at the issues and solutions explicitly affecting the Mediterranean region. The presence of the FPA2 will include a special event on 10th November, which will highlight the commitments and actions taken by the foundation, their partners and Monaco’s institutions.  

The event, entitled “Swimming the Talk: Scaling-Up Action to Tackle Climate Change in the Mediterranean”, will bring Monaco’s engagement in this complex field to the fore and “focus on accelerating the implementation of ocean and coastal-based mitigation, adaptation solutions and on building ecosystem resilience, while improving scientific knowledge”, according to the FPA2.   

Prince Albert II to lead discussions on climate change in the Mediterranean  

Prince Albert II himself will open the discussions from the three assembled panels, each of which will be headed up by experts. The first panel will speak on the hard science behind the situation in the region, such as the main drivers of acidification, sea level rise, temperature increase and why the Mediterranean region is heating up 20% faster than the global average. The second will cover how to start repairing the damage through improved conservation methods and reducing other impacts, collectively and in partnerships, with a big emphasis on collaboration. The final panel will discuss solutions involving land-sea interactions as well as the need for a more holistic approach to adapting to the impact of climate change on the region.  

In addition to this event, the FPA2, led by Vice-President and CEO Olivier Wendon, will also host the Ocean Innovator’s Platform for the third time. This private event will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel on 9th November at 5pm, and will focus on how innovation and impact investing can significantly contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.  

Finally, as part of its Polar Initiative, the FPA2 will also partner up with the Cryosphere Pavilion to give greater visibility to conservation issues and efforts in the Arctic and Antarctic. 

 

 

Photo source: Fondation Prince Albert II

Monaco mayor’s team wins Monte-Carlo E-Rally

by: Luke Entwistle
31/10/2022

Jacques Pastor, representing the mayor of Monaco, and Fulvio Gazzola, the Mayor of Dolceacqua won the 6th edition of Monte-Carlo E-Rally on Saturday.

After four days of racing across 350km, the winners of the latest edition of the electric rally series were crowned. Daghe Munegu (Go Monaco!) took the title with Pastor, deputy mayor of Monaco, and Gazzola at the wheel of a KIA EV6.

Coming from Valence, the grid made its way through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence before arriving in the Principality on Friday evening. They then departed the Principality for a final stage in the Var, before returning for the prize-giving ceremony at the Monaco Yacht Club on Saturday evening.

“This rally above all allows amateur crews to have serious fun. We are delighted to add our name to the list of winners of this incredibly popular event,” said Pastor at the ceremony.

“A first experience, certainly tiring, but which, beyond announcing the next twinning of our cities, allowed us to live a very beautiful human adventure,” added Gazzola.

Second and third places were taken by all-French teams, whilst a Monaco team consisting of Olivier Campana and Nicolas Milanesio finished in fifth. There is now a break in Monaco’s hectic racing calendar, with no big races until the Monte-Carlo Rally in January.

 

Photo source: Automobile Club de Monaco

Les Dossiers du Rocher: two charged in smear campaign

by: Elsa Carpenter
31/10/2022

Two men have been charged in relation to a highly controversial anonymous website Les Dossiers du Rocher, which accuses Prince Albert II’s inner circle of dodgy property deals in the Principality.  

In late 2021, a website called Les Dossiers du Rocher began posting confidential documents and emails online alleging fraud, cronyism and corruption within Monaco’s highly lucrative world of property and real estate. 

The primary targets of the website’s tirade were four men with very close links to Prince Albert II: his chief of staff Laurent Anselmi; his lawyer and childhood friend Thierry Lacoste; the president of Monaco’s Supreme Court, Didier Linotte; and the Prince’s personal wealth manager Claude Palmero. 

Now, a little over a year since the website first went live, two men have been charged.  

Only identified as Frédéric C and Didier G – or as a Belgian businessman and a Monegasque lawyer by the Journal du Dimanche – which broke news of their arrests over the weekend, with AFP corroborating facts with prosecutors in Paris – the two men have been charged with illegally accessing private information and notably the “concealment of attacks on an automated data processing system”. Other potential charges include “fraudulent extraction of data from a computer system and interception of electronic correspondence”, according to prosecutors.

They were arrested on Tuesday 25th October and were charged two days later on Thursday 27th October.  

Early in the scandal, Prince Albert acknowledged the “inadmissible acts” as an attempt to “destabilise” the property sector in Monaco. Speaking to the Monaco Matin shortly after the website launched, he said, “I condemn this defamatory and anonymous campaign of false rumors and slander, which targets several servants of the Principality.”  

The controversial site is no longer accessible, although the domain is up for sale for a staggering 10,499€.