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Day: 29 January 2024

Hellenic Community of Monaco welcomes in new leadership during Vasilopita celebration

by: Niki Borisova
29/01/2024

Earlier this month, more than 200 members and friends of the Hellenic Community of Monaco gathered at the Yacht Club de Monaco to welcome in the association’s new Board of Directors and to celebrate Vasilopita.  

Monaco’s Greek community united at the central venue on Sunday 14th January to witness a number of important transitions within the club’s structure.  

Firstly, Sophia Vaharis-Tsouvelekakis formally concluded her second term as President, receiving a warm round of applause for her efforts, and handed the baton on to Ekaterini Lanara, a fellow businesswoman who has lived in the Principality of Monaco for more than 15 years.  

Vaharis-Tsouvelekakis’ final official task in her capacity as President was to honour certain members of the community for their efforts over the last year. These included: Michael Seliniotakis for his humanitarian efforts; John Christodoulou for his philanthropic endeavours; George Vafiadis for his contributions to yacht design; and the island of Kastellorizo and its residents for their cultural and societal contributions. 

The Hellenic Community of Monaco’s new Board of Directors was also presented at the event. Grigorios Stassinopoulos, Gerasimos Marinis and Dimitrios Anastasakos will serve as Vice-Presidents while Anastasakos will hold a secondary role as Treasurer alongside Dr. Panagiotis Kyriazis. Vasileios Kasimatis is taking on the position of Secretary, Athanasios Kourniotis will manage the Public Relations responsibilities of the community and Leonidas Kampanis will serve as Event Manager. 

For more information about the Hellenic Community of Monaco and its various activities and events, click here.

 

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Photo credit: Hellenic Community of Monaco 

Officials tour newly renovated and extended Les Mélèzes residence building

by: Cassandra Tanti
29/01/2024

Local ministers and councillors have signed off on the latest addition to Monaco’s National Housing Scheme: 14 new state-owned apartments in the renovated Les Mélèzes residence building on rue Plati next to the Grand Ida construction site.

Members of the Monaco government, including Finance and Economy Minister Marco Piccinini and Equipment, Environment, and Urbanism Minister Céline Caron-Dagioni joined National Council President Brigitte Boccone-Pages, and other councillors for a visit to the government-owned building Les Mélèzes on 25th January.

The building underwent significant renovation in 2021 and 2022, as well as an extension, allowing for the building of an extra 14 apartments designated exclusively for Monegasque nationals.

The tour was an opportunity for the delegation to inspect the quality of the renovation of the entrance hall and common areas, and to visit the recently delivered apartments.

Initially, the building underwent renovation with the aim of improving its energy balance and fire safety systems, as well as providing better comfort for its occupants. The implementation of external thermal insulation combined with window replacement was accompanied by a transition in heating methods, initially from fuel to gas and then to the urban hot and cold network.

The building is now less energy-consuming and the apartments are better insulated thermally and acoustically.

Meanwhile, practical improvements were made in the standardising of mailboxes, the installation of an elevator from the entrance of the building, access to a garbage room compliant with sorting requirements, the installation of a videophone, and balcony lighting.

In a second phase, two floors were added to the building, providing an additional 14 apartments.

“It constitutes an innovative and unprecedented solution for a government operation in that the housing units are composed of factory prefabricated modules, unlike traditional methods, transported and assembled directly on-site,” said the government in a statement.

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Photo source: Government Communication Department

Sports round-up: AS Monaco draw with Olympique Marseille, Roca Team secure back-to-back wins

by: Niki Borisova
29/01/2024

It was another busy weekend on the court for the Roca Team, who first played Anadolu Efes in Istanbul then Chalon at home in the Principality, while AS Monaco travelled to the Stade Vélodrome for a tense draw with Olympique Marseille.  

The EuroLeague game in Turkey got AS Monaco Basket an important win on 26th January, although it was touch and go until the last moment: 78-80.  

Two days later, and back on home soil in the Principality, the Roca Team met Chalon in the Salle Gaston Médecin for a Betclic Elite face-off that was won by a much stronger margin: 82-69. Mike James and Elie Okobo demonstrated their combined ability to stunning effect as the former racked up 28 points in 15 minutes while the latter took 24.  

The next Euroleague fixture will take place in Monaco on 31st January against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, while an away clash in the Betclic Elite is scheduled for 4th February against Bourg-en-Bresse. 

In-between the two basketball games, there was time for a major meeting between Riviera rivals AS Monaco and Olympique Marseille, which took place at the Stade Vélodrome.  

AS Monaco managed a draw with Olympique Marseille despite being two men down by the end of the game. Photo credit: AS Monaco

The result was a draw, despite AS Monaco being reduced to just nine players by the end due to some eyebrow-raising decisions from the referee.  

“I don’t want to talk too much about the refereeing of the match this evening,” AS Monaco’s manager, Adi Hütter, told the press in the aftermath. “I am responsible for my team, and I want above all to compliment my players for the play the produced this evening and for their reaction after certain moments of the match which unduly influenced the outcome… We were the better team tonight.” 

The next match for AS Monaco will be a Ligue 1 home game on 4th February against Le Havre AC. 

 

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Photo credit: asmonaco.basketball 

Sexual assault cited in more than 25% of abuse cases brought by women in Monaco last year

by: Elsa Carpenter
29/01/2024

According to a new report from Monaco’s official statistical agency, IMSEE, the number of formally recorded incidents involving violence against women rose in 2023 compared to similar data collected the previous year.  

The latest edition of the report, which was “produced at the request and with the support of the Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights”, is a compilation of official records made by the Monegasque Police Department, the Department of Justice, the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, the Victims of Criminal Offences Help Association (AVIP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Social Services.

It comes with a warning that “given the extremely sensitive nature of the information gathered, the scope involved and the time lag in following up cases, the results presented… are broken down by entity and must be considered independently of each other… The figures only take account of the quantifiable and identified component of violence against women and may therefore be an underestimate”. 

POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Over the course of 2023, the Monaco Police Department recorded 55 cases of violence against women. Of these 47% were committed by the victim’s partner or former partner. 58% of the women were resident in Monaco at the time of the assault and 47% of the incidents occurred at the home of the victim or the perpetrator. The average age of the victims was 42 and 45 for the perpetrators.  

The Police Department also recorded three cases in which men were the victims of violence, which were all committed by their partner or ex-partner.  

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

Monaco’s Department of Justice saw 57 proceedings involving violence against women launched last year. 70% noted physical abuse while sexual assault, including rape, was identified in 26% of cases.  

“To date, nine convictions have been handed down, six protection orders have been issued and 15 of the cases opened in 2023 have been dismissed,” confirms the report. 

See more: New law to guarantee compensation to vulnerable victims of crime in Monaco

CENTRE HOSPITALIER PRINCESSE GRACE 

In total, 162 women who were admitted to the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace in 2023 said they had suffered some form of violence. 77% cited physical abuse while 14% said they had been subjected to sexual violence, including rape. Almost a third of these women were Monaco residents and the average age of victims was 38.  

AVIP 

41 women and five men claiming to be victims of violence contacted Monaco’s AVIP in 2023. 73% of those women were residents of the Principality and 63% said that the violence they had suffered had been at the hands of their partner or former partner. Psychological abuse was cited in 56% of the cases, 44% noted physical abuse and 37% involved some form of sexual assault, including rape.  

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES  

The final category of incidents was recorded by Monaco’s Department of Social Welfare and Social Services, which identified 10 cases of violence against women in 2023, all of which were reportedly committed by the victim’s partner or ex-partner. No men approached the Department of Social Welfare and Social Services.  

See more: New safety and support app for domestic violence victims now available in Monaco

“Recording this phenomenon, expressing it in concrete terms and studying it are all essential for guiding public policy and providing effective, appropriate responses to better combat this scourge,” summarises the report. “This approach will also help to mobilise society against such violence.” 

Click here to read the report in full.

Read related:

Monaco’s Committee for Women’s Rights reflects on a year of action and progress

 

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Photo credit: Government of Monaco

Sophie Thevenoux heads new Financial Activities Supervisory Authority

by: Cassandra Tanti
29/01/2024

Sophie Thevenoux, Monaco’s Ambassador and Special Advisor for European Economic and Financial Affairs, has been appointed head of the Monaco Financial Activities Supervisory Authority (AMSF).

Thevenoux assumed her duties on 29th January, leading this newly established independent administrative authority, which replaces SICCFIN, to continue the fight against money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and corruption.

Bringing her recognised expertise and extensive experience in economic and financial domains, Thevenoux will contribute significantly to the launch phase of the AMSF. A new director, currently being recruited, will succeed her in the upcoming spring.

Sophie Thevenoux previously held significant positions within the Monegasque Administration, serving at the Budget and Treasury Directorate from 1995 to 2005, and later at the Department of Finance and the Economy. In 2009, she became the Minister of Finance and the Economy of the Principality.

Since 2011, Madame Thevenoux has held various Ambassadorial roles, notably in France and with the European Union.

“Her knowledge of international organisations and mastery of diplomatic relations will be invaluable assets in her new responsibilities,” said the government in a statement.

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Photo source: Monaco Government

 

 

LVMH announces record revenue of more than €86 billion in 2023

by: Elsa Carpenter
29/01/2024

2023 was a record year for LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and its CEO Bernard Arnault, the world’s richest man. 

According to LVMH’s annual financial report, which was released publicly last week, revenue topped €86.2 billion for the leading luxury goods group last year, equivalent to a 13% increase year-on-year from 2022, while profit from recurring operations rose by 8% to €22.8 billion.

All business groups owned and operated by the vast French conglomerate reported “strong organic revenue growth”, according to the annual report, with the exception of its wines and spirits sector, which noted a 4% contraction in revenue.

LVMH’s markets in Europe, Japan and the rest of Asia performed particularly well, achieving “double-digit organic growth”, while it was the fashion and leather goods business group that generated the biggest rise in revenue – 14% – outside of the Selective Retailing grouping.  

The report makes specific reference to the “remarkable performance” displayed by brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Celine, Fendi, Loro Piana, Loewe and Marc Jacobs, which “gained market share worldwide and achieved record levels of revenue and profits”. 

Another special mention was reserved for Dior’s Sauvage, famously fronted by Johnny Depp, and its “ongoing global success” as the world’s best-selling fragrance in 2023, as well as the “robust growth in jewellery and powerful creative momentum” in the watches and jewellery branch of LVMH that includes names such as Tiffany, Bulgari and TAG Heuer. 

Sephora, which confirmed its position “as world leader in beauty retail” in 2023, was also noted for its “exceptional performance” and contribution to the 25% rise in revenue for the Selective Retailing sector..  

“Our performance in 2023 illustrates the exceptional appeal of our Maisons and their ability to spark desire, despite a year affected by economic and geopolitical challenges,” said Chairman and CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault in an official statement that accompanied the report. “Our growth strategy, based on the complementary nature of our businesses, as well as their geographic diversity, encourages innovation, high-quality design and retail excellence, and adds a cultural and historical dimension thanks to the heritage of our Maisons.” 

LVMH: France and then the rest of the world 

LVMH is the world’s leading luxury goods group and is France’s largest private sector employer. The Group had more than 213,000 employees worldwide on its books last year, including nearly 40,000 in France alone. Another 3,500 positions at various LVMH brands are set to be created in France by the end of 2024.  

LVMH invests over €1 billion in France each year and roughly half of the corporate tax paid out by the Group during 2023 – a sum of more than €6 billion – goes into French coffers.  

“[2024] promises to be an inspiring, exceptional year for us all, featuring our partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, whose core values of passion, inclusion and surpassing oneself are shared by our Group,” Arnault’s statement continues. “For LVMH, it provides a new opportunity to reinforce our global leadership position in luxury goods and promote France’s reputation for excellence around the world.” 

Read related:

Wealth’s elite: Forbes reveals the 10 richest people in the world for 2023

 

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Photo source: Clarisse Croset, Unsplash