Following a call for applications last autumn, the Monaco Government has announced that 254 state-owned homes have been allocated to Monegasques and their families under the National Housing Plan.
A meeting of the Commission for the Allocation of State Housing concluded on 13th February with the announcement that 254 properties across the Principality had been allocated to successful candidates who had put their names and needs forwards during an application process that ran from 11th September to 6th October 2023.
The properties are based in three real estate developments: Block C of the Grand Ida near the Jardin Exotique and Boulevard Rainier III; the Carmelha, distinctive for its wooden façade and sustainable attributes; and the Tour Réséda of the Testimonio II Bis building.
Of those who applied for studios, 100% were accommodated by the Commission. 61% of those looking for a one-bedroom property were successful as well as 60% of applicants seeking a two-bedroom home. A full 85% after a three-bedroom apartment got what they asked for, while 50% of those searching for a four-bedroom flat had their wishes answered.
304 state-owned properties were allocated in 2023 and 212 units were made available to Monegasques looking for a new home in 2022.
The countdown is on for the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and organisers have revealed that reservations are already exceeding expectations.
With two months to go until Monaco hosts the highly anticipated Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, organisers gathered the press together on Thursday 15th February to officially kick-off the countdown.
Before highlighting this year’s tournament, David Massey, Director of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, revealed that the tennis tournament set a new benchmark in the world of tennis last year, not only by surpassing the 140,000-spectator mark for the first time but also through its significant charitable contributions.
The 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, held from 9th to 16th April, enjoyed full attendance at Court Rainier III. The Court des Princes was also packed, while sales for auxiliary courts soared to a record 17,000 tickets in six days. Hospitality package sales also hit a new high, surpassing 1,100 and showing an increase from the previous year.
Thursday’s press conference was held at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort
Ticket sales surging in 2024
Reservations for the 2024 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters are already exceeding expectations, revealed Massey, with Court Rainier II fully booked from Monday through Sunday, and only a limited number of tickets remaining for the opening weekend. Impressively, ticket reservations for this year have surged by 30%.
Adding to the excitement, a special Gatsby Night will be hosted at the Salle des Etoiles on 13th April, following the day’s tennis action. Priced at €275 per person, the evening promises an unforgettable experience with dinner, wine, champagne, and coffee included all set against the glamorous backdrop of the roaring twenties.
The tournament’s impact extends beyond the tennis courts, with all proceeds from the event dedicated to Gemluc, an association of Monegasque businesses fighting against cancer.
Photo from left to right: Laurent Delanney, Associate Director Sponsoring at Rolex; Chris Kermode, Executive Advisor; Melanie-Antoinette de Massy, President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation; and David Massey, Director of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department
The 2024 edition of Monacollecte is taking place on Friday and Saturday. It’s a great way to handover items you no longer need, while helping kids understand the importance of recycling.
“By 2025, the word ‘waste’ will no longer be part of our vocabulary; what is superfluous for us will become a resource for others.” These are the words of Prince Albert II and it’s the perfect quote for the Monacollecte team, who aims to inspire as many people as possible to participate in an initiative to reuse objects and promote waste recycling.
Organised by the Monegasque Sanitation Company (SMA) and the Town Planning Department, in collaboration with the Municipality of Monaco, Monacollecte brings together different charitable associations, including the Monaco Red Cross.
They will be on site at Port Hercule on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th February to collect reusable items such as clothing, games, books and computer equipment, as well as small household appliances, provided they are clean and in good condition. The rest will be recycled via SMA’s recycling or processing facilities. A full list is available on the company’s website.
During the two days, free events, exhibitions and information stands on the collection, sorting, recycling and treatment of waste will be organised, with activities such as virtual reality and escape rooms.
With the first race of the 2024 Formula 1 season just weeks away and less than 100 days until the Monaco Grand Prix in May, Scuderia Ferrari has unveiled its SF-24, a car that represents the dreams and aspirations of a brand hoping that this year will mark a return to days of glory.
After weeks of teasing its imminent arrival, Scuderia Ferrari has lifted the curtain on the brand-new SF-24, its latest Formula 1 car, at a showcase held at the Fiorano Circuit near the manufacturer’s famous Maranello headquarters.
The SF-24 is the 70th car that Ferrari has built to take part in the F1 World Championship and represents the third in F1’s ground effect generation.
Led by Enrico Cardile, the design team say they have created a car that will be is easier for drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to drive: “The goal is to allow them to make the most of the power unit’s potential, combined with their undoubted skill behind the wheel.”
The SF-24 sports a new white and yellow livery, inspired by a successful reveal in Las Vegas and honouring Ferrari’s racing legacy. With less black and the first white and yellow stripes since 1968, the markedly different aesthetic symbolises Ferrari’s desire to refresh its approach to racing in Formula 1 and the endurance category.
“Every area of the car has been redesigned”
“I like the look of the car a lot, including the white and yellow parts on the bodywork,” says Monaco-born and bred Leclerc of the new design, “but of course, what really interests me is how it will perform on track, as that’s all that matters. The SF-24 ought to be less sensitive and easier to drive and for us drivers that’s what you need in order to do well. I expect the car to be a step forward in several areas and from the impression I formed in the simulator I think we’re where we want to be.”
Cardile, meanwhile, says, “With the SF-24, we wanted to create a completely new platform and in fact, every area of the car has been redesigned… We have taken on board what the drivers told us and turned those ideas into engineering reality, with the aim of giving them a car that’s easier to drive and therefore easier to get the most out of and push it to its limits. We did not set ourselves any design constraints other than that of delivering a strong and honest racing car.”
With the longest-ever racing season ahead – 24 races, to be exact, beginning in Bahrain on 2nd March – Monaco’s homegrown driver Leclerc is clear on what he wants to get out of the car and of 2024.
“This season, the aim is to be front runners all the time and I want to give our fans plenty to cheer about, by dedicating race wins to them,” says the 26-year-old.
Click here to explore the full specifications of the new SF-24 model.
In early February, Prince Albert headed for the Tunisian capital of Tunis to open and actively participate in talks being held at the fifth Mediterranean Water Forum.
A staunch environmentalist known predominately for his actions in favour of ocean conservation and protections, Monaco’s sovereign used the international event as an opportunity to switch the dialogue to the threats facing freshwater ecosystems in the Mediterranean.
“As we all know, multilateral meetings tend to focus on major water access projects,” said Prince Albert in his opening remarks. “Desalination plants, large-scale water conveyance infrastructures and other technological innovations are all obvious solutions to water scarcity. But these solutions are often costly and energy-intensive, and they overshadow, in these political discussions, the need to preserve the very origin of water, i.e. its natural environment: groundwater, springs, freshwater ecosystems.”
Endangered and dangerously under-funded
The latest research suggests that over half of the wetlands in the Mediterranean are in peril and at the Donors’ Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE) side event, a programme launched by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) in 2021, Léa Glâtre from the DIMFE warned of the dangerously low investment in their conservation.
“A study shows how, in grants across 126 European foundations [and] 13 themes, freshwater projects are among the least funded, with only €16 million granted in 2021,” she told the audience, which included Prince Albert.
The event, which was held in partnership with MedWET, aimed to remind those present of the imperative nature of preserving and protecting water supplies in the region, and to not lump the area’s specific issues into general discussions on water, echoing Prince Albert’s earlier discourse.
“Preserving and restoring wetlands is not only our life insurance for the future, but also our main ally in guaranteeing sustainable development for all Mediterranean countries,” counselled another of the event’s key speakers, Anis Guelmami, who is a coordinator at the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory.
The Donors’ Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE) was launched by the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco in 2021. Photo credit: FPA2
Marianne Courouble, a policy expert at MedWET, also warned that: “The public policies in Mediterranean countries do not sufficiently integrate the approach ecosystems such as wetlands for the extraction, storage, treatment and distribution of water, instead of treatment and distribution of water, instead of grey infrastructure, and the same goes for mitigating climate change.”
The ultimate conclusion of the Mediterranean Water Forum was the advice that “a holistic approach to water management, cooperation between Mediterranean states, and the mobilisation of international funding are recommended to tackle the crisis”.
This view was succinctly summed up by a representative of the FPA2, who said, “Freshwater ecosystems must be at the heart of decision-making and management of water resources, seeing them as vital solutions to the crisis.”
Monaco’s contribution touristique – the equivalent of France’s taxe de séjour or tourist tax – has been made law, and with this news comes confirmation of the additional charges that all hotel guests in the Principality can now expect to pay.
The concept of the tourist contribution tax made its way through the Conseil National de Monaco in the summer of 2023, more than 20 years after the Principality’s closest neighbour of France introduced a similar scheme.
At the time, a maximum charge of €15 per person and per night was recommended by Franck Julien, a Conseil National member and the president of the Finance and National Economy Commission, but the final figures fall considerably under that.
As per Decree N° 2024-72 dated 5th February 2024, guests at a hotel, hotel residence or aparthotel in Monaco can expect to pay:
€7 per person and per night for a five-star establishment, such as the Hôtel de Paris, the Hôtel Hermitage or the Hôtel Métropole and its residential sector, compared to the €14 charge originally noted in a now modified decree from December 2023
€5 per person and per night instead of €13 for a four-star establishment, a category that includes the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, the Fairmont Hôtel and its residence sector, Hôtel Port Palace and Le Méridien Beach Plaza
€3 per person and per night at a three-star hotel and aparthotel in the place of a previously suggested €10
€2 per person and per night for the Principality’s only two-star establishment, the Hôtel de France, instead of the planned €5
When the concept was first floated, Conseil National members acknowledged a need to create a separate tariff for guests staying in the Principality for professional reasons. While this initially appeared to include those visiting for work and events, this category has been reduced to exclusively cover “journalists and influencers and any professional promoting Monaco”, as stipulated in a communiqué released by the Conseil National last week.
This group of visitors will be asked to pay a symbolic €1 fee per person and per night regardless of their level of accommodation.
As things currently stand, the contribution touristique will not apply to furnished rental properties – an Airbnb, for example – but this may change in the future.
