UK rebuffs EU offer of free movement for young people

The British government has snubbed an offer to allow British people aged 18 to 30 access to an EU-wide youth mobility scheme, saying, “Free movement within the EU was ended and there are no plans to introduce it.”  

The ghosts of Brexit still cling to the UK government’s ideology on free movement even as the European Union extends an olive branch in an attempt to normalise relations with the wayward ex-Member State.  

This was made abundantly apparent in comments from Downing Street regarding a blanket offer by the EU to make it easier for British people aged 18 to 30 to work and study in the bloc.  

Via a government spokesperson, the UK leadership has made its position clear, saying, “We are not introducing an EU-wide youth mobility scheme; free movement within the EU was ended and there are no plans to introduce it.” 

The British government has claimed that this refusal is not an outright rejection of the plans, insisting that it is more of a demonstration of the UK’s desire to make deals with individual countries rather than the EU as a whole. Meanwhile, the EU has stated that the deal would have been a short-term agreement rather than a complete reestablishment of former free movement practices.   

According to the terms, the proposed plans would have given UK youth a set time limit to reside in a bloc country that accepted to host them. 

It was initiated after the UK approached several countries asking to form deals. The EU was hoping to streamline the idea to ensure all involved were “treated equally”.  

The UK currently has mobility visa schemes with 10 countries, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with EU citizens glaringly omitted. The bloc is looking to change that by proposing a separate reciprocity plan that allows EU and UK citizens the right to stay in the other’s realms for up to four years. Furthermore, the EU suggests that its citizens should be excluded from paying international fees on universities in the UK, as well as NHS charges.  

Representatives for Downing Street say that the government is open to further discussions on youth free movement plans. 

Read related:

Working in Monaco: New report provides snapshot of the workforce

 

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Photo source: Jordhan Madec, Unsplash

Bridging cultures: Takreem Foundation’s fundraising gala set to come to Monaco

The Takreem Foundation, founded by Ricardo Karam to bridge the East and the West, is bringing its fundraising gala to Monaco this May.

The Takreem Foundation was established in 2010 by Ricardo Karam to modify the image of the Arab world through the lens of notable achievements by remarkable individuals. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded around 100 honourees from most Arab countries, including the famous architect, artist and designer Zaha Hadid, Princess Ghida Tala of Jordan, and Nabil Nahas, a renowned Lebanese artist and painter, to name a few.

Ricardo Karam is a talk show host turned author, screenwriter and creative director, who founded Takreem as a gateway to Arab culture and to promote new role models for the younger generation. Recognising the importance of providing role models for young people seeking inspiration, I founded a sustainable platform aimed at motivating and empowering individuals,” Karam told Monaco Life.

A brighter future

The highlight of the Foundations calendar is an awards ceremony that is hosted in a different city every year. Last years award ceremony took place in Oman in West Asia.

The awards ceremony is a weekend-long affair with over 500 attendees gathering to connect with their roots and the Takreem community.

We strive to foster connections and collaborations, uniting individuals to address pressing challenges and pave the way for a brighter future,” explained Karam.

The laureates, who are required to come from Arab countries, go through a selection process where they must meet certain criteria in a two-stage process. Our selection process is characterised by transparency, professionalism, and impartiality,” revealed Karam.

There are nine categories for which the laureates can be chosen, from entrepreneurship to civil services and technological advancements. To maintain the suspense, the names of the selected laureates will not be revealed until the ceremony.

The Takreem Foundation gala

Annual initiatives

Every year, Takreem’s focus shifts to addressing urgent societal issues, with donations from the fundraisers going towards the years chosen cause. In 2022, the efforts were directed at supporting Lebanese students in the United States and Europe by providing scholarships and covering living expenses. Previous fundraising gala dinners have taken place in cities like Paris, Geneva, and London, with last year’s gala dinner aiding Lebanese artists.

The mission this year is to support vulnerable children by supplying medical care. It is a concerted effort, says Karim, to catalyse lasting positive change in the Arab community globally”.

The Monaco gala

This year, the fundraising gala dinner ‘Art for a Cause’ is coming to the Hôtel de Paris on 9th May, promising an evening of culture and charity with international artists auctioning their artworks in support of their cause. All contributions will be directed to the provision of medical care to vulnerable children. As Ricardo Karam explained, Monaco was chosen as this years destination because Monaco complements Takreem’s aspirations by providing a prestigious platform to showcase Arab excellence and promote cultural exchange.”

Together, we boldly declare no to war and yes to peace; no to dark tunnels and yes to light, hope, dream, and love,” concluded Karam.

For more information and tickets to the gala, click here: Takreem | A better image of the Arab world.

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Photo credits: Supplied

 

Glamour and technology converge at the Digital Fashion and Crypto Awards

Digital Fashion and Crypto Awards

The Digital Fashion and Crypto Awards are coming to Cannes in May, and the event promises an “electrifying programme packed with excitement and innovation”. 

Organised by Porterium Magazine, an offshoot of the fashion, art and design marketplace that is based in the Principality of Monaco, and DFMag, a publication showcasing the latest insights and trends in the digital fashion world, the Digital Fashion and Crypto Awards is poised to be the pre-Cannes Film Festival event of the season.  

The red carpet evening, set to take place on 15th May at an undisclosed venue in the heart of Cannes, will begin with an exclusive cocktail reception for the event’s projected 150 to 200 VIP guests.  

The Digital Fashion and Crypto Awards are hoping to attract an array of entrepreneurs, influencers and celebrities to the ceremony with an exciting and innovative programme.  

Liliya Tippetts, founder Porterium Magazine

Hosted by Monaco-based singer Olla, the event will feature captivating performances, such as: a laser DJ performance by a half human half avatar called Tiora; a fashion show curated by Margaux Pohosian, the founder of Maragaux MGMT model agency, that will include pieces from the Victoria Silvstedt Collection by Marli Dresses; and a digital couture presentation that blurs the lines between physical and digital fashion. 

See more: Monte-Carlo Fashion Week: Catwalks, conferences and powerful messages

The main event, the Awards, will celebrate the leading lights in digital fashion and crypto, honouring them for their “visionary and innovative” contributions to their respective fields.   

To round out an already glamorous event, there will be a Melodic Techno Progressive After Party, where guests can dance into the night. Hosted by the world’s first laser harp DJ and singer, Laganza, this one-of-a-kind spectacle is a can’t-miss way to start the summer season.  

For more information about the event and to secure tickets to the Digital Fashion and Crypto Awards, click here

 

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Photo source: Tiora, Unsplash

Champagne and Oysters Cycle Club to celebrate 10th anniversary with street party in Monaco

Champagne and Oysters Cycle Club

With the landmark 10th edition of the Champagne and Oysters Cycle Club’s Saint Tropez to Monaco charity bike ride on the horizon, the team has announced its plans for a post-race street party in the Principality in celebration of this significant anniversary.  

On Sunday 5th May, the riders of the Champagne and Oysters Club (COCC) will begin their annual 140-kilometre bike ride from the Riviera haven of Saint Tropez to Monaco.  

The excursion will be starting at 8.30am sharp, with the goal of arriving in the Principality at 4.30pm. Once at their destination, the cyclists will be met by their families, friends and supporters at Slammers on Rue Suffren Reymond for a big street party celebrating their achievements over the years. 

The COCC was created in 2011 by seven friends who shared a passion for cycling and philanthropy. Their charity ride along the Côte d’Azur has grown significantly since then, attracting participation from the likes of Prince Albert II himself, Formula 1’s Eddie Jordan and other sporting icons.  

In 2024, the funds raised by the event will be given to My Name’5 Doddie, an association committed to funding research into motor neuron disease, and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which seeks to teach water safety and drowning prevention skills to children around the world as well as promote the value of sport in education.

See more: In pictures: Princess Charlene makes a splash at Water Safety Day in Monaco

Last year, the COCC bike ride raised over €70,000 for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. 

Organisers of the 10th COCC bike ride are encouraging local Monaco businesses to contribute to the fundraiser’s noble causes through sponsorship opportunities. Riders are also always welcome to donate, with the participants personally required to raise at least €1,000 in sponsorship. 

For more information about the event and how to get involved, contact info@coccmonaco.com 

 

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Photo credit: COCC 

Remembering Marcel Pagnol: Monaco pays homage with day of celebrations

Monaco has paid tribute to Marcel Pagnol, the famous French writer and filmmaker who resided in the Principality for more than a decade and shared a close relationship with Prince Rainier III and his father, Prince Pierre.

Marcel Pagnol, who was deeply connected to Monaco, passed away in 1974. On 16th April, 50 years after his death, a day of remembrance was held in the Principality at the instigation of Prince Albert II. 

The day began with a public tribute in the Place Marcel Pagnol in the Jardin Trocadero, where the Prince and Nicolas Pagnol, the writer’s grandson, unveiled a commemorative stone. A plaque honouring the great man was also erected at 12 Boulevard de Moulins, where Pagnol resided from 1951 to 1954. 

“A very beautiful ceremony to remind us of the deep ties that Marcel Pagnol had with the Prince’s Palace of Monaco,” said Nicolas Pagnol of the event. “My grandfather was a man of all Provence, which Frédéric Mistral defined as the territory stretching from Arles to Menton.” 

As the day progressed, a roundtable discussion entitled ‘Pagnol le Monégasque’ was held at the Théâtre des Variétés, where the audience enjoyed exclusive insights into Pagnol’s life through never-before-seen footage sourced from the Palace and his family archives. 

Concluding the day, a screening of The Baker’s Wife, a French language film by Pagnol from 1938, took place as part of the All the Art of Cinema programme run by the Monaco’s Audiovisual Institute.  

A double stamp of Pagnol and the late Prince Pierre was also released to mark the occasion.  

Click on the images below to see more photographs of the event:

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Photo credit: Monaco Communications Department / Manuel Vitali 

Working in Monaco: New report provides snapshot of the workforce

A new report from IMSEE has revealed insights into the Principality’s 74,000-strong workforce, including who they work for, where they live and predominantly what age they are.

Monaco’s workforce is unlike most others in the world. This is due in part to its size, its unique status and the fact that certain activities present in other countries simply do not exist here. 

This makes traditional indicators for workforce market analysis unusable in the Principality. To get a clearer picture of this unique situation, IMSEE, Monaco’s national statistics agency, has put together a Monaco-specific profile that reveals several interesting facts. 

Some facts and figures

At the end of 2023, the Principality’s labour force sat at 73,707 workers, with more than nine in 10 of those being salaried employees working for an organisation. Of those, a significant 85%, or 62,186, were in the private sector, with civil service positions accounting for 7%, or 5,153 people. The self-employed numbered 6,368 and made up the remaining local 8.6% of workers. 

Market services accounted for the vast majority of jobs, with 72.5% in this sector. The next closest was non-market services, which accounted for just under 14%, followed by construction at nearly 10%, and industry-related workers at 4%. 

A potential indicator of the favourable working conditions in Monaco, and the growing economy, is the fact that employment figures rose by 24% in the past decade. In real terms, that is 14,300 new positions available to employees since 2013. Most of these, around 12,100, were salaried positions, while the non-salaried employees, now totalling 2,150, more than doubled in that period. 

Who is working in Monaco? 

In terms of gender, there are less than four in 10 female employees in the Principality’s workforce. Though outnumbered, there are certain positions with higher proportions of women than men. Those holding jobs in public administration, education, health care and social work activities are almost 72% female, followed by women in the service sector who account for 60% of the jobs. Other female-heavy jobs are in retail at almost 53%, and financial and insurance at 50.2%. 

People work hard in Monaco, wracking up 103 million hours in the private sector in 2023. This is up over the last 10 years by more than 18 million hours, and is well above pre-Covid levels. 

The workforce is also steadily getting older. The average age of a private sector employee is 42.4 years of age, up nearly a year-and-a-half from the 2014 average of 41.1. 

IMSEE explains the breakdown, saying “The 35-44 age group accounted for the largest number of employees in 2014, at 28.2%. Ten years later, it accounts for 25.5% of the workforce, while the 45-54 age group amounts to 26.2%, making it the largest age category. The proportion of employees aged 55-64 has increased the most over the period (+5.4 points). At the same time, employees aged between 25 and 44, who were in the majority at 52.5% 10 years earlier, now represent just 47.2% of the population.”

Where do Monaco’s workers live? 

Monegasque workers are the minority, making up just 10.6% of the 2023 private sector workforce. This number is reasonably stable, having been the case for the past decade. 

The majority of workers, almost 58%, live in the Alpes-Maritimes, not including the neighbouring villages – those make up 22%. The remaining 10% live outside the Alpes-Maritimes, including Italy. 

Nice has the highest population of Monaco-based workers, with more than a quarter – over 15,000 – in the city alone. People from Menton make up 12%, or 7,000, private sector workers, just beating out the Monegasques who number 6,046. The workforce is overwhelmingly French at 61%, with the next closest nationality being Italians who make up 15%. Rounding out the top three are Portuguese, at 7.2%. 

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Photo by Monaco Life