Monaco’s Handiplage initiative at Larvotto Beach has reopened for the 2025 summer season, marking two decades of commitment to accessible seaside leisure. The site, open daily until 31st August, offers adapted bathing and beach facilities for people with reduced mobility, with expanded services and extended opening hours now in place.
Launched in 2005 by the Direction de l’Action et de l’Aide Sociales in collaboration with the Soroptimist Club of Monaco, Handiplage provides individuals with disabilities—whether autonomous or accompanied—a secure and comfortable opportunity to enjoy the coastline. According to the Government, this milestone year reinforces the Principality’s long-standing pledge to make public spaces inclusive and accessible to all.
Extended hours and enhanced support
Following a successful trial in 2024, opening times have been extended. Handiplage now welcomes visitors from 10am to 6pm on weekdays, and from 9am to 7pm on weekends and the 15th August public holiday. These hours are coordinated with the presence of lifeguards at Larvotto, ensuring continuous safety cover.
To support the longer schedule, six trained handiplagistes are on site each day. All staff hold the PSC1 first-aid qualification, offering users a reliable and professional presence throughout the day.
New equipment for 2025
This year sees the addition of new features designed to improve accessibility and comfort. Among them are an accessible shower and a PMR seat, along with two specially adapted SUNBED-style loungers. Two new tiralos—floating beach wheelchairs known as “waterwheels”—have also been added to the existing equipment.
Users will also benefit from the availability of PMR-specific life jackets, gel cushions, and a cooler, helping ensure both safety and convenience in the summer heat.
The European Commission has unveiled a bold roadmap to position the EU as a global leader in quantum technologies by the end of the decade, aiming to transform scientific excellence into strategic industrial strength.
On 2nd July, the European Commission presented its new Quantum Strategy, a comprehensive initiative designed to build a robust and sovereign quantum ecosystem in Europe by 2030. The plan sets out to harness cutting-edge science, expand Europe’s industrial competitiveness, and reduce dependence on non-European technologies in a domain expected to exceed €155 billion in global value by 2040.
A blueprint for leadership
The strategy focuses on five pillars: research and innovation, infrastructure development, ecosystem growth, dual-use and space applications, and skills development. Together, these elements will underpin the EU’s vision of a self-reliant, resilient quantum sector.
“Europe has always been at the forefront of quantum science, with a strong record of innovation and discovery,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. “As the global quantum race intensifies and moves from lab to real-world application, Europe must maintain its leadership.”
Key actions under the strategy include launching the Quantum Europe Research and Innovation Initiative, co-funded with Member States, to support foundational research and application development in both public and private sectors. A quantum design facility and six pilot production lines for quantum chips—backed by €50 million in public funding—will be established to help transform prototypes into market-ready technologies.
Infrastructure and skills for the next frontier
Europe’s ambitions also extend into secure communications and strategic autonomy, with the launch of a pilot facility for a European Quantum Internet and collaboration with the European Space Agency on a Quantum Technology Roadmap in Space. The sector’s dual-use potential, particularly in defence and critical infrastructure, is expected to grow in strategic importance.
To meet future workforce demands, the Commission will establish a European Quantum Skills Academy in 2026 and expand the existing network of Quantum Competence Clusters. These initiatives aim to address a major skills gap and create thousands of highly specialised jobs across the EU.
Growing private investment and startup scale
With European quantum startups currently attracting only around 5% of global private investment, the strategy includes measures to stimulate funding and scale-up opportunities. This includes promoting industrial uptake of quantum solutions developed within the EU and encouraging collaboration between academia, industry, and innovators.
The Commission also plans to propose a Quantum Act in 2026 to support the industrialisation of quantum technologies through coordinated EU and national investments, particularly in pilot production and large-scale facilities.
Strategic oversight
A High-Level Advisory Board composed of leading scientists, including Nobel Prize laureates, will guide implementation of the strategy and ensure alignment with Europe’s long-term sovereignty and innovation goals.
The EthCC[8] forum in Cannes has brought together more than 400 Ethereum innovators for a gathering that challenged the crypto community to move beyond buzzwords. At the heart of the event was co‑founder Vitalik Buterin, whose keynote set a new benchmark for what decentralisation must truly mean in practice.
Against the cinematic backdrop of the Palais des Festivals, EthCC[8] convened from 30th June to 3rd July, alongside a full week of side‑events, workshops and networking under the summer sun. With AI, privacy, DeFi, security and cross‑chain interoperability on the agenda, Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin’s keynote on Day three offered a visceral reminder: technological sophistication alone won’t guarantee a decentralised future.
Vitalik charts a course for meaningful decentralisation
Vitalik Buterin urged the community to abandon superficial decentralisation in favour of concrete user guarantees: the “walk‑away” test (can users retain assets if developers disappear?), the “insider attack” test and scrutinising the trusted computing base. He warned that many Layer‑2s and DeFi systems hide centralised controls, upgrade keys or privacy vulnerabilities. Privacy must be default, not optional, and code should be simpler to resist systemic fragility
Web3’s next chapter hinges on trust and resilience
Marking 10 years since Ethereum’s genesis block, Buterin’s message was clear: the ecosystem stands at an inflection point. He implored builders to confront centralisation vectors—from hidden backdoors to opaque bridges—and build systems that “create openness, freedom, and fair, permissionless access”. Without this reckoning, Ethereum risks becoming “a generational thing… [that] passes like a lot of other things” .
Cannes showcases the full spectrum of Ethereum innovation
Away from Buterin’s keynote, EthCC featured a rich programme of technical deep dives: AI‑powered developer tools, blockchain indexing with Kafka, MEV mitigation, cross‑chain liquidity, zero‑knowledge legal frameworks and transparent signing protocols. Sessions ranged from Gwen Martin’s exploration of AI coding assistants to Charles Guillemet’s Ledger-backed user safeguards. These sessions underscore Ethereum’s multidimensional growth.
Under the High Patronage of Prince Abert II, Monaco Art Week has returned for its seventh edition, running from 7th to 12th July. This year’s event holds additional significance as it welcomes Princess Alexandra of Hanover as patron.
From Old Masters to contemporary works, and from fine jewellery to monumental sculptures, the week-long celebration brings together galleries and auction houses in a cultural dialogue that spans centuries and disciplines.
A tour through Monaco’s artistic heart
The journey begins at the harbour, where the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlolaunches its summer sales featuring prestigious brands alongside works by renowned artists including Renoir, Alechinsky, and Folon. The auction house presents a remarkable selection spanning luxury handbags, collectible watches, and modern art across five sessions(July 5-9, 2025).
Moving on to the Monte-Carlo district, COLLECT|MCdedicates a solo exhibition to Suska Bastian, a Villa Arson graduate based in Nice. Her exhibition ‘Of Feelers and Furies’ explores the boundaries between nature and culture, encouraging viewers to reconsider humanity’s relationship with the environment(July 4 – October 12, 2025).
At the Palais de Scala, Elisabeth Lillo-Renner presents ‘Corpus homini,’ an intriguing exploration of the male body through drawings by Yannick Cosso, photographs by Joël Alain Dervaux, and specially created men’s jewellery by Martin Spreng. (June 27 – July 12, 2025).
Just steps away, M.F. Toninelli Art Moderneshowcases ‘Entre Figuration et Abstraction,’ bringing together works from the 1950s and 60s by Winfred Gaul, Larry Rivers, and Jacques Monory. This joint reflection examines tensions between abstraction, figuration, and narration in a rapidly changing world(July 7-26, 2025).
On Avenue de l’Hermitage,Galerie Adriano Ribolzifeatures ‘Origins’ by Swiss artist Simon Berger, whose revolutionary approach to glass sculpture creates hyper-realistic portraits through controlled destruction. Using hammer blows on glass panes, Berger creates photorealistic ‘paintings’ that emerge from orchestrated cracks(July 1-30, 2025).
Further along, Opera Gallerypresents ‘The Monaco Masters Show: Chagall & Léger, la couleur et la forme,’ marking the 40th anniversary of Chagall’s death and 70th anniversary of Léger’s death. This major exhibition explores their distinctive approaches to modernism through colour, alongside masterpieces by Basquiat, Botero, Kusama, Lichtenstein, and other 20th and 21st-century masters(July 4 – August 31, 2025).
Artwork exhibited in Opera Gallery, photo by Monaco Life.
HOFA takes over the YellowKorner space with works by British sculptor Bran Symondson, a former Special Forces soldier who transforms instruments of war into powerful artistic symbols. His exhibition ‘The Art to Disarm’ examines the tensions between beauty, conflict, and capitalism(July 7 – September 30, 2025).
Contemporary Visions
On Avenue de la Costa,Almine Rechpresents a group exhibition exploring landscape through the distinctive works of international artists including Joël Andrianomearisoa, Alejandro Cardenas, and Petra Cortright(June 5 – September 19, 2025).
At the Park Palace,Moretti Fine Artcelebrates Italian painting with a refined selection spanning Renaissance to Baroque periods(July 7-12, 2025), whileSotheby’sunveils previews of major pieces from a prestigious Monegasque collection in ‘The Manny Davidson Collection: A Life in Treasures and Benevolence’(July 2-15, 2025).
In the gardens of the Société des Bains de Mer,Artcurialdisplays monumental sculptures for the ‘Monaco Sculptures’ sale, featuring works by Claude Lalanne, César, Baltasar Lobo, Tony Cragg, and Philippe Hiquily(July 6-9, 2025).
At One Monte-Carlo,Hauser & Wirthpresents ‘Stream of Consciousness,’ featuring works by distinguished American photographer Annie Leibovitz spanning landscapes, still lifes, and portraits created over the past two decades.(July 2 – September 27, 2025).
Photograph of Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Elon Musk taken by Annie Leibovitz, photo by Monaco Life
Teos Gallery Monte-Carlo spotlights Street Art on the second floor of the Metropole Shopping Center with ‘Street Mood,’ celebrating contemporary urban art through works by Mr Brainwash, Cedric Bouteiller, Marco Grassi, Christophe Biancheri, Alec Monopoly, Arpe One, and Cipre(June 30 – August 31, 2025).
Finally, at Larvotto,Kamil Art Gallerypays tribute to Vincent van Gogh through ‘For Vincent: Timeless Connections’ by Eric Massholder. Curated by art historian Fanny Curtat, this Franco-German artist’s work goes beyond realism, using opulent colours and intense drawing to show an intimate relationship between two artists separated by more than a century(July 7 – September 15, 2025).
Christie’s celebrates its 40th anniversary in Monaco this year, with Managing Director Nancy Dotta developing a strong presence in the Principality for sourcing remarkable works and private collections, including recent successes such as René Magritte’s work from a prestigious Monaco collection.
From 26th June to 3rd July, the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) spearheaded a high-profile economic mission to Japan, aligning with the Principality’s participation at Expo 2025 Osaka. Supported by 32 Monegasque business leaders, the delegation sought to forge deeper economic ties with Japan’s dynamic market.
On 28th June, following Prince Albert II and several dignitaries, the delegation celebrated Monaco National Day in a pavilion brimming with Monegasque charm. Highlights included a charity football match between Barbagiuans legends and the Japan All Stars, a Ballets de Monte‑Carlo performance, and a concert by the Prince’s Carabiniers Orchestra. These events were designed to emphasise Monaco’s cultural prowess on an international stage .
Mireille Martini’s team ensured the Monaco Pavilion became a vibrant hub for meetings and networking. Delegates also engaged with other national pavilions, generating discussions on sustainability, innovation, and bilateral business opportunities.
Economic forum: strengthening Franco‑Japanese business links
A standout moment was the economic forum and networking session organised alongside CCI France Japon du Kansai. Monegasque leaders forged meaningful connections with key Japanese stakeholders, fostering potential collaboration in sectors such as finance, tech, and green energy.
Kyoto interlude and Tokyo innovation
After a cultural stopover in Kyoto on Sunday, the delegation moved on to Tokyo. Accompanied by Sandrine Sauval, Director of MonacoTech, they visited innovation centres including Tokyo Innovation Base and Plug and Play Japan, reflecting MEB’s emphasis on fostering tech partnerships.
In Tokyo, a formal economic event with CCI France Japon offered insights into navigating the Japanese market. The ceremony featured a memorandum of understanding signed by Guillaume Rose, CEO of the MEB, and Nicolas Bonnardel, Director General of CCI France Japon, with Stéphan Bruno, Director of Economic Development, present.
Monaco Soirée: sealing strategic connections
The mission concluded with a distinguished ‘Monaco Soirée’ at Hotel Okura Tokyo, hosted by the Embassy of Monaco, the MEB, and the Directorate of Tourism and Congresses. Around 100 prominent guests attended, including Isabelle Berro‑Amadeï, Interim Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Jérôme Chouchan, President of CCI France Japon; and Ken Kobayashi, Honorary Consul of Monaco, alongside key Japanese business figures.
Paving the way for future economic partnerships
Through its visits, forums, and cultural diplomacy, the mission enabled Monegasque companies to engage with the Japanese economic ecosystem. MEB regards the initiative as the beginning of a new era of strategic partnerships between Monaco and Japan.
