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Month: May 2026

Everything you need to know about Monaco’s ocean emergency summit this month

by: Cassandra Tanti
18/05/2026

The ocean’s surface temperature hit a record high of nearly 21°C in March 2026 — half a degree above the 1993-2022 average. Ecosystems are under mounting pressure, financing for ocean protection remains inadequate, and governance of the world’s seas is fragmented. Against that backdrop, Monaco is hosting two back-to-back international gatherings from 27th to 29th May designed to move the conversation from diagnosis to action.

Two complementary events will take place across three days. The Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) opens on 27th May at the Oceanographic Museum, bringing together more than 100 scientists, policymakers, international organisations and economic actors. The Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF) follows on 28th and 29th May at the Grimaldi Forum, targeting more than 300 investors, financial institutions, businesses and political leaders. Both are co-organised by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco.

What is being discussed?

The MBI will focus on three central themes: the post-2025 ocean agenda — assessing how the international milestones of 2025 have reshaped ocean governance and what needs to happen before 2030; ocean governance and financing in a fragmented world; and the BBNJ Agreement and the protection of marine areas on the high seas. A series of thematic workshops will run alongside the main sessions.

The BEFF picks up where the MBI leaves off, translating scientific and governance priorities into concrete financial levers. Key themes include blue economy financing, decarbonisation of maritime transport, sustainable food resources from the sea, and integrating the blue economy into global financial strategies. An innovation hub will showcase companies developing solutions for a regenerative blue economy.

Who is speaking?

At the MBI, confirmed speakers include Sylvie Goulard, co-president of the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits; Valerie Hickey, World Bank Director for Environment; Serge Ekue, President of the West African Development Bank; Karen Sack, Executive Director of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance; and Pascal Lamy, former Director General of the World Trade Organisation.

At the BEFF, confirmed speakers include Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered; Guillaume Branco, Managing Director of Eurazeo; Mike Velings, Co-founder and CEO of Aqua-Spark; and Bertrand Charron, Global Director of Research at the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

Why Monaco and why now?

The BEFF made a significant impact at its first edition in 2025, held alongside the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice — attracting 1,800 participants from nearly 100 countries, identifying more than €25 billion in investment opportunities and unlocking €8.7 billion in additional commitments for the blue economy transition.

“We no longer lack scientific knowledge — we lack execution,” said Cyril Gomez, Deputy Director General of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco. “The problem is no longer understanding, it is acting. Without clear governance and readable rules of the game, it is difficult for the private sector to engage and invest in the right direction. In Monaco, we offer a unique platform, over three days, to address these issues at the highest level.”

Romain Ciarlet, Vice-President and Chief Executive of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, added: “The Blue Economy and Finance Forum is committed to being a lever for action, mobilising private sector actors, philanthropists and investors to transform commitments into concrete solutions in service of the ocean.”

See also: 

What Monaco’s Blue Economy and Finance Forum achieved — the results are in

Photo: Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, credit: Cassandra Tanti

 

 

Nyck de Vries claims Monaco Formula E victory in opening race

by: Kayla Sauceda
17/05/2026

Mahindra Racing driver Nyck de Vries claimed victory in Saturday’s opening Formula E race of the weekend, following an action-packed contest in Monaco.

With a unique race structure where Free Practice, Qualifying, and the race itself all take place on the same day, the circuit was filled with excitement from the early hours of the morning.

Qualifying split drivers into two groups, allowing the top four from each group the opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals. From there, drivers competed head-to-head to seal their place on the starting grid. After qualifying, Dan Ticktum of Cupra Kiro secured pole position alongside Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries on the front row. 2025’s race winners, Oliver Rowland and Sébastien Buemi, found themselves starting from 12th and 15th, respectively.

With a perfect start to the 29-lap race, drivers largely held their positions through the opening laps. With a safety car deployed on Lap 4, drivers were able to reduce gaps, including António Félix da Costa, who had already moved up from eighth to fifth place.

View from the grandstands during Saturday’s Monaco Formula E action. Photo credit: Kayla Sauceda / Monaco Life

This opening race featured Formula E’s Pit Boost format, adding another strategic element as drivers were required to complete a rapid-charge stop during the race for a 10% energy increase.  By the 16th lap, drivers began entering the pits to complete their Pit Boost charge. Among the early drivers to pit were Nyck de Vries, Maximilian Günther, and Mitch Evans, allowing pole-sitter Ticktum to remain in the lead while da Costa made gains in pursuit.

In a strategic use of Attack Mode, da Costa found himself leading the race on Lap 17 as many of the drivers behind him followed suit, entering Attack Mode.

De Vries, however, moved into the lead by Lap 20, overtaking da Costa and remaining ahead of pole-sitter Ticktum, who had come out of his Pit BoostT stop in fourth. Lap 27 of 29 saw a dramatic crash at Turn 10, requiring a Full Course Yellow. Although this minimized any gaps created, there was little time remaining for challengers to overtake de Vries.

The final lap offered a green flag, but no one was able to catch de Vries. Mitch Evans and Dan Ticktum initially crossed the line behind de Vries to round out the top three. Despite this, Ticktum received a post-race drive-through penalty, dropping out of the podium positions and promoting teammate Josep María Martí, known as Pepe Martí, into the top three.

The result now moves Evans into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship, while Martí secured a career-high finish. However, winner Nyck de Vries took time to celebrate a long-awaited win. Since his last Formula E victory in 2022, de Vries has been chasing a return to the top step. With a combination of impeccable, composed driving and an effective, innovative strategy, de Vries claimed victory with a three-second gap to the cars following.

As a former Formula E champion, de Vries is no stranger to the top step on the podium. However, this marked the Dutch driver’s first win with Mahindra Racing. This result also marked the team’s first victory in several seasons, adding further significance to the achievement.

With another race ahead in this double-header weekend, teams now face a quick turnaround as strategies, momentum, and energy management continue to shape the action on the circuit.

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Main Photo credit: ACM Matchavariani

The agreement born in Monaco’s throne room that’s been protecting the Med for 50 years

by: Cassandra Tanti
17/05/2026

In May 1976, in the throne room of the Prince’s Palace, the ministers of France, Italy and Monaco signed an agreement that would become the Mediterranean’s first concrete regional protection accord. Prince Rainier III had been calling for it since 1970, when he stood before the plenary assembly of the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean in Rome — with Jacques-Yves Cousteau in the room as Secretary General — and urged the three nations to act together before it was too late.

“The coastal states of the Mediterranean must wait no longer,” Prince Rainier declared. “They must act to safeguard their sea.”

Fifty years on, the RAMOGE Agreement — its name drawn from the initials of Saint-Raphaël, Monaco and Genoa, the three anchor points of its original zone — is marking its anniversary with a full programme of scientific, operational and public events running across France, Italy and Monaco throughout 2026.

What RAMOGE has achieved

The numbers tell a compelling story. Over five decades, the accord has overseen more than 30 anti-pollution exercises, recovered nearly 500 tonnes of hydrocarbons from three real-world emergency activations of its RAMOGEPOL response plan, collected more than 600 tonnes of marine debris — the equivalent of 50 refuse lorries — and identified 67 ecologically significant zones covering 3,060 km² of Mediterranean waters. Five marine protected areas have been created or extended as a direct result of its work, and more than 20 sampling sites monitor water quality on an ongoing basis.

The RAMOGEPOL plan itself was born from tragedy. When the tanker Haven exploded off Genoa in April 1991 — spilling 144,000 tonnes of hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean’s worst ever oil disaster — RAMOGE created a coordinated multinational response framework within two years. It has been activated three times since, most recently in 2018 when a collision between two cargo vessels off Cap Corse allowed 90% of spilled hydrocarbons to be recovered.

Previous deep-sea exploration campaigns have delivered discoveries that were as sobering as they were scientifically significant — human waste found at depths exceeding 2,000 metres in the Monaco Canyon among them.

The 2026 programme

The 50th anniversary celebrations began in March with the launch of the international photography competition RAMOGE — L’Homme et la Mer, open until 31st October, with the prize-giving ceremony to take place in Monaco on 4th December.

A travelling commemorative exhibition opens in Genoa on 28th May before moving to France in September, with a version tailored for the Monaco Ministry of State inaugurated on 26th June in the presence of Prince Albert II — who will also cancel a commemorative stamp to mark the occasion. That same day, a live RAMOGEPOL anti-pollution exercise will be demonstrated at sea, with public access to the installations planned for the day before, followed by a public conference at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and a virtual reality experience plunging audiences into the Mediterranean’s submarine canyons.

In late July, a week-long deep-sea exploration campaign aboard the research vessel Alfred Merlin will probe the French, Italian and Monegasque waters of the RAMOGE zone to depths of 500 metres — extending a programme of submarine exploration that has run since 2015 and consistently produced both remarkable discoveries and troubling evidence of human impact.

The autumn will bring a workshop on Posidonia oceanica, the Mediterranean’s emblematic seagrass whose beds cover nearly 50% of coastal floors, produce oxygen, absorb CO₂ and shelter thousands of species — yet lose approximately 2% of their surface each year to anchoring damage alone. The session will accompany the launch of a new RAMOGE guide to the plant, updated for the first time since 2006.

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Photo source: RAMOGE

Masterpiece of tension and balance: Cesare Catania unveils ‘Phygital’ Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

by: Virginia D’Umas
16/05/2026

Art met the elements on Wednesday as Cesare Catania’s latest masterpiece, The Heart of the Earth, took centre stage at Quai Virgile Allari. The immersive monumental installation was inaugurated by Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Mayor,  Jean-François Dieterich, inviting residents and visitors to explore a ‘phygital’ journey that bridges the gap between physical sculpture and digital wonder.

A five-metre steel monolith of spheres and pyramids, Cesare Catania’s The Heart of the Earth challenges the eye with its complex, precarious geometry. Its form appears to defy the laws of physics, compelling the observer to linger in a state of captivated tension, half-expecting the structure to yield to gravity at any second.

Yet, the logic behind this seemingly vulnerable structure is as sophisticated as it is profound. As Catania explains: “The spheres and pyramids exist in an unstable yet possible balance—much like our planet”. In this symbolic geometry, the spheres represent perfection and generative motion, embodying the feminine, while the pyramids and triangles represent the masculine. Together, they represent humanity, sustained by the essential harmony between men and women.

“In this sense, the artwork represents the human race”, says Catania. “Standing here, overlooking the Mediterranean, I wanted to highlight that our existence rests upon the delicate fragility of the ocean”.

The Heart of the Earth. Photo credit: Virginia D’Umas

On the ‘Phygital’ Experience

In recent years, Cesare Catania’s artistic research has ventured deep into the ‘phygital’ realm—a seamless fusion of the physical and digital worlds. Here, the digital component is far more than a mere overlay; it acts as a catalyst, activating a deeper layer of interpretation. Through augmented reality the work functions as a living, layered system that evolves alongside the viewer’s perception, revealing an invisible dimension of the sculpture and extending its interpretation far beyond its physical form. 

Catania explained to Monaco Life how how the digital dimension of The Heart of the Earth alters the way visitors perceive the sculpture’s immense weight and gravitational presence within its maritime setting.

“The sculpture is a massive, physical undertaking”, Catania said. “For me, the digital dimension acts as a ‘booster’ for the physical experience. While some may not feel an immediate emotional connection to a static object, merging it with digital sensations allows us to unlock new depths of emotion. My goal is to use technology to help people truly feel the art”.

Engaging with this digital layer is effortless: visitors simply scan the QR code situated beside the sculpture to immerse themselves in Catania’s expanded vision.

Precise Passions: Inside the Mind of Cesare Catania

Beyond his acclaim as a contemporary painter and sculptor, Cesare Catania possesses a professional background in civil engineering. His artistic research is born from a compelling tension: the intersection of rigorous mathematical calculation and the desire to translate that data into a profound sensory experience.

For Catania, these two worlds are not in conflict, but in a constant, supporting dialogue. “I would say that engineering follows sensibility”, the artist explains. “The artistic vision always leads, and the engineering follows to bring that vision to life. Given the monumental scale of these sculptures, engineering is indispensable—it ensures they can physically stand and endure. It is the vital tool that supports the creative concept”.

In his practice, engineering is far more than a technical requirement; it is the very lens through which reality is observed, deconstructed, and reimagined. His works emerge as striking geometric configurations that, while appearing beautifully precarious, are anchored by a precise structural harmony. Here, the invisible language of forces, loads, and tensions is masterfully translated into a visual symphony of balance and form.

From left to right: Jean-Marc Berard – port director Saint Jean cap Ferrat, Cesare Catania and the mayor of Saint Jean cap Ferrat, Jean-François Dieterich. Photo credit: Virginia D’Umas

‘The Manifesto of Inclusivity’: Why Cesare Catania is Breaking the Gallery Walls

In 2024, Catania formalised his artistic philosophy in the ‘Manifesto of Democratic Art’, reimagining the artwork not as an isolated object, but as an open, accessible, and shared system. Within this framework, monumental sculpture and the ‘phygital’ dimension serve as complementary tools, designed to expand the audience’s engagement far beyond the restrictive confines of a traditional gallery.

When asked what connection he hopes to spark by placing an interactive work in a bustling public port rather than a private exhibition space, Catania’s response is as principled as the structure of the work itself.

“My ‘Manifesto’ is a flag I fly to propose a different way of perceiving art”, he explains. “The French Riviera is a truly international hub; it embraces every culture. This is why I prefer the term ‘Inclusive’ over merely ‘Democratic’. I want to reach everyone—not just the elite or the traditional art world. By choosing this location, the art is invited to be embraced by an international, inclusive public, making it a shared experience for all who pass by”.

Cesare Catania and his wife Anastasiya Vrublevskaya. Photo credit: Virginia D’Umas

The Perfect Canvas

This philosophy found its physical home in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Described as a profound dialogue between the sea, the mountains, and the land, The Heart of the Earth draws directly from the unique energy of the peninsula. We were keen to discover what it was about this specific landscape that inspired Catania to anchor his exploration of tension and balance on these shores.

“This location possesses a rare alchemy—the mountains, the sea, and the village all converge here. It is a perfect crossroads”, Cesare reveals. “Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, in particular, is a commune entirely committed to the arts. It offers a singular harmony of nature and culture, providing the ultimate ‘canvas’ for a project of this scale. It is, quite literally, the perfect setting”.

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Main photo by Virginia D’Umas

 

Monaco assumes Council of Europe presidency as ministers establish Ukraine war crimes tribunal

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/05/2026

Monaco took over the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on Thursday, as foreign ministers concluded a landmark session in Chișinău that established a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and adopted a raft of new legal instruments on migration, money laundering and foreign interference.

Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Monaco’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, presented the Principality’s priorities for the presidency — which runs from 15th May to 10th November 2026 — after taking over from the Republic of Moldova at the close of the ministerial session.

A tribunal for Ukraine

The session’s most significant outcome was the adoption of a resolution establishing an Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Thirty-six countries — including Monaco — alongside the European Union, Australia and Costa Rica have declared their intention to join the agreement, which will task the tribunal with investigating and prosecuting those who bear the greatest responsibility for the crime of aggression. Ministers also reaffirmed their determination to secure the return of Ukrainian children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by Russia.

Migration, disinformation and criminal assets

Ministers adopted a declaration reaffirming member states’ commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights in the context of migration, balancing community interests with individual rights, and agreed to continue discussions within the Council of Europe’s Network of Focal Points on Migration.

On disinformation, the Committee of Ministers instructed the Secretary General to submit proposals for a legal instrument — including a possible framework convention — on foreign information manipulation and interference, described as a serious threat to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

A new Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention modernises the legal framework for criminal asset recovery, extending authorities’ powers to monitor suspicious transactions and confiscate assets including crypto-assets. The protocol will be opened for signature at a cybercrime conference in Strasbourg on 14th October 2026.

Monaco’s presidency

The Monegasque presidency comes at a pivotal moment for the organisation, with the Council of Europe navigating the ongoing consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine, rising migration pressures and growing threats to democratic institutions across the continent. Monaco has been a member of the Council of Europe for more than 20 years and assumed the presidency on the same day its information stand opened on Rue Princesse Caroline in the Principality — a public engagement initiative running through 22nd May.

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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communications Department

Formula E meets the fairway at Monte-Carlo’s first ‘Tee Prix’ charity golf tournament

by: Virginia D’Umas
15/05/2026

Sport, philanthropy and motorsport converged on the greens of the Monte-Carlo Golf Club on Wednesday 13th May for the inaugural Formula E Monte-Carlo Tee Prix — a charity golf tournament held in support of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, with Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attending the prize-giving ceremony alongside Gareth Wittstock, General Secretary of the Foundation.

The event brought together Formula E drivers, global sponsors, professional golfers and notable personalities for a day that balanced genuine competition with the relaxed camaraderie of a charity occasion. Played in a Scramble format against the scenic backdrop of the Riviera, teams navigated bespoke challenges including Nearest the Pin and Longest Drive contests.

The results

Third place went to Team Andretti, with the prize presented by Gareth Wittstock. Second place was awarded to Team Aurora — comprising Lee Flay, Matt Beal, Lee Attreed and Westbury Gillett — with Prince Albert II presenting the prize.

Princess Charlene at the Tee Prix event, which raised funds for her association. Photo credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais princier

The inaugural title was claimed by the Influencers team: Seb Delanney, Emma Houlmiere, Mathilde Ostrowski and Formula E driver Maximilian Günther. Princess Charlene presented the first-place trophy to the winning squad.

Beyond the competition, the principal beneficiary of the day was the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation itself, with funds raised going towards its global mission of drowning prevention and swimming education for children.

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Photo Credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais princier