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Day: 23 June 2026

Monaco’s water utility launches survey of resident habits as climate pressures grow

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026

Monaco’s water utility, the Société Monégasque des Eaux (SMEAUX), has launched a survey asking residents about their water use, as the Principality looks to plan ahead for a resource increasingly strained by climate change.

The online survey, open now at smeaux.mc, asks residents about their habits, expectations and perceptions around water use, with the results intended to guide which technologies and measures the utility prioritises going forward. Responses are anonymous, and the company has framed participation as a way for residents to directly shape future decisions on water management.

A resource already under strain

Monaco introduced its first usage restrictions in May 2023, following three consecutive years of drought and rainfall levels short of the threshold the Principality relies on to replenish its karstic springs. Wider France and other parts of southern Europe faced similar conditions that year, with neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes already at “alert” level when Monaco followed suit. Lawn watering, fountains, vehicle washing and outdoor pools were among the activities restricted at the time, with industrial and commercial water use also cut.

The utility’s own figures show the network here already runs at around 95% efficiency, a level it has sustained for two decades and one it points to as among the best in the world, with overall consumption down nearly 30% over 25 years despite sustained population and economic growth. But SMEAUX has acknowledged that the increasing frequency of drought and heavy rainfall events alike is putting pressure on both the Principality’s own springs and the external supplies it draws from the neighbouring French department.

Feeding into long-term planning

SMEAUX has described the survey as feeding directly into decisions on which new technologies and solutions are adopted to secure supply for the years ahead, as part of a wider push by the Prince’s Government to ensure water security as climate impacts intensify.

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Photo source: Hollie Santos, Unsplash

Cancer and hepatitis C survivors win faster access to loan insurance in Monaco

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026

People who have recovered from certain cancers, hepatitis C or HIV will no longer face automatic insurance penalties when applying for a loan in Monaco, under new rules implementing the Principality’s ‘right to be forgotten’ law.

Two texts published in the Journal de Monaco set out how the law, passed in July 2024, will work in practice. A Sovereign Ordinance lays down the general framework, while an accompanying Ministerial Order sets out a reference grid of specific conditions and the waiting periods attached to each one.

A five-year default, but often much sooner

Under the general rule, anyone whose cancer treatment or hepatitis C treatment ended more than five years ago, and whose loan matures before their 71st birthday, is entitled to insurance without a surcharge or exclusion of cover. But the reference grid sets shorter waits for many specific conditions: pure in-situ breast cancer, skin melanoma in situ and early-stage cervical cancer all qualify after just one year, while testicular seminoma, thyroid cancer and acute promyelocytic leukaemia qualify after three years. Hepatitis C, where the fibrosis score and viral response criteria are met, qualifies after only 24 weeks. Well-controlled HIV also qualifies after a year, subject to stricter medical criteria and capped loan terms.

New safeguards for loan applicants

The rules also introduce a structured review process for anyone declined cover on health grounds. A rejected application is now automatically passed to a ‘second level’ insurance review, and, if refused again, to a ‘third level’ review. Insurers must process complete applications within five weeks, keep any offer valid for four months, and give written, clearly explained reasons for any refusal, including details of how to contact the insurer’s medical adviser or the right to be forgotten and mediation commission.

Borrowers are also entitled to a more tailored search for disability cover where standard terms cannot be offered, with insurers required to look first at adapting the standard guarantee before falling back to cover limited to total and irreversible loss of autonomy.

Caps on loan size for full protection

Full protection without surcharge or exclusion applies to mortgages on a main residence where the insured portion does not exceed €420,000, and to other property and professional loans up to the same cumulative threshold. Smaller consumer loans of up to €17,000, repayable within four years, are exempt from health questionnaires altogether for borrowers aged 50 or under, while property and professional loans up to €200,000 carry the same exemption for borrowers whose loan matures before age 60.

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Photo by Cassandra Tanti

Last chance to secure tickets for Monte-Carlo Jumping

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026
longines global champions tour monaco

Tickets for Saturday’s Grand Prix at the Longines Global Champions Tour – Jumping International de Monte-Carlo have sold out, though seats remain for the opening two days of action, with reduced-price tickets starting from €16.

The 20th edition of the event runs from 2nd to 4th July at Port Hercule, marking the ninth stop on the international circuit’s calendar. Thursday’s programme features the Global Champions League team event over two rounds, the first at 1.60m and serving as a qualifier for the Grand Prix, the second at 1.55m. Friday brings the Longines Pro Am Cup Monaco, a relay competition pairing amateur riders with international stars in aid of AMADE, the charity founded by Charlotte Casiraghi. The weekend culminates on Saturday evening with the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, the event’s marquee fixture.

A track built for home talent

For the first time in the competition’s history, Monaco will field several riders competing regularly at the highest level of international show jumping. Anastasia Nielsen, just 20 years old, already has two five-star Grand Prix wins to her name, in Rabat last October and more recently in Ramatuelle. The 2023 European junior champion competes for the all-female Cannes Stars team in the Global Champions League. Alongside her, 22-year-old Iñigo Lopez de la Osa Franco rides for Monaco both individually and with the Monaco Aces, training under Simon Delestre, who won the Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco in 2025. Ilaria Sutera and Marie-Eder Ferrero complete Monaco’s four-strong representation in this year’s five-star field.

National coach Philippe Rozier said the progress of the Principality’s young riders had been remarkable to watch. “It’s wonderful to see young riders who were just starting out when I took up my role with the Principality six years ago now competing with the best in the world,” he said.

Of Nielsen’s rise through the ranks, he added: “It’s an evolution that’s very rare for her age, but it isn’t down to chance. She’s a rider who works hard and gives herself every chance of reaching the top level.” He also pointed to Marie Ferrero, who finished fourth at last year’s European Junior Championships, and Sophie Aurélia George as riders to watch in the coming years, noting that around 40 riders take part in each national training session.

A new look for Port Hercule

This year’s competition has reshaped the Port Hercule site, with the track moved to the centre of the harbour and the layout reversed to create what organisers describe as a more immersive spectator experience. The move comes a month after Port Hercule hosted Formula 1 drivers for the Monaco Grand Prix, with the paddocks once again transformed, this time into stables and riding lanes. Founded in 1995 by Diane Fissore, the Jumping International de Monte-Carlo joined the Longines Global Champions Tour in 2006, the year the circuit was created by Jan Tops.

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Photo source: Longines Global Champions