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Month: July 2026

Monaco’s women’s rights campaign wins double prize at French communications awards

by: Cassandra Tanti
07/07/2026

Monaco’s Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights has received two prizes at the 2026 Cas d’OR Grandes Causes, a French awards scheme recognising communications campaigns, digital initiatives and social media work in the service of public interest causes. The committee’s campaign won the Special Jury Prize across all categories, as well as the prize in the category for work combating violence — the first time Monaco has been recognised at the awards.

The prizes recognise the campaign ‘L’enfermer ce n’est pas l’aimer’ — ‘Locking them up is not loving them’ — and its animated short film ‘Boîte Noire’, produced by Subliminal Pictures on the theme of coercive control. The campaign was created for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November and broadcast on Monaco Info, as well as on the committee’s website and social media channels. Since going online, the film has surpassed 900,000 views on Instagram alone, without any paid promotion. An English-language version was also produced, with the participation of Toby Wright, Monaco’s Ambassador for Women’s Rights.

The Cas d’OR Grandes Causes were created to recognise organisations using creativity, innovation and digital tools in the service of the general interest. The awards were received by Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Government Councillor and Minister for External Relations and Cooperation, alongside Céline Cottalorda, Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights, and Dominique Ifergan and Yoann Boisson of Subliminal Pictures.

Coercive control at the heart of the message

The theme of coercive control — the pattern of behaviour used by abusers to dominate and isolate their partners — was chosen deliberately by the committee as a subject still insufficiently recognised in public discourse and, in Monaco’s case, not yet formally enshrined in law. Cottalorda has previously said that work is under way with Monaco’s legal services to consider how coercive control might be formally defined in legislation.

The committee, which was established by sovereign ordinance in 2018, has made awareness campaigns a central pillar of its work, reaching audiences well beyond Monaco’s borders. The ‘Boîte Noire’ film is available at dfm.mc.

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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communications Department 

 

Monaco students achieve near-perfect baccalaureate success rate

by: Cassandra Tanti
07/07/2026

Students across Monaco have once again delivered exceptional end-of-year examination results, with more than 97% of candidates passing the general baccalaureate at the first sitting and every student enrolled in the Principality’s BTS higher education programmes successfully completing their qualifications.

The Monaco Government announced the results on Monday, highlighting the performance of students across Monaco’s secondary schools and praising the commitment of both pupils and teaching staff.

The overall pass rate for the 2026 general baccalaureate reached 97.4% after the first group of examinations, underlining what the Government described as the high standard of preparation across the Principality’s schools.

Students from Lycée Albert Ier and Lycée François d’Assise – Nicolas Barré also recorded an impressive number of distinctions, with 324 honours awarded across all streams, including 53 ‘Très Bien’ (Highest Honours).

In the general stream alone, 80.7% of successful candidates graduated with honours, comprising 47 Très Bien, including five awarded with the congratulations of the examination jury, 112 Bien, and 89 Assez Bien.

Strong results across all academic pathways

Students in Monaco’s technological streams achieved an 88.2% pass rate, earning nine Bien and 17 Assez Bien distinctions.

Meanwhile, pupils at Lycée Rainier III recorded a 95.5% success rate in the professional baccalaureate, with six Très Bien distinctions — including one with jury congratulations — alongside 10 Bien and 34 Assez Bien honours.

Perfect record in higher education

The Principality also celebrated exceptional results in its higher education programmes, with a 100% pass rate across every BTS course.

Several students achieved standout performances.

A student in the BTS Support à l’Action Managériale (SAM) programme graduated top of the Academy with an overall average of 19 out of 20, while also achieving the highest-ever mark in the Human Resources Management Collaboration examination since the programme was established.

Another student in the BTS Comptabilité Gestion (CG) programme also finished first in the Academy, recording an outstanding overall average of 19.14 out of 20.

Government congratulates students and educators

The Government extended its congratulations to all successful students, praising their hard work and perseverance throughout the academic year.

It also thanked school leadership teams, teachers and support staff for maintaining high educational standards and recognised the continued role of Monaco’s Department of Education, Youth and Sport in supporting schools across the Principality.

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Photo by Monaco Life

 

Ukrainian intelligence officer confesses to killing Monaco bomb suspect

by: Cassandra Tanti
07/07/2026

A serving officer of Ukraine’s military intelligence has confessed to the murder of Anastasiia Berezovska, the Ukrainian woman suspected of carrying out the 29th June bomb attack on a family in Monaco that injured three people, including a child, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine said on Tuesday. Her body was found near Kyiv with gunshot wounds to the head, and two men — the intelligence officer and a former law enforcement officer — have been detained on suspicion of her murder.

Ukrainian law enforcement opened a pre-trial investigation on 1st July, the day Berezovska arrived in the country, prosecutors said in a report seen by Monaco Life. Investigators identified the people she had been in contact with and traced her movements, establishing that, after returning to Ukraine, she had communicated with her family and with two men. The first was a former law enforcement officer; the second, a serving officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, known as HUR.

Money sent to the suspect

Prosecutors said the two men had repeatedly transferred funds to Berezovska’s cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts, which led investigators to examine them as people who may have been involved in the Monaco attack. Urgent searches and investigative actions followed. During these, the serving HUR officer confessed to the killing, saying he had carried it out together with the other suspect. He stated that he had not told his superiors about his contacts with Berezovska, the money transfers or his other actions, and that he had acted on his own initiative, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General.

A basement resembling a torture chamber

During a search of the former law enforcement officer’s home, investigators discovered what they described as a basement room resembling a torture chamber, prosecutors said. Both men have been detained on suspicion of murder committed by a group acting in prior conspiracy.

How the body was found

Based on the testimony of one of the suspects, investigators carried out a reconstruction of events, during which Berezovska’s body was found with gunshot wounds to the head, alongside spent pistol cartridge casings. Formal notices of suspicion are being prepared, and the investigation is continuing.

Cooperation with Monaco

The Office of the Prosecutor General said all the information available to Ukrainian law enforcement had been passed to the investigative authorities in Monaco, and that it was working in close cooperation with them. Ukrainian investigators are continuing to identify those who ordered the attempted murder of the family in Monaco, along with any others involved.

Monaco’s Prosecutor General has yet to confirm the development. Monaco Life reached out to the victim’s lawyer, who said they were not able to confirm or deny the information and would leave it up to the authorities to relay the appropriate information.

Who is leading the inquiry

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the National Police of Ukraine, with operational support from the counterintelligence department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and, prosecutors said, the personal assistance of the head of HUR, Oleh Ivashchenko — the agency whose serving officer has confessed to the killing.

See also: 

Anastasiia Berezovska: Ukrainian woman wanted over Monaco parcel bomb disguised herself as man

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Photo of CCTV footage of Anastasiia Berezovska taken in Monaco before the 29th June parcel bomb attack. Source: Judicial Services of Monaco. AI enhanced for clearer image. 

Ballets de Monte-Carlo marks 40 years with reunion gala

by: Virginia D’Umas
07/07/2026

The Ballets de Monte-Carlo marked its 40th anniversary at the Grimaldi Forum on Saturday 4th July, bringing around 150 former dancers back to Monaco for a gala staged in tribute to Caroline, Princess of Hanover, who founded the company in 1985. The returning alumni joined the Princess and choreographer-director Jean-Christophe Maillot for an evening that traced four decades in which close to 500 dancers have passed through a company that began in classical ballet and now ranks among the leading names in international contemporary dance.

The company was created in 1985 on the initiative of the Princess of Hanover, who set out to restore Monaco’s standing in dance, and gave its first performance that December under the direction of Ghislaine Thesmar and Pierre Lacotte. Its trajectory shifted with the arrival of Maillot in 1993, whose choreography carried the company onto the international stage over the following three decades. He has created more than 40 original works for the troupe, several of which have entered the repertoires of major companies abroad.

A programme for Princess Caroline

For the anniversary, Maillot curated a bespoke programme conceived as a tribute to Princess Caroline, whose long-standing support he credits for much of the company’s success.

“The ultimate goal of this performance is to pay tribute to Princess Caroline, or at the very least, to bring her joy,” Maillot told Monaco Info. “She has a philosophy that I hold as an essential reference—she always speaks about giving pleasure without seeking to please. Tonight, I think we will indeed provide pleasure, and I even believe we will be seeking to please.”

Princess Caroline of Hanover receives a floral tribute at the Ballets de Monte-Carlo’s 40th-anniversary gala. Credit: Ed Wright

A night of reunions

Speaking to Monaco Info after the performance, the Princess said the evening had brought an unexpected wave of nostalgia.

“I knew we would celebrate the 40 years, but the evening was still full of beautiful surprises,” she said. “It has been very moving. Since we are always focused on the future, there are many things that one nearly forgets; seeing them return is touching. We don’t always realise the journey we have been through.”

She added that the company’s international standing rested on the dancers themselves as much as on any institutional planning. “Seeing all the previous dancers has been incredible. The company built itself from the very beginning thanks to them. We can dream, but without them, it is impossible.”

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Main photo credit: Ed Wright

Monaco brings in credit-card-format driving licence

by: Cassandra Tanti
07/07/2026

Monaco began issuing a new driving licence in a credit-card format on 4th July, a smaller and more secure document that will gradually replace the current model over the coming years. Licences already in circulation stay valid throughout that transition, and the two formats will run side by side, so holders of the existing licence need take no immediate action.

The new licence is more compact than the current version and made from a recyclable material, and has been designed to meet international standards. It carries a series of security features, among them a visual electronic certificate on the reverse that allows its authenticity to be checked quickly during roadside controls.

A 15-year renewal

The main change for drivers is that the document will now have to be renewed every 15 years, bringing it into line with the passport and the national identity card. The renewal is an administrative step to update the holder’s photograph rather than a fresh test, and no new examination is required. The fee is unchanged at €23 in 2026, whether for a first licence or a renewal.

Renewals move online

To support the change, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office has opened an online renewal service on the MonGuichet.mc portal. Available around the clock, it allows most drivers to complete the process remotely without visiting the office, and the department is encouraging users to choose the digital route to shorten processing times. The service handles the upload of the identity photograph and captures the holder’s handwritten signature, either on a touchscreen or through a QR code.

Part of a wider overhaul

The project has been led by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office alongside the Principality’s digital services and information systems departments, and comes with a rebuild of the office’s IT system intended to open the way to further online services. The Prince’s Government has presented it as part of its push towards simpler and more accessible public services.

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Photo of driver’s license provided by the Government Communications Department, image generated by Monaco Life

 

Monaco Red Cross Gala swaps headline concert for in-house show

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/07/2026

The 77th Monaco Red Cross Gala will forgo the guest-star concert that has closed its recent editions when it returns to the Sporting Monte-Carlo on 18th July, in the presence of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, President and Vice-President of the Monaco Red Cross. In place of the headline act, the Salle des Étoiles will host the preview of a production staged in-house by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, part of a reworked running order for the association’s principal annual fundraiser.

The edition will also draw two senior figures from the wider movement, with Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Dr Caroline Cross, President of the French Red Cross, both expected to attend, a sign of Monaco’s standing in the international Red Cross network.

A show in place of a headline act

Where the 2025 gala ended with a concert by Billy Idol, this year the Sporting stage will preview ‘SOUL!’, a production first run by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer in 2025 and returning with new material. The performance traces the development of Afro-American music, moving from the rock’n’roll of Chuck Berry and Little Richard through funk to the R’n’B of Alicia Keys and Beyoncé. Guests will arrive to a 360-degree set-up in the lobby, new to this edition, and the evening will carry on at Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo, reworked as a speakeasy with a jazz band.

The dinner and raffle

The dinner has been created by double Michelin-starred chef Marcel Ravin and prepared by Thierry Saez Manzanares, chef of the Sporting Monte-Carlo, with the resort’s kitchen and wine teams; dessert falls to pastry chef Cédric Grolet. Model and actress Estelle Lefébure and presenter Marc Toesca will host a raffle of four prizes, preceded by the customary fireworks fired from the sea. Tickets are priced at €1,900 a head, covering dinner and a half-bottle of Grand Cru champagne.

An artwork for the Red Cross

As at previous galas, an artwork will be handed to the Monaco Red Cross during the evening. This year it is ‘Eloge de l’Espoir’, a hand-modelled ceramic wall sculpture by the Belgian artist Johan Creten, built around the emblem of the red cross. Creten, born in 1963, is among the sculptors credited with reviving ceramics in contemporary art, and the piece belongs to his ‘Odore di Femmina’ series, which has been shown at the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou. The painted and glazed cross is intended to echo the improvised emblems used in war zones and disaster areas, where urgency takes precedence over formal perfection.

The Monaco Red Cross

Founded on 3rd March 1948 by Prince Louis II and recognised the same year by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Monaco Red Cross is one of the 191 national societies of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was chaired by Prince Rainier III from 1949 to 1958 and by Princess Grace until 1982, and has been led by Prince Albert II since December 1982. Its work runs from assisting vulnerable people and saving lives to disaster preparedness and humanitarian awareness, both in Monaco and abroad.

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Main photo credit: Michaël Alesi, Frédéric Nebinger / Palais princier