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Monaco sees big jump in severe Covid cases

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/12/2022

The number of patients hospitalised in Monaco with Covid-19 more than tripled in a week as the coronavirus continues to affect more people in the Principality.

According to the latest figures from the health department, Monaco recorded 210 new cases of Covid in the week ending Sunday 4th December, 53 more than the previous week.

Hospitalisations have also jumped dramatically, going from 10 to 38 in the space of seven days. Of the current patients, 21 are residents. Two non-residents are in a critical condition in ICU.

The incidence rate in Monaco has now hit 536, up from 401 the previous week, with around 20% of all PCR and antigen tests coming back positive.

In the nearby Alpes-Maritimes department, where many of Monaco’s cross-border workers live, the incidence rate has reached as high as 738.

As reported in Monaco Life last week, the seasonal spike in Covid is not surprising. However, the rate of testing and vaccination is vastly different than this time last year.

Last week, 1,711 people tested for Covid in Monaco, compared to 7,051 people exactly one year ago.

According to French government figures, only 56% of people in the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region are vaccinated with a booster shot.

Photo by Monaco Life

White Castle Partners bringing innovative South Korean business to the Riviera

by: Luke Entwistle
06/12/2022

Following the successful showcasing of innovative South Korean start-ups at Vroom last year, White Castle Partners are once again facilitating their integration into the European market. 

Their immersion into the European market was brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic but will have long-lasting impacts. Asked by the South Korean government to help their businesses integrate into the unknown European market, White Castle Partners heeded the call.

For the second year, White Castle Partners have brought over a select and diverse range of innovative South Korean businesses, and have helped them to understand the market, make connections, and even set up their businesses here in the south of France.

Promoting the south of France is also a facet of what White Castle Partners are trying to do, as founder Peter Madsen told Monaco Life. The businesses, prior to Friday night’s presentations and networking event in Monaco, have been in the region for a week, and have visited places such as Sophia-Antipolis with an eye to relocating, an increasingly popular choice in the post-pandemic business world, as Madsen pointed out.

Photo of Sang Jin Kang by Monaco Life

Sang Jin Kang, CEO of A-Life, a producer of sustainable Vegan food, said that his business was looking to set up factories in Europe. “Our products are based on soybean, and in South Korea that is expensive. We are looking to set up factories here,” said Kang.

White Castle Partners helps businesses understand the European market, which for those such as A-Life, can be highly advantageous. “The South Korean vegan market isn’t that big at this moment in time. In Europe, the market is big, especially in Germany, France, and England. We’re trying to sell our product because we are ready to sell. We are in this region for the first time. We don’t know how to market, how to make it in the market, how to patent, etc. I’m learning about this through White Castle Partners,” said the A-Life founder.

Photo of Rashid Manishev by Monaco Life

Littleone, a business developing a smart baby bottle (as well as a larger range of smart baby products), also benefits from what White Castle have to offer. “The reason we participated in this programme was for us to be connected with baby food companies. Of the 10 top countries, five or six are based in Europe. We are piloting in Portugal and Spain. We are also discussing with Danon in Paris,” Global Business Lead Rashid Manishev told Monaco Life.

By promoting the region, and facilitating the integration of South Korean start-ups into the European market, White Castle Partners are helping to shape the Riviera’s post-pandemic business landscape.

 

Photo by White Castle Partners 

Monaco National Council agrees on concrete reforms to legal system

by: Elsa Carpenter
05/12/2022

Monaco’s National Council has voted unanimously on a series of new laws that would bring the Principality’s judicial processes up to date and in line with France, including mental health support for criminals and rights for victims.

The National Council met on Wednesday 30th November as part of a public legislative session. The bills on the table, all positive in their ability to improve and reform Monaco’s legislative system, were ushered through somewhat quicker than normal as the government pushed the National Council to meet the deadline of an evaluation by MONEYVAL, a permanent monitoring body that is currently assessing the Principality’s conformity to international standards.

Although the laws were accepted unanimously, the rush to complete the tasks at hand has led to tension in the National Council, with President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès saying she had “never seen a situation such as the one we have experienced in recent weeks” and held the government accountable for the pressure put on her and her fellow councillors. Minister of State Pierre Dartouthas accepted her criticism of the “difficult conditions” and thanked the members of the National Council for their “responsibility in seeing these procedures through to their conclusion”. He promised “better anticipation” and “planning” in the future. 

Five important texts were examined, ahead of a vote which saw unanimity across the room. Here is a breakdown of the new laws.

Bill No.1030 pertains to preliminary investigation and alternative measures to prosecution, introducing a third option – something between the dismissal of a case and public prosecution – to the Attorney General. This “alternative measure” could offer perpetrators support from a health, social or professional structure in the place of incarceration, and assist them in “regularising their situation” or indeed go some way to repairing the damage caused by the offence they committed.  

Bill No.1031 lays the ground for reform of the investigative and appeal stages by modernising the existing procedures set out by the Code. Part of the bill includes the creation of an “assisted witness” status similar to that of the French law. It also clarifies Monaco’s standpoint on criminal liability and the appeal process.  

“The National Council is fundamentally in favour of any progress in human rights in the Principality. We are not and never have been a repressive or authoritarian society, but on the contrary an integrative society,” said Counsellor Guillaume Rose. “The icing on the cake [of Bill No.1031] is that the defence will have the first right to speak last. For fans of certain TV series, this seems like routine, but in Monaco [this development has been] a delay that is being made up for: a National Council tirelessly at work, years of negotiations that lead here.” 

Bill No.1067 brings Monaco’s laws governing the “seizure and confiscation of instruments and proceeds of crime” in line with those of the European Parliament and European Council (Directive 2014/42/EU). It also absorbs recommendations made by MONEYVAL in its ongoing evaluation of Monaco.

Bill No.1068 provides new provisions for international legal assistance in an effort to “strengthen the Principality’s international cooperation in criminal matters” as well as do away with any ambiguity in the pre-existing legislation. 

Bill No.1072 offers an amendment to a law previously passed in 2009 that represents the Principality’s crackdown on money laundering, terrorist financing and corruption. The government says that by widening the scope of this law, it brings Monegasque legislation up to scratch with the “latest international standards”.  

Following the meeting, the National Council’s president, Brigitte Boccone-Pagès said, “The National Council has once again assumed its responsibilities to preserve the reputation of the Principality and to develop our legislation, in accordance with the requirements of the international organisations, which establish new standards for the regulation of our contemporary economies. I have no doubt that these advances will therefore contribute to strengthening our attractiveness.” 

 

 

Photo source: Monaco Communications Department

Monaco signs bilateral tax agreement with Andorra

by: Jessica Tatam
05/12/2022

Monaco and Andorra have finalised a bilateral tax convention that aims to eliminate double taxation and tax fraud between the two principalities.

1st December marked a new era of tax cooperation between the two states, with the bilateral tax agreement also representing another step forwards for Monaco in the journey towards improved international tax transparency and compliance with international economic standards.

Since 2009, following a review of tax policy instigated by Prince Albert II, Monaco has undertaken a series of measures and made multiple reforms in a meaningful effort to meet the international standards set out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) regarding tax transparency and information-sharing between countries.

As part of this commitment, Monaco has successfully implemented tax cooperation agreements with a number of countries and has since been recognised by the OECD as having achieved a high compliance and tax-transparency ranking; a position equivalent to countries such as Germany and the United States.

Monaco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Isabelle Berro-Amadei and her Andorran counterpart Maria Ubach Font, were both photographed smiling and proudly displaying the agreement after having signed in Lodz, Poland, on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OCSE) earlier this month.

This latest bilateral tax convention with Andorra marks the 37th tax agreement for the Principality of Monaco and is aimed at both avoiding double taxation on income tax, as well as fighting tax evasion and fraud. It was finalised as a result of constructive negotiation between the two states, and with an end goal of respecting the specific characteristics and interests of each.

Following the successful signing of the agreement, the Monaco Government released a statement saying, “The Principality of Monaco is pleased with the excellent ties with the Principality of Andorra, which have been strengthened in recent years, particularly in the context of negotiations with the European Union for the conclusion of an association agreement.”

 

 

Photo source: Monaco Communications Department

Christmas at the Marché de Monte-Carlo

by: Jessica Tatam
05/12/2022

Find all you need for your Christmas table, from sumptuous cheeses and fine wines to the extravagant treats of caviar, foie gras and truffles, at the Marché de Monte-Carlo this coming weekend.  

This special, one-off market is part of the Monaco town halls’ plans to revive and refresh the way the public thinks about the Principality’s marketplaces. and bring them back to the thriving community hubs that they deserve to be. 

Since September, visitors to the Marché de Monte-Carlo have enjoyed a Spanish-themed lunch replete with ochre-hued paella, blood-red sangria and other Iberian delicacies as well as a forager’s market – mushrooms, truffles and chestnuts galore – and a specialist wine and cheese event. Now Christmas festivities are in full swing and the latest Christmas-themed market day promises not to disappoint! 

In addition to the already wonderful array of regular traders onsite, the Christmas market will feature a lavish and sumptuous variety of festive food and products. The most luxurious and extravagant Christmas treats of creamy foie gras, mouth-watering salmon, glossy dishes of caviar, truffles, artisanal nougat and perfectly spiced gingerbread will all tempt the senses… Not to mention the heady and unmissable scent of traditional mulled wine that will be sure to fill the air!  

The market is taking place on Saturday 10th December from 7.30am to 1pm at 7 Avenue Saint Charles.  

Entry is free and open to everyone. 

 

 

Photo source: Katie Laine for Unsplash

Prince Albert honoured with prestigious German Sustainability Award

by: Jessica Tatam
05/12/2022

Prince Albert has been recognised for both his personal and his foundation’s work in sustainability at one of Europe’s largest awards ceremony for ecological and social commitment.

HSH Prince Albert II was in Düsseldorf on Friday 2nd November for the German Sustainability Awards (GSA), where he was presented with the most prestigious award of the event, the German Sustainability Award.

The Principality of Monaco, the second-smallest independent state in the world, is a big player when it comes to the environment and sustainability, and this is thanks in no small part to its monarch and leader, HSH Prince Albert II. Just one year after coming into sovereignty in 2005, he formed his namesake non-profit organisation, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and since then has made it his mission to create a more sustainable future for our planet.

The foundation itself has funded 720 separate initiatives since inception, while the Principality of Monaco itself boasts a wealth of sustainability efforts including electric boat, bicycle, and car-sharing systems, a process of converting garbage into fuel, the lofty goal of zero single-use plastic waste by 2030, and even the world’s first 100% organic Michelin-starred restaurant. Just to mention a few.

The German Sustainability Award is a national prize for top performance in sustainability in business, municipalities and research. With eight separate competitions and around 1,000 entries, it represents the highest and most prestigious award of them all.

This year’s event marks the 15th anniversary of the award, and the two-day congress, attended by around 2,000 participants, has evolved to become the leading sustainability event and largest of its kind across Europe.

Ahead of the ceremony, Prince Albert was joined by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a welcome reception. The German Sustainability Award was then officially presented to him by Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, German biologist and Director of the Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

Just one week earlier, on Friday 25th November, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation also celebrated the 15th anniversary of its own awards ceremony – the Planetary Health Awards – with three prize winners. Read more on that story here.

 

 

Photo credit: Gaetan Luci, Prince’s Palace