Delano May 2011

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May 2011 – Issue 04 – 4€ – www.delano.lu

DresseD for success: samsa film’s Claude Waringo prepares for Cannes

Understanding LUxemboUrg: Current affairs, business, lifestyle, Culture

01_cover.indd 1 03.05.2011 12:45:36 Uhr

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May 2011 - delano - 3

editorial

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impressumMay - Issue 04

Editor in chief: Duncan Roberts ([email protected]) Journalist: Aaron Grunwald ([email protected]) Contributor: Cordula SchnuerPhotography: Julien Becker, Luc Deflorenne, Etienne Delorme, David Laurent/Wide, Andrés Lejona, Olivier MinaireProofreading: Cynthia Schreiber, Cathy Weber

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In accordance with article 66 of the law of 08.06.2004 on the freedom of expression in the media: the company that publishes Delano is indirectly held, by a stake exceeding 25%, by Mike Koedinger, an independent editor registered in Luxembourg. Mike Koedinger is chartered with daily management.

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JudgingclassroomperformanceText: Duncan Roberts — Illustration: Quentin Vijoux

In an era when performance is judged by results, Luxembourg’s education sys-tem would appear to be in trouble. The latest PISA study in 2009 showed that on nearly all counts the Grand Duchy’s 15-year-olds performed below the OECD average. And, as Jean-Claude Juncker pointed out in his State of the Nation address, far too many youngsters are being left behind. The local educa-tion system appears to work well for those who can keep up with the lan-guage challenge and has produced some world class intellectual talent. But despite their multilingualism, many well-educated Luxembourgers would admit they are, as one contributor to our article in this edition put it, “a Jack of all languages and a master of none”. And that is just the Luxembourgers. Close to two-thirds of school students are non-Luxembourgish, which means they are learning a foreign language before they even begin their formal education. It is a unique situation caused by geo-

graphical and historical circumstances, but the call for some sort of language streaming grows louder every day. There are other problems with the local system. At AMCHAM’s Luxembourg: 2015 event last month, Nicolas Buck said it is too geared towards preparing students for a career in the civil service. Educating youngsters for the “real world”, with qualifications that match the requirements of the economy, is a chal-lenge that clearly needs to be addressed. And that requires reform of the system and a change in attitude from many teachers. Creativity and communication skills need to be encouraged as much as learning by rote. There are plenty of enthusiastic teachers who actively engage with and inspire their charges, and they should be rewarded. Surely the govern-ment’s intention to introduce perform-ance-related criteria for the civil serv-ice--if it ever comes to fruition in the face of strong union opposition--can also be applied to the teaching profession.

02_p3_edito.indd 3 06.05.2011 10:30:33 Uhr

May 2011 - DELANO - 5

CONTENTS

8 52

SNAPSHOTSREGULARS

46

12 ROSE OF TRALEELuxembourg’s Irish community fetes Aisling Mc Inerney with a reception at the residency of the Irish ambassador ahead of a series of public events this summer

32 LUXEMBOURG 2015AMCHAM panel of guest experts debates reform of the education system, integration and national identity as well as infrastructure challenges for the future

COVER STORYCLAUDE WARINGOMaking quality cinemaAs he prepares for Cannes, samsa fi lm co-founder Claude Waringo refl ects onthe state of the local fi lm industry, his company’s achievements over the past 25 years, and why he supports new studio facilities being built in Dudelange.

8 26 56

LIFESTYLENETWORKINGNordic Countries-Belgium-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce

54 GOING NATIVEActivities, people in the news and howto win show-jumping tickets

56 CULTURE CHOICESMalkovich on stage, Cruz on screen and dancing in Hollerich (photo)

58 INTERNATIONAL THEATREDouglas Rintoul on Patrick Marber’s Closer

62 EPICUREANS/NIGHT OWLSPiano bar, terrace picks & Thai fest

26 BUSINESSTIME FOR A JOB CHANGE?Demand for Anglophones is perking up

30 IT SECURITYIs fi nancial data safe in the cloud?

31 OBJECTIVE: OSLOLuxembourg’s trade mission to Norway

34 CANNES FILM FESTIVALLuxembourg & More takes over prime beach

36 VAT RECOVERYYour company could be owed thousands

38 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTCan green buildings be profi table?

CURRENT AFFAIRSTHE SCHOOLS CHALLENGEWhat’s wrong with local education?

14 RUNNING ON EMPTYWill Greens block new fuel depots?

18 PUBLIC SPACESThe Cercle Municipal fi nally reopens

20 LUXEMBOURG WINEA diffi cult vintage produces quality

22 HERITAGE PROJECT“New Luxembourg” underway in Wisconsin

24 CROSS BORDER CULTUREThe 20th Prix d’Art Robert Schuman

40 THINK LOCALDave Evans

42 THE VIEW FROM ABROADItai Horstock

66 MY OTHER LIFEXavier Thillen

03_p5_sommaire.indd 5 05.05.2011 16:40:43 Uhr

A true story:

“One day a raging fire destroyed everything I possessed, including my beloved jewellery. Only one piece survived the inferno practically undamaged: my Wellendorff necklace adorned with a golden angel. After this fire, jewellery has a completely different meaning forme; because it proves that miracles do happen.”

Letter from Inga Lasmane of Riga, Latvia.

This letter is the inspiration for our new collection.It came as a welcome reminder of the true value of jewellery:To offer joy and protection.

Your Golden Angel

No one else can see it, but you know the secret of your Wellendorff ring – a little golden angel is hidden inside.

Read the whole story which inspired us to create this new collection at: www.wellendorff.com/goldenangel

Invitation

Wellendorff-Day "Your Golden Angel" at Goeres JoaillerieFriday, 20th May, 14 - 18 o`clock

Goeres Delano 420x265_Layout 1 02.05.11 11:35 Seite 1

1PDelano.indd 2 02.05.2011 13:47:51 Uhr

A true story:

“One day a raging fire destroyed everything I possessed, including my beloved jewellery. Only one piece survived the inferno practically undamaged: my Wellendorff necklace adorned with a golden angel. After this fire, jewellery has a completely different meaning forme; because it proves that miracles do happen.”

Letter from Inga Lasmane of Riga, Latvia.

This letter is the inspiration for our new collection.It came as a welcome reminder of the true value of jewellery:To offer joy and protection.

Your Golden Angel

No one else can see it, but you know the secret of your Wellendorff ring – a little golden angel is hidden inside.

Read the whole story which inspired us to create this new collection at: www.wellendorff.com/goldenangel

Invitation

Wellendorff-Day "Your Golden Angel" at Goeres JoaillerieFriday, 20th May, 14 - 18 o`clock

Goeres Delano 420x265_Layout 1 02.05.11 11:35 Seite 1

1PDelano.indd 3 02.05.2011 13:48:18 Uhr

Education

The schools challenge One of the first items Jean-Claude Juncker tackled in his State of the Nation address last month was the education system. What are the main challenges facing the government, and what are the alternatives for those seeking an English-language education?Text: Duncan Roberts & Aaron Grunwald — Photos: Luc Deflorenne

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current affairs

samantha O’DeaanD helen clarke: in early years, learning can be effortless

anemOne thOmas:

students get lost in primary school

Pierre GrameGna:

qualifications must match needs of the economy

While Jean-Claude Juncker focused in his State of the Nation address on pro-viding solutions to ensure that children with learning and other difficulties do not get left behind by the system, it is clear that Luxembourg is facing an education challenge on several fronts. Reform of the local system, and the need to meet an increasing demand for Eng-lish-language education to maintain the country’s international competitivity, are the subject of debate among educa-tors and parents, social scientists and business leaders.

language choices

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results over the last decade show that the Grand Duchy is one of the worst performers in the OECD’s worldwide educational evalu-ation. Blame for these poor showings has often been attributed to the fact that the local school system requires children to be proficient in two lan-guages--German and French--at school. All too many students fail a subject, which can then jeopardise their choices for later study, because it is taught in a language with which they struggle.

“Some children can cope with working in both French and German at school. For those who struggle with one or the other, I would like to see more provision of lycée education focusing on a choice of French or German or English,” says Sue Pidgley of the Luxembourgish Schools Support Group. Pierre Gramegna, director of the Lux-embourg Chamber of Commerce, agrees that the multi-lingual system is not suited to everyone. “The Chamber of Com-merce has been saying we should study the possibility for those who come [from abroad] having a lesser commitment to learn Ger-man and French in parallel at the same level as native residents.” He adds: “Oth-erwise people will fail just on language. And if you fail on language, how do you want to succeed in maths, biology and so on?”Swiss mother-of-three Anemone Tho-mas reckons the nation’s high rate of early school-leavers--especially among students coming from Latin-language families--is because students get lost in primary school. “They don’t learn prop-erly what needs to be learned, because it’s all in German.” When she arrived in Luxembourg in 1994, more than two- thirds of pre-school students spoke Luxem-

bourgish at home. The proportion has more or less flipped, with Juncker not-ing in his speech that 61.8 percent of preschoolers today do not speak Lux-embourgish at all.For Nigel Fossey, head of secondary education at St. George’s International School, one of the key challenges is globalisation. “We live in an increasingly globalised world and many international schools are wrestling with the idea of to what extent you provide a truly interna-tional education. Cultural intelligence and awareness of cultural expectations is a concept that is arising in international schools. But the key is also transferability of qualifications, how accepted they are across borders.” St. George’s offers school leavers a range of GCE A levels, but Fossey says the curriculum is now not just looking at content, but also at skills. “Students are going to be expected to have a vast array of skills, communica-tion and creative, at their fingertips.” Pierre Gramegna also wants more of a focus in education on the skills required for the job market. “If the qualifications of people don’t match the needs of the econ-omy, in the long term we will have huge problems,” he says. “That’s the only way

May 2011 - DelanO - 9


current affairs

niGel fOssey: students will be expected to have a vast array of skills

Jean-clauDe Juncker: children should not be sent abroad

you can explain the situation in Luxem-bourg,” which he says is one of the “very few countries in the world where unem-ployment goes up when there’s a net crea-tion of jobs.”

educaTion reform

Gramegna says he is encouraged that Juncker is revisiting the schools reform issue with gusto. “The fact that he started [his speech] with the weaknesses in education, to me, is the best proof that he’s really understood and really believes that fundamental change is necessary,” he says.Blathnaid O’hAnnrachain of the Luxem-bourgish Schools Support Group says that before the introduction of the reforms in September 2009, 25.8 per-cent of children had repeated at least one year of their primary educa-tion. “Any educative system where one-third of the students are failing their final exams needs to be over-hauled,” she says. One of the fundamental changes was the introduction of a “comité de l’école”, made up of members of staff and elected parent representatives. “In the event of problems with the school, the first point of contact should be the class teacher and then the president of the comité, who, in essence,

fulfils the role of headteacher,” explains O’hAnnrachain. But, like everywhere, finding good teachers is not always easy. Luxembourg teachers are notoriously well-paid, especially compared to their counterparts in the state systems in the UK or US, which often leads to ques-tions about some teacher’s motivation in entering the profession. “Teaching should be a vocation,” says Helen Clarke of Sun-flower Montessori crèche. “A teacher has to gain respect not demand it,” adds her colleague, Samantha O’Dea. Juncker said in his address that some 140 specialists, including psychologists, speech therapists and psycho motor therapists are required for the country’s 20 primary school districts. Currently there are 46. “Many families with special needs children have been forced to send their children across the border or to boarding schools in their own countries, as Luxem-bourg does not seem to have the resources, and more importantly, the depth of expe-rience in dealing with these children,” says O’hAnnrachain. Jean-Claude Juncker said that this situation is unacceptable. “We cannot continue sending these [special needs] children abroad, because that is not a solution to their problems,” he said. But

Sue Pidgley is sceptical about the need for psychologists. “I think that teachers can sometimes be too quick to recommend that children see a psychologist or other profes-sional. I wonder if it is an easy option for teachers who would prefer not to deal with more challenging children or needs themselves within the classroom.” Samantha O’Dea thinks many teachers--and not just in Luxembourg--are too quick to apportion blame for failures on the children. “As a teacher you never stop learning,” she says. “Before pointing the finger at the children, teachers should question themselves. I know it is hard, but teachers should ask how they can make lessons more interesting and challenging.”

english language

There is no doubt that English is becoming more and more important in Luxembourg, and providing Eng-lish-language education opportuni-ties for ex-pat employees is vital to attracting international companies to the Grand Duchy. The government and local authorities are providing support for English facilities. Sun-flower crèche, for example, could claim back much of its expenditure on furni-

10 - DelanO - May 2011


current affairs

Information evening

Pre-school and Primary educationThe Luxembourgish Schools Support Group is organising an information evening with teachers from the pre-school and primary school streams and a school inspector. The primary school system will be explained and there will be the opportunity to ask questions and meet other parents.May 19, 19:30, Centre Prince Henri, Salle de projection, Walferdange. Admission €5 per person. www.lssg.lu

ture and equipment. In addition, the family ministry had input with the design of the purpose-built Moutfort crèche, and the commune of Contern was also welcoming. Over at Interna-tional School Luxembourg (ISL), Upper School head Nicki Crush says government support has been fantastic. “We are very grateful and have had posi-tive feedback from them.” And the Athénée, one of the oldest and most prestigious local lycées, has introduced an international baccalaureate pro-gramme in English. “I do welcome the introduction of the International Bac in English,” says Sue Pidgley. “It is a good initiative, but is only a solution for lycée students who tend to be very academic. A solution for state education focused on Eng-lish, but accessible to less academically-inclined students would be helpful.”ISL has seen its student body almost double in the ten years since it moved to its new site, and further expansion is a clear indication of increasing demand for English-language education. And it is not just those temporary families who are sending children to the school. “Seven percent of our students are Luxembourgish. Their parents see English as in important

language to learn,” says Nicki Crush. But even children of “ex-pats” often return to Luxembourg to find work after com-pleting their higher education abroad. “An increasing number of our graduates are looking at Luxembourg as their home, their permanent residence. It is a very attractive place to live and work. And that is one way we are giving back to the economy.” At Sunflower, O’Dea believes that Luxembourg would be educationally richer if the government looked more closely at early years education. “Maria Montessori said that from birth to age six are the most important in a child’s life. We need to ensure that separation from mother is a positive experience for the child. Get it wrong, and I believe it will stay with the child forever.” In addition, children at an early age can learn that education can be fun, boosting their self-esteem and confidence for later years. The Sunflower team believes that learning to read and write can be taught much earlier--in Spillschoul from the age of four, for example. “We shouldn’t be educating chil-dren by putting information in front of them and asking them to feed it back. They should physically be part of the learning process.”

Dav

id La

uren

t/Wide

(arc

hive

s)

nicki crush: government support for English-language schools has been fantastic

BlathnaiD O’hannrachain: lack of resources for special needs

May 2011 - DelanO - 11


12 - DELANO - May 201112 - DELANO - May 2011

SNAPSHOTS

Britta Borne� , Carole Miltgen and David Micallef

Irish ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary

in conversation with Sinéad O’Donnell

Carolyn Milne, Brian Killeen, Therese Collins and Steve Moynihan

Last year’s Rose Clare McGing,

master of ceremonies Dominique Vitali and 2011 Luxembourg Rose Aisling Mc Inerney

Luxembourg Rose of Tralee president

Deirdre Ecock with Niamh Huggard

Ambassador O’Leary and his wife Emma pose with the former and current Roses

Irish ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary and his wife Emma hosted a reception for the Luxembourg Rose of Tralee committee and Luxembourg’s repre-sentative for the 2011 contest, Aisling Mc Inerney, at their residence in mid-April. Aisling, the 2010 runner-up, takes over the crown from Clare McGing without the traditional Luxembourg contest because of a change in qualifi -cation rules for European Roses. Rather than compete for the right to represent Luxembourg with other candidates based in the Grand Duchy, she will now have to compete in international heats in Portlaoise, in County Laois, to try and make it to the fi nal selection at the Tralee festival in August.Nevertheless, in its tenth anniversary year, the popular Luxembourg Rose Ball will still go ahead at the Hotel Royal on July 2. Before that, the tra-ditional fund-raising Boogie Nights 70s/80s disco takes place at the Black Stuff on May 14 and plans are also afoot to stage the annual Rose of Tralee karaoke event. DRwww.rose.lu

Rose of Tralee 2011

AISLING WEARS THE CROWNPhotos: Luc Defl orenne

06_p12_picturereport_a.indd 12 05.05.2011 12:44:12 Uhr

HIGHLIGHTS IN REAL ESTATE

T 26 47 76 www.livin.lu

VENTES, LOCATIONS, TOUS SERVICES IMMOBILIERS

1PDelano.indd 1 05.05.2011 9:53:05 Uhr

current affairs

DATE LINEApril - May 2011

The operating permits for most of the Grand Duchy’s wholesale storage tanks stocking petrol, diesel and home heat-ing fuel will expire between 2012 and 2019, and due to European regulations there is no chance the licenses will be renewed. The government’s replacement proposal--to build two new sites in Bascharage and Luxembourg-Merl, and expand the existing site in Mertert--has met with stiff opposition from environmental groups who say the plan does not do enough to address climate change.European rules revised in 2005 require a safety zone between industrial sites handling dangerous materials, and areas with housing, commercial facilities and transportation infrastructure, explains Etienne Schneider, director general for

economic development, new technolo-gies and energy, at the ministry of economy and foreign trade. Housing and commercial sites have simply been built too close to today’s fuel depots in Bertrange, Cessange, Leudelange and Findel.Schneider says the government took two years to study alternative sites, before fi nding locations that were large enough to accommodate tanks, safety zones and logistics facilities. In order to avoid traffi c congestion, the sites also had to be relatively near the major-ity of petrol consumers (meaning the south and centre of Luxembourg), and be accessible via the existing links used to transport petrol (a rail line from Belgium and the Moselle River from Germany).

However, Luxembourg greens say the actual site selection process has been too opaque.

OpAQUe decISION?

“The government says, ‘we have found two areas, believe us, those are the best,’” says Blanche Weber, president of the environmental association Mouvement Ecologique. “We want to have facts why those two areas have been chosen, why oth-ers were not.” While acknowledging the need for a safety zone creates a unique challenge, “are there other areas corre-sponding to the criteria, other than the two chosen by the government?” she asks. “There is by far not enough transparency into why these areas have been chosen.”In addition, Weber questions the need for building such a large quantity of

Fuel depots

RUNNINGON eMpTyLuxembourg’s oil storage facilities must close by the end of the decade, but greens are opposed to the government’s plan to build replacement sites. Will the Grand Duchy run out of gas?Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: Olivier Minaire

AID INCREASESThe OECD announced 2010 development

assistance was the highest ever at US$129 billion. Luxembourg gave US$399 million, 1.09% of its GNI. One of fi ve countries to meet the United Nations’ 0.7% target, it ranked second after Norway and ahead of Sweden.

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ELECTRICITY FLATEnovos Luxembourg CEO Jean Lucius said

electricity prices should remain stable this year, with probable increases in 2012. He added that Enovos has acknowledged the demand for green energies with, for example, investments in North Sea wind farms.

CRIME RATE DROPSPolice announced the

2010 crime rate dropped by 5.7% from 2009. Minors com-mitted 12.5% of all reported crime, up from 11.2%. Crimes against persons rose by 4.3% to 6,132 offences. Police say Luxembourg remains safe.

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14 - delano - May 2011

04_p14-16_current affairs_calendar.indd 14 05.05.2011 16:44:10 Uhr

current affairs

storage capacity. The government, she says, has made its plan “as if we would need the same quantity of fuel in the future as today. But we would like to talk about climate change and the need to reduce our energy consumption. We would like to talk about better insulation, electric mobility and the expansion of renewable energy. So we think that we need new calculations about the real needs of Luxembourg, if we are going to address climate change, alter-native energy and energy savings.”In fact, the petroleum industry does recognise that “the long term tendency in the oil market is that sales will decrease,” says René Winkin, secretary general of the Luxembourg Petroleum Asso-ciation. “That’s what energy and climate policy is about.” However, the current Bertrange facility represents more than

60 percent of Luxembourg’s fuel storage capacity, he states. “Oil will not disappear in the coming decades. Someone who says we don’t need storage because we have decided to stop using oil, that’s the wrong decision.” Winkin believes new facilities are needed, since it is impossible that demand in the Grand Duchy will decrease by such a correspondingly large amount in such a short period of time.

TANK TOURISM

Schneider calls the critiques of “tank tourism”--drivers specifically coming to the Grand Duchy to buy cheaper pet-rol--somewhat skewed. That’s because “all the crossborder commuters are consid-ered ‘tourists.’ That’s not true. They just work here. They’ve got the right to get their petrol here. They go to Cactus [then fill up

CULTURE WORKERSOne and a half million people worked as writ-

ers or artists in the EU27 in 2009, or 0.7% of total employment, said Eurostat. Finland and Swe-den had the highest percentage of creatives in the workforce (1.5), while Luxembourg had the European average.

MIGRANT DISCORDEU home affairs min-isters met in Luxem-

bourg to discuss the influx of mi-grants from North Africa enter-ing Italy, but resolved little. Rome said the EU was not supporting it during a crisis and angered neighbours by issuing Schengen zone visas to refugees.

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MTE

The labour minister visited Wiltz during “employment day”.

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NUCLEAR SUMMITPrime minister Juncker met with Greater Re-

gion government chiefs in Metz to discuss new EU stress tests for nuclear facilities. The leaders want to tackle safety concerns about the Cattenom power plant and improve the region’s civil protection plan.

yOU’d hAve TO RAISe OUR vAT TO 23 peRceNT”

etienne schneider: the government took two years to develop the most realistic plan possible

on their way home] and there’s no harm done anyway.” In terms of actual fuel tourists, “that’s right, we could try to get rid of them,” he says. However, “we would have to raise our prices to the highest price of our neighbours, which would mean prices would go up 20 to 30 cents per litre.”He says petrol tourism also accounts for ten percent of government revenues: “It’s 1.2 billion euro in petrol duties, and taxes on cigarettes and alcohol sold at the same time.” To make up the shortfall in the Grand Duchy’s budget, “you’d have to raise our VAT to 23 percent, just for exam-ple, on everything sold in Luxembourg.”“That’s not the point,” responds Weber. “Naturally frontaliers should be able to buy fuel if they want to. The point is: does our government want to build out the



current affairs

DUCK RACENearly 10,000 little yellow ducks entered

the Round Table Luxembourg’s annual fundraiser. Each duck cost €5 with proceeds this year going to charities in Mau-ritius and Romania. The owner of the fi rst-placed duck won a new Renault Twingo.

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NOT ILLEGALBeing in Europe ille-gally is not in itself a

jailable offense, ruled the Euro-pean Court of Justice in Luxem-bourg. The court said that Italy violated European law when it sentenced an alien to a year in prison after he failed to obey a deportation order.

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economy, reduce it or what is the strategy? And when does Luxembourg fi nally, really, make an effort to offer attractive public transport for frontaliers?”She continues: “And again, we want facts! What is the strategy of the government to reduce fuel consumption, to reduce energy consumption? On what numbers are the plans for the two fuel depots based? In 30 or 40 years, all the fuel reserves of the world will be exhausted. So our country--like all countries--needs an energy strategy to cope with this situation. But our government does not have one yet. It only plans fuel depots with capacities as if a gradual shift from fuel and gas to energy savings and renewables would not be needed.”Winkin counters that reduced con-sumption is built into the government’s plan, as over-capacity in a declining

market would be a bad investment for energy companies. In addition, Weber is concerned about the environmental impact of the pro-posed sites. For example, construction in Bascharage would involve the con-struction of a bypass to provide a direct route from the depot to the A13 high-way. However, Weber states the bypass “would go straight through a site of very high natural value.” Winkin defends the government’s proposed bypass, saying it will reduce road congestion and therefore air pol-lution in the neighbourhood.

pUBLIc RevIeW

Schneider says the government is pre-paring environmental impact reports for the three projects, which he expects

will be published later this year and will be followed by a public comment period. “If, during the public consultation procedure, people come and say there’s a problem which doesn’t fi t with the envi-ronmental protection laws, we will have to get an answer. If [the objecting member of the public] is right, there’s a problem and we don’t have a solution,” then the gov-ernment might have to stop or modify the project.For her part, Weber does not feel that green voices are going totally unheard. She says of the government: “On the one hand, they want to consider arguments advanced by us. On the other side, they frequently seem to search for ‘easy solu-tions’,” and do not consider “ long-term necessities, even though it is in the interest of future generations.”

Blanche WeBer: the government’s decision making process

is too opaque and fails to address climate change goals

renÉ WinKin: safe fuel storage is still needed during the transition from oil to renewables

mye

nerg

y

More than 2,500 visited the myenergy days fair.

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511,840 STATEC said Luxembourg’s

population rose 2% in 2010.

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current affairs

Following its invite-only official inaugu-ration on April 29, an open-house week-end attracted thousands of guests to the Cercle. They wanted to look at the reno-vation work and the new conference cen-tre that links the stately building to the modern Cité complex across the rue Génistre. Guests were treated to per-formance art and exhibitions of dance, finger food and behind the scenes tours.Inaugurated in September 1910, the Cercle was originally used as admin-istration offices by the city of Luxem-bourg and later as the headquarters of the European Steel and Coal Commu-nity--the forerunner of the European Union. More recently it has been used to host exhibitions and public events, as well as banquets during state visits by the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and French president François Mitterrand.Work carried out includes the strength-ening of floors and installation of sophisticated safety equipment, partic-ularly in the Grande Salle and the Salon Bleu on the so-called bel étage level.

The new fifth floor conference centre comprises four state-of-the-art meeting rooms and a 48-seat auditorium and is linked to the Cité via a glass walkway.The Cité complex was opened in Janu-ary 2010, a year after the inauguration of the new municipal library on its ground floor. And the old Ratskeller has also been transformed into an exhibi-tion space with a separate entrance. The total cost of the project ran to some 38 million euro--21 million to renovate and restore the Cercle and 17 million to build the Cité.On either side of the grand main entrance, smaller spaces house public institutions connected to the city. The former city tourist office is now the City- shopping Info Point, managed by the Union Commerciale de la Ville de Lux-embourg and inaugurated on April 28. The space on the other side will eventu-ally house the city’s Youth Bureau, which will provide families and youngsters with information about activities in the city. DR

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enne Performance art: Trixie Weis stands on the balcony of the restored Cercle

Public building

The CerCle re-opens Perhaps the most prestigious public building in Luxembourg, the Cercle Municipal on the place d’Armes, has re-opened after five years of renovation and remodelling work. Right to reply

SchluechthauS Last month you wrote about how the plans of den Atelier to move into the former slaughterhouse in Hollerich were derailed. Allow me to set the record straight. What caused the opposition was the fact that public interest should take precedence over private business interests. But instead of going through a democratic process of consultation and debate, the mayor tried to push through a project accounting only for the interests of his business partners. Moreover, neither we nor the local residents are against any project being realised on said site. Indeed, on several occasions, we spoke out in favour of a youth and cultural centre consisting of several rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, dance studios, a bar, etc. Cultural policy must not only enable passive consumption but also support active creation. However, den Atelier was opposed to this. That might be its role; but that of politicians must be to look further than the short term profit of private interests. If populism means looking out for the public interest instead of the interests of just one private company, if it means supporting creation in arts rather than consu - merism, if it means fighting for a transparent democratic process instead of shady backroom deals, then yes, we’re populists. And in that case, every politician should be.

Christophe Schiltz, President, Luxembourg City Socialists (LSAP)

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1PDelano.indd 1 04.05.2011 16:06:57 Uhr

current affairs

Yves sunnen (with corinne Kox-sunnen): difficult harvest but quality produce

Wine growers along the Moselle have rarely, in recent times at least, been as concerned about the quality of their produce as when unveiling the 2010 vintages this spring. Not only was total production down by an average of around 20 percent on the previous year, but difficult, at times atrocious, weather conditions during the critical period of the 2010 harvest had left many grape varieties suffering from rot. However, those vintners who took their time and carefully selected only the very best grapes for production, and then lovingly prepared them in the cellar, appear to have been rewarded with wines packed with potential. The policy of less is more that has been the watchword of producers, especially independent wine makers, since the early 1990s continues to pay off.Yves Sunnen, head of Domaine SunnenHoffmann in Remerschen, explains that he lost up to 40 percent of his harvest last year as his pickers battled with everchanging conditions. Sunnen would check the vines late afternoon, but by evening rain and wind could have affected their status drastically. “It was my 24th harvest as a vintner, but I have never suffered so much,” says Sunnen,

whose family domain dates back to 1872 and which he now runs with his sister, Corinne KoxSunnen. He explains that two ladies who have helped him harvest for many years were almost in tears when they saw the state of the grapes. “It is obvious that under such difficult con-ditions we could not expect blockbuster wines like those we produced in 2009,” he says. “But we wanted to produce nice, clean but well-rounded wines.”

Sunnen belongs to a new generation of wine makers who have brought innovative techniques and specialist expertise to the Moselle. They have not been afraid to seek advice from foreign oenologists, which has often led to an improvement in quality that is now winning new respect for Luxembourg’s wines among foreign wine writers and juries at international competitions. But Sunnen has gone a step further and

Wine

Quality wins out againLuxembourg’s vintners have unveiled their 2010 vintages. Despite difficult conditions during last year’s harvest, top producers have once again managed to produce some classy Moselle wines. Text: Duncan Roberts — Photos: Olivier Minaire


04_p20-21_current affairs_article2pages.indd 20 05.05.2011 16:45:52 Uhr

current affairs

2010 vintage

Eight picksSunnen-Hoffmann Auxerrois Wintrange Hommelsbierg: a beautifully crisp and spicy wine, perfect for an aperitifSunnen-Hoffmann Pinot Gris Schwebsange Kolteschbierg: a fully rounded wine, with a mineral aroma and great potential Sunnen-Hoffmann Riesling Wintrange Felsbierg: 70-year old vines give this elegant wine added complexity Sunnen-Hoffmann Cuvée L. et F.: Luxembourg’s first organic crémant is deliciously refined Clos des Rochers Auxerrois Grevenmacher Fels: fresh with hints of pear and pineapple and a long finish Clos des Rochers Pinot Blanc Grevenmacher Fels: crisp but well-rounded and almost peachy wine Thill Riesling Château de Schen-gen: a classic of its kind, with plenty of minerals Clos des Rochers dr. Frederic Clasen crémant: a special edition sparkling wine with a creamy finish www.bernard-massard.com www.caves-sunnen.lu

we want to make gastronomy wines”

Hubert Clasen (Bernard-Massard)

is this year celebrating the domain’s tenth anniversary as an organic producer. That means he adheres to strict growing criteriacontrolled by an institute for organic agriculture in Karlsruheand has had to install signs forbidding helicopters from spraying his vine yards with pesticides. In between the rows of vines at his Hommelsbierg plantations up to 40 varieties of weed and grass have been sown to help provide the necessary nutrients for the soil. The results are well worth tasting and this year SunnenHoffmann has launched Luxembourg’s first ever organic crémant, the Cuvée L. et F., made from 45% Riesling, 23% each of Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc and 9% Chardonnay. “This is definitely a Riesling year,” says Sunnen during a tasting with local wine journalists, many of whom are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the domain’s 2010 vintages and use adjectives such as “ fresh, long, elegant” to describe the wines. Pinot Gris wines, on the other hand, proved more difficult to make as the grapes took in too much water and many ended up rotting. Further down the Moselle in Grevenmacher, BernardMassard is best known for its crémants, such as its Cuvée de l’Ecusson flagship, but also produces some excellent wines under its own brand as well as under the Domaine Thill and Domaine Clos des Rochers labels. If Yves Sunnen epitomises the younger

generation of hands on winegrower, then BernardMassard’s executive director Hubert Clasen is exactly how you would picture a gentleman vintner. Charming and with an English sense of style and humour, he has worked for the Grevenmacher wine maker since the age of 30his grandfather, Bernard Clasen, was a cofounder of the house alongside Jean BernardMassard in 1921. “That was a historical year for Luxem-bourg,” says Clasen. “New markets were emerging thanks to the economic union with Belgium and the opening up of Germany.” He says the 2010 wines still need time to reach their potential, but Clasen and technical director Freddy Sinner are generally pleased with the vintage. “The wines we have produced are in line with our house charter,” says Clasen. “We want to make gastronomy wines. We are think-ing long term and that has been our approach for the last ten years.” Sinner explains that Rieslings did not suffer as much because they were harvested late, but that the Pinots did grow very quickly and didn’t have time to “fix” their aroma or taste before the bad weather when the soil really started to “ fall apart”. Nevertheless, BernardMassard does not seem to have suffered the dramatic fall in production of some other houses and many of the Domaine Thill and Clos des Rochers wines show great potential for laying down in a cellar for a few years.


04_p20-21_current affairs_article2pages.indd 21 05.05.2011 16:45:57 Uhr

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Having inaugurated the Luxembourg American Cultural Center in the town of Belgium, Wisconsin, last August, the Luxembourg American Cultural Soci-ety (LACS) is now busy working on another development project, a settle-ment named New Luxembourg. During the recent visit, LACS representatives informed members of its Luxembourg-based counterpart, the Roots and Leaves Association, of progress. The village is planned around the new cultural centre, which incorporates the Mamer-Hansen barn, a restored Luxem-bourg stone farm building dating from 1872. The last of its kind in the state, it was carefully dismantled from its original site and transported and rebuilt to accom-modate the cultural centre’s museum. A second, modern building, houses a research centre. The new settlement will include family housing but also homes for the elderly and a square named after Grand Duke Jean. Director of the Luxembourg American Cultural Center, Kevin Wester and Dave Perrot, incoming

LACS president, detailed future develop-ments for the site and also revealed plans to kick-start a university internship programme at the cultural centre. The group was given a tour of the Hugo Gernsback exhibition at the Centre National de Littérature by one of its curators, Paul Lesch, and met with former head civil servant at the cultural ministry Guy Dockendorff and former director of the Service des sites et mon-uments nationaux, Georges Calteux. Wester was keen to thank them and successive ministers of culture, François Biltgen and Octavie Modert, for their support for the cultural centre project. The cultural centre will be the focus of a weekend of celebrations in August when it hosts a four-day Luxembourg Heritage Weekend including a gala dinner, parade and pageant. “Our ances-tors left their hearts here,” said Wester. “But they felt they had to leave for a better life. We have roots here; our heritage in Luxembourg makes us who we are.” DRwww.luxamculturalsociety.org

Luxembourg-US relations

VISIT REVEALS PROGRESSA delegation from the Luxembourg American Cultural Society was in the Grand Duchy at the beginning of April to report on progress of its projects in Wisconsin.

IT'S BEEN A GOOD OR BAD MONTH FOR:

TESSY SCHOLTES

The former sportswoman of the year (left with Luc Frieden and Mariette Zenners) became the youngest member of parliament in the current Chambre des deputes after being sworn in onto the CSV benches. But a scandal over her status as a trainee teacher left her in a precarious position.

ROAD USERSThe number of deaths on Luxem-bourg‘s roads dropped to just 32 in 2010, the best fi gures recorded since 1947. The number of accidents involving death or injury fell by ten percent to 787. However, nearly half of the deaths involved young drivers or passengers between the ages of 18 and 24.

JUKKA VUORIThe Finnish engineer, resident in Luxembourg, briefl y saw his 2008 idea of an escalator to the Kirchberg from a new train station in Pfaffenthal being reconsidered by the transport ministry. But a few days later, according to Point 24, the ministry seemed to have given preference to the idea of a funicular cable car system.

PIERRE FELLERThe 25-year-old worker at the Ponts et Chaussées won Germany’s third annual offi ce chair race, and even made it into the pages of The Sun in the UK. Feller beat 63 challengers to win the 200-metre downhill race in Bad Konig, Hessen, in a record time of 26.95 seconds.

(left with Luc Frieden and Mariette Zenners) became the youngest member of parliament in the current Chambre des deputes after being sworn in onto the CSV benches. But a scandal over her status as

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e KEVIN WESTER: grateful to Luxembourg for cultural centre support

22 - DELANO - May 2011

04_p22_current affairs_news2-3page.indd 22 05.05.2011 17:02:37 Uhr

www.vdl.luOne site fits all.Whether you visit, work or live in the

City of Luxembourg, our new website

offers you all the info you need.

02990_ann_vdl.lu_Delano_05-11.indd 1 03.05.11 16:35

The biennial Prix d’Art Robert Schuman is a collaboration between the cities of Luxembourg, Metz, Saarbrücken and Trier. “Good art doesn’t know any borders” says curator Dr. Sabine Dor scheid, who has selected a diverse quartet of Lux-embourg artists for this year’s competi-tion. Christophe de la Fontaine, based in Milan, incorporates his experiences as a designer into his art. Catherine Lorent, working in Luxembourg and Berlin, uses painting to create new and ironic connections. Armand Quetsch, who recently moved back to Luxem-bourg from Brussels, works in the medium of photography, and Berlin-based artist Danielle Scheuer will con-tribute a sculptural work.Dorscheid says that bringing 16 artists together in the final exhibition, taking place in the newly refurbished Cercle-Cité from May 20 to July 10, is an excit-ing but challenging opportunity. All the pieces must come together in a har-monic way, “ like a puzzle.” Working with the other curators and artists “can be complicated” says Dor-scheid, but she emphasises that it is

Sabine DorScheiD: good art doesn’t recognise borders

important to maintain these links, and that language is no barrier. With a 10,000 euro endowment, the Prix d’Art Robert Schuman ranks highly in com-parison to other European art prizes. Nevertheless, Dorscheid says there is still scope to widen the network and open up the contest. Luxembourg is taking a first step by appointing Belgian curator and museum director Joost Declercq alongside Luxembourg judge Danièle Wagener.With each city sending two judges, the process of choosing the winner is a mixture of open discussion as well as anonymous voting. Local patriotism should not play a role in the decision. Considering that all artists work trans-nationally Dorscheid says that they don’t belong to any one country and that “the best artist should win.”This year’s anniversary edition will include a special catalogue. The organis-ers want to create “something that lasts” once the exhibition is over. Together with the new venue, Dorscheid hopes that this year will be “truly spectacu-lar.” CS

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Culture

Art prize AnniversAry The 20th edition of the Prix d’Art Robert Schuman, being held in Luxembourg, shows that culture can cross borders.

Royal wedding

Celebratingnuptials in art Close to 100 primary and secondary students from St. George’s International School took part in an art competition organised in collaboration with the British Embassy Luxembourg to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middelton. A short list of 17 paintings was made by the school and a jury of representatives from institutions with links to the UK--including the British Chamber of Commerce, the Anglican Church, British Ladies Club, RAFA, British-Luxembourg Society, Telstar Scouts and British Guides, 352 Lux Mag and Ara City Radio--chose three winners. “The paintings capture the glorious celebration,” said Amanda Ross McDowell, chargé d’affaires at the embassy. She hosted a lunch for the jury guests at the embassy residence the day before the wed-ding. The three winning paintings --two from the primary short-list and one from the secondary school section--will be sent to the happy couple.

www.st-georges.lu

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24 - Delano - May 2011

04_p24_current affairs_news2/3page.indd 24 06.05.2011 11:33:57 Uhr

Mudamloves you !

Be part of an exciting celebration weekend presented to you by Mudam on 2 and 3 July 2011. Find out more at www.mudam.lu/5yearsMudam Luxembourg, I. M. Pei Architect Design.

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Mudam_loves_you.indd 1 4/05/11 9:27:23

BUSINESS


MERGED BANK UPBGL BNP Paribas re-ported a “steep rise

in consolidated net profit” of €277 million in 2010, com-pared to €6.2 million in 2009. The jump is mainly due to for-mer BNP Paribas Luxembourg’s business, which merged with former Fortis assets last year.

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Recruitment

TIME FORA JOB CHANGE?There is increasing demand in Luxembourg for English fl uencyand Anglophone country qualifi cations, say recruiters. But has the Grand Duchy’s employment market really rebounded?Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: David Laurent/Wide

restructuring, with job changes as a result of change not growth.

REPLACEMENT ROLES

O’Donnell adds that employers have exact profi les in mind. “Last year we had lots of redundancies… now [compa-nies] have opened two or three replace-ment roles, where they need the skill set.” She explains that a few years ago, “You’d have a lot of general roles,” while today’s open jobs are geared towards those with particular expertise within, for example, risk management, legal or accounting. “The more generalist profi les? We don’t have so many opportunities for them at the moment. It is very, very skills specifi c.”

After a few rough years, recruiters remain cautiously optimistic but do say the Grand Duchy’s job market is perk-ing up. Those focused on English-speaking roles say there is ever more interest in the language, as well as increased specialisation, both in terms of what employers are looking for and in terms of recruitment fi rms themselves.“A lot of people are talking about a huge increase in jobs opening in the market, but that’s not the case,” says Sinéad O’Donnell, co-founder of DO Recruitment Advi-sors. “A lot of the jobs that are opening are replacements. There are very, very few newly created roles. [It] may feel like there’s been a pickup, but the recruitment process is much longer. We’ve had some

recruitments that take four to six months” for senior roles, which means the same positions may linger on job boards for weeks.Nevertheless, Darren Robinson, director at Badenoch & Clark in Luxembourg, reckons it is a good time for job changes for both sides of the equation. “For the fi rst time in a long time, people are more comfortable leaving their current employ-ers than they were 18 to 24 months ago, when nobody was really sure whether it was the right moment to change. Now people are feeling more comfortable that if they change, they’ ll still be employed in six months’ time.” Robinson admits that a large portion of current recruitment in Luxembourg is driven by corporate

DATE LINEApril - May 2011

EU CUTS STEEL FINESThe European Com-

mission reduced price fixing fines for 17 European steel companies, after they com-plained they were unable to pay. ArcelorMittal’s fi ne was cut by 80% from €230 million to just under €48 million.

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INFLATION RISES AGAINConsumer inflation

rose to 3.7% in March, accord-ing to STATEC. This means that inflation accelerated for the fourth month in a row, with high oil prices mainly to blame. The cost of petroleum products in-creased 20% over the past year.

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05_p26-28_business_calendar.indd 26 05.05.2011 12:51:28 Uhr

BUSINESS


AGRIA FINEThe CSSF fi ned Lux-embourg-listed Agria

Finance an unspecifi ed amount for failing to publish 2008 and 2009 annual fi nancial reports and half-yearly reports in 2009 and 2010. The Italy-based fi rm also failed to respond to the fi -nancial regulator’s inquiries.

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Frank Wagener was named chair of the Luxembourg bourse.

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OLE ROED:

English has become the linguafranca of Luxembourg professionals

CHRISTOPHER PURDY:

understanding the Anglophone businessperspective is as important as fl uency

At the same time, there are new posi-tions being created in the Grand Duchy. “We’re seeing lots of international clients coming to Luxembourg and setting up new structures and new operations,” says Chris-topher Purdy, director at Greenfi eld, which is active in the accounting and legal areas. He is seeing British legal professionals being “very, very sought after,” specifi cally those with Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administra-tors qualifi cations. “It’s a very Anglo-cen-tric company secretary qualifi cation, but it’s been quite in demand in Luxembourg for UK and US fund businesses. Because they want the same level and same standards of corporate governance and compliance as you’d fi nd in London or New York.”

Just as important for client-facing posi-tions is the “Anglo-centric business” per-spective, Purdy believes. “This isn’t to say you’ve got to be a native English speaker, but you have to be fl uent and have ‘that’ understanding of business practices” in Anglophone countries.

ENGLISH IMPORTANCE

By the same token, English language capabilities continue to gain importance. Over the past 20 years, Nigel Plump-ton, partner at Harvey Weston--which concentrates on recruitment of fi nancial services professionals--has seen English become the primary business language and “quite a marked shift away from Ger-man to French as the second language of

the population active in Luxembourg.” This shift includes Luxembourg’s cross-border commuters. Plumpton notes French frontaliers have switched en masse from speaking German to Eng-lish as their second tongue. “I went to the retirement party last night for a Ger-man banker,” recounts Ole Roed, another partner at Harvey Weston. “There were mostly Germans there, but also a good mix of nationalities. Three senior German bankers spoke, and all three spoke in Eng-lish. And good English. A few years ago they would have spoken in German.”Plumpton predicts “the Anglophonic trend will continue more rapidly as we start going into India and China and emerging mar-kets, where English is the second language

CARGOLUX DEAL?Qatar Airways will buy a 35% stake in

Cargolux, a source told paper-Jam.lu. The source said the deal is worth between €100-150 million and could be offi cially signed after Cargolux’s board meeting on May 23. The air cargo company refused to comment.

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Ernst & Young forecast for 2011 Eurozone GDP growth.

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1,5%1,5%


BUSINESS


BANNER YEARLombard Int’l Assur-ance posted record

results. New business premium income was €3.54 bill., up 15% from 2009, and funds under management jumped to €20 bill. compared to €16.25 bill. in 2009. The fi rm expects sales “to continue rising in 2011.”

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Luc Frieden met with EU’s new chief bank regulator (photo).

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SINÉAD O'DONNELL: employers are looking for ultra-specialised profi les

DARREN ROBINSON: Luxembourg employers look favourablyon UK qualifi cations

the year, “I imagine it will continue pretty much as it is for the moment,” she says. “Companies are still replacing, and maybe opening some newly created roles. The nature of the business in Luxembourg is changing. Companies are still outsourcing. Jobs are still moving out of Luxembourg, so the roles that are opening are more sen-ior, they’re more technical. There’s more added value to roles in Luxembourg these days. Most of the operational roles have moved out and will continue to do so.”Purdy is more optimistic: “For the fi rst time we’re actually seeing some candidates come onto the market and then being offered two or three jobs. We haven’t seen that for three years. And now it’s happened a few times within the last month.”

and French and German will not feature.” He adds: “It means there are going to be people who’ve been working in the more traditional European environment, who will fi nd themselves no longer of great added value.”

SPECIALISATION

As for native English speakers, “There is a preconceived notion that in Luxembourg you need multiple languages,” says Robin-son, whose fi rm focuses on the banking and accounting fi elds. “It can be an advan-tage, but in accounting it’s not necessary,” he says, noting the strong current demand in the Grand Duchy for UK qualifi ed accountants. He sees Luxembourg recruit-ers becoming increasingly specialised. “If

you’ve got consultants that only focus on one discipline, they understand the market better. They’re faster.” That is one reason he set up a practice dedicated to private law fi rm positions earlier this year. “More and more people... are looking for a recruitment fi rm to represent them to organisations.” He says senior lawyers need a discreet agent to avoid rumours spreading around in what is still a relatively small job market. “I’m fi nding many other people in private banking and fund services, especially those with more senior profi les, require this type of approach.”Yet recruiters have a mixed outlook for the remainder of 2011. “We’re not out of the water yet, we’re not over the tough times,” says O’Donnell. For the rest of

Headcount increase reported by CSSF last year.

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12%12%WEB STARTUPThe economy minis-ter said three state-

backed investment fi rms took a stake in German web security company regify. The start-up’s new Luxembourg subsidiary will serve as the fi rm’s international hub. Regify’s fi rst Benelux cus-tomer is P&T Luxembourg.


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Business

Cloud computing provides huge cost and time advantages over traditional IT, but Luxembourg lags in its adap-tion rate, experts say. One main reason is the Grand Duchy’s strict data pro-tection laws, which require financial institutions to keep all electronic infor-mation physically inside Luxembourg’s borders. Yet the industry is cautiously moving towards the cloud, as workable solutions become available.An Ernst & Young survey last year found that 79 percent of Luxembourg respondents--about half of whom were in financial services--“are not planning to move towards cloud comput-ing,” reports Piet-Hein Prince, senior manager of IT risk and assurance at the firm’s Luxembourg office. “That is almost a mirror image of the rest of the world.”According to his colleague, Maxime Briere, 100 percent of Luxembourg companies cited “data leakage” as the main risk. “Surprisingly zero percent of Luxembourg respondents found perform-ance management a risk.” At the same time, 75 percent of Luxembourg firms said they would consider using cloud solutions if providers were officially certified.

Clear benefits

The attraction comes down to simple economics. “Rolling out a server in your own environment might take you a couple days to a couple of weeks,” says Patrick Dalvinck, Benelux region director at Trend Micro. Just as an individual user could use Google’s email service, “If you go to a cloud, with a couple clicks of a mouse,

all of a sudden you’ve got your additional infrastructure up and running.”At Luxembourg’s financial institu-tions today, “the closer you get to core data, the more hesitant they are to put it in the cloud,” explains Bernard Moreau, CEO at Lab Group, a storage vendor certified by Luxembourg’s financial regulator. “Some of them do use the cloud for particular purposes. The main goal is not to move all applications, but just some specific applications,” such as mar-keting or website content, “where they can distinguish between critical and non-critical data.” However, he says, “There’s no black and white [rule], you just have to find the balance” that works for each firm.

Dalvinck reckons there are security advantages to be found in the cloud. Instead of putting performance-sap-ping programmes directly on a server or a PC, Trend Micro can checks inter-net traff ic against a more powerful cloud-based system, and verify the physical location of servers that access data. He says his company is currently negotiating a deal to implement this new technology with one of Luxem-bourg’s largest banks.As for the risk of breaching the Grand Duchy’s specific regulations, Moreau admits “with cloud computing you could access the data from anywhere in the world. But it’s not because you can that you do.”

Information technology

safe in the Cloud?Luxembourg financial firms have been missing out on the cloud computing craze because of the Grand Duchy’s strict data regulations. Might that be changing?Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Olivier Minaire

Patrick Dalvinck: hopes cloud-based security strikes the right chord with Luxembourg’s financial institutions

30 - Delano - May 2011

05_p30_business_news1page.indd 30 05.05.2011 16:48:39 Uhr

Business

When the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess visit Norway May 30-June 1 with the foreign and trade ministers, they will be accompanied by a couple dozen Luxembourg business executives hoping to boost trade and investment between the two countries.According to STATEC, last year Lux-embourg exported about 50 million euro worth of goods to Luxembourg--mainly metals and metal products--and imported goods valued at approximately two and half million euro, more than half of which was machines and appliances.While the economic mission is multi-sectoral in nature, three industries are being highlighted, says Carlo Thelen, head of the international department at the Luxembourg Chamber of Com-merce. Roundtables and matchmaking events in Oslo will focus on the renew-able energy and eco-technology, health-care and finance spaces. The tour will continue to Trondheim, home to sev-eral of Norway’s science and technol-ogy universities and research centres.Being part of a state visit “opens a lot of doors” for Luxembourg firms, explains Thelen. For example, member compa-nies can invite key Norwegian contacts to the official reception with both heads of state, which will be held at Oslo’s city hall. “That is always very interesting” when building relationships with customers and partners.One company joining the visit is Société Electrique de l’Our (SEO), Luxem-bourg’s largest hydro- and wind-power generator. Although not currently active in the market, “Norway is a place where hydro is very developed,” says Claude Strasser, the firm’s secretary general. So

SEO is looking for big players interested in partnering on projects in third coun-tries, depending on how European and Luxembourg regulations allow the CO2 emission certificates to be accounted.Another participant is the environmen-tal engineering consultancy Betavi, based in Windhof. The firm helps dampen noise and vibration pollution at business, industrial and residential sites, such as the Banque de Luxembourg building on boulevard Royal in Luxembourg city (photo).Like SEO, Betavi does not yet have Norwegian connections and is interested in finding project partners, explains its director, Christine Statucki. For her, the visit is more fact-finding mission than marketing junket. “When you participate in these missions, you’ve got no guarantees that you’ll get something back.” A few years ago Statucki went with a delegation to the Netherlands, yet despite several promising follow-up meetings signed no deals. “But I’d like to try again.” AG

CHRisTine sTATuCKi: cautiously optimistic about finding potential partners in Norway

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Trade and investment

objective: oslo A state visit to Norway is a chance to develop Luxembourg’s economic ties with the energy and eco-tech giant.

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Bangladesh chamber

DIRECT LINE TO LUXEMBOURG”

The new Bangladesh Business Chamber of Commerce of Luxem-bourg (BBCCL) launched in early May. Roy Suhash, president of the chamber and proprietor of the Restaurant Orchidée in Bonnevoie, says the association’s objective is “to make a direct line to Luxembourg.”Today imported Bangladeshi goods typically pass through three or four middlemen before they reach the Luxembourg market. Suhash would rather see profits go straight to Luxembourgish and Bangladeshi businesses.About 95 percent of scampi sold in the Grand Duchy comes from Bangladesh, he says. In addition to expanding seafood sales, Suhash reckons Bangladesh’s porcelain and garment markets are ripe for growth.The South Asian nation is also one of the world’s major scrap metal re-processing hubs, so “this could be one of the most interest things for a company like ArcelorMittal.”The BBCCL plans to host a confer-ence later this year to give Bangla-deshi entrepreneurs opportunities to network with businesses in the Grand Duchy.The group would like to see improved transport links as well. “Cargolux now flies to India.” He says the chamber will lobby carriers to fly “a little bit further to Bangladesh.”The BBCCL also has a cultural mission. “As you know Bangladesh has a very good cricket team,” states Suhash, who is keen the team visits Luxembourg and vice versa. “There could be some good practices.”

“

May 2011 - delAno - 31

05_p31_business_news2-3page.indd 31 05.05.2011 12:58:40 Uhr


Patrick Mina (Mina-Alexander Associates LLP) and Doug Sutherland

Nicolas Buck (Victor Buck Services)

Paul Heuschling (University of Luxembourg), Thierry Leterre (Miami University) and Adrienne Leterre

Guy Castegnaro (Castegnaro Cabinet d’Avocats)

SNAPSHOTS

Stefan Chorus (Stre� ) and Sylvie Schmit

(European Relocation Services)

Paul Schonenberg (AMCHAM) and Margot Parra (ISL)

On a sweltering evening in the audito-rium of the International School of Luxembourg, the American Chamber of Commerce for Luxembourg hosted the sequel to its successful Luxembourg 2015 talk last October. Not afraid to be what he called “contentious”, guest speaker Nicolas Buck cited reform of the edu-cation system, integration and national identity, the power of the public sector, delays in infrastructure development, the pensions problem and the need to attract people with skills among the key issues Luxembourg must tackle if it is to remain competitive. “There is a lack of a consolidated CEO model to work on a common mission,” said Buck of the problems minister of the economy Jeannot Krecké faces when “ fighting alone” to diversify the econ-omy. “We seem to have fi ve or six different ministries of the economy.” A panel consisting of Paul Heuschling (Uni-versiy of Luxembourg), Sylvie Schmit (European Relocation Services) and Tom Theves (ministry of the economy) discussed the issues raised by Buck in a lively debate under the watchful eye of moderator Guy Castegnaro. DRwww.amcham.lu

Luxembourg 2015 (part II)

CALL FOR A COMMON VISIONPhotos: Olivier Minaire

06_p32_picturereport_a.indd 32 05.05.2011 12:36:24 Uhr

You are at the heart of our network.

Energy in motion

8,700 km of power lines. 1,800 km of gas pipelines. 700 employees. These numbers tell a story; the story of all the capable, efficient and experienced men and women who day in, day out are in charge of planning, executing, extending, maintaining and managing the electric and natural gas networks in Luxembourg. Their know-how ensures that 240,000 clients are supplied with electricity and that 45,000 clients are connected to natural gas.

Creos. We are the network. creos.net

Business

Cannes team: Olgert Gorani, Yann Crussely and Romain Profeta

A prime slice of seafront real estate dur-ing this year’s Festival de Cannes will be in the hands of a company from the Grand Duchy. Luxembourg & More, a subsidiary of Events & More, is taking over the running of the private beach of the prestigious Croisette Beach Hotel.The opportunity arose after Events & More won a public tender to redesign the furniture and décor of the beach for the festival. “During subsequent discussions we were offered the chance to rent out the beach for ourselves,” explains Line Lesia-kowski, marketing and communications manager. The company will be running the beach together with Jérôme Aubert, who has managed the beach for the past 19 years. It will be transformed into Les Jardins du Luxembourg, a real meeting place for film industry professionals dur-ing the festival and the Marché du Film--the huge market at the real business end of the industry that attracts a wealth of producers, creatives and sales teams to the south of France every May. “The beach will be a cosy networking venue, but not really extravagant like other beaches. We want to welcome visitors in a calm environment, with lounge music and a piano bar.” During the Semaine de la critique, for example, the beach will hold after-work events for journalists and industry players. And because it will not be hosting loud DJ parties, the Croisette Beach will also be the only plage with permission to stay open until

5 a.m. “That is a huge advantage,” she says. “We want to create an atmosphere where stars can come and relax and not be bothered by paparazzi.” A Gentleman’s Club on the beach, complete with Chesterfields supplied by Brussels spe-cialists London Gallery, will be run by Daniel Vallera--one of the unsung heroes of the festival, a sort of semi- official shoe-shiner to the stars--and will host whisky and cigar tastings. “We will be promoting Luxembourg, but in a more indirect manner,” explains Lesiakowski. “We will be showcasing Luxembourg’s potential, and will bring

some of our Luxembourg clients to Cannes to hold conferences and product presenta-tions.” To help with the local promo-tion, Tara James from Ara City Radio will be broadcasting live from the Croisette Beach during the station’s morning show. And the beach will play host to an exclusive Luxembourg & More evening, with some 250 cli-ents from the Grand Duchy and VIPs such as model Adriana Karembeu. Event project manager Romain Profeta will be managing the logistics, while the company’s sales and strategy devel-opment team of Olgert Goranio and

Promoting Luxembourg

Life’s a beachLocal production companies are not the only Luxembourg businesses attending this year’s Cannes film festival. Luxembourg & More is taking over the Croisette Beach Hotel’s private beach for the duration. Text: Duncan Roberts — Photos: Olivier Minaire


05_p34-35_business_article2pages.indd 34 05.05.2011 16:50:07 Uhr

Business

Luxembourg & moreIn its efforts to promote Luxembourg as a business travel and MICE (meeting, incentive, conventions and events) destination, Luxem-bourg & More hosts “Fam Trips”, attends the industry’s most prestigious trade fairs such as the ITB in Berlin and IMEX in Frankfurt, participates in workshops organised by the National Tourist Office and the ministry of tourism, and is a member of EUROMIC and World of DMCs. The Croisette Beach Hotel opportu-nity provides the company with a chance to promote Luxembourg via prestigious partners to a wide range of businesses related to the film and media industries. www.luxembourgandmore.lu

We WiLL be shoWcasing Luxem-bourg’s potentiaL”

line lesiakowski (here with stéphane moCkels) Luxembourg & More

Yann Crussley have been crucial in seeking sponsors for the project.The contract with the Croisette Beach Hotel is for five years. “This first edition is something of a test,” says Lesiakowski. “We will have to see what reaction we get down there. Our director, Stéphane Mockels, has already been to the festival a few times, but it is a first for the rest of us.”Away from the glamour of Cannes, Luxembourg & More works throughout the year to promote the Grand Duchy as a business tourist and incentive travel destination. “Luxembourg is either not well known--some people even think it is

the capital of the Benelux--or it has a cli-chéd image as being just a banking centre and nothing else. We want to break that image, to promote Luxembourg’s cultural and cosmopolitan aspect as well as its advantage as a central location--many European capitals are just two hours away by train or plane.” She is also a fan of the series of Is it true what they say about Luxembourg? promotional films made by several institutional partners last year. “They are very dynamic and contemporary, and that is the direction we are trying to go in. That is the image of Luxembourg we are also trying to communicate.”


05_p34-35_business_article2pages.indd 35 05.05.2011 16:50:12 Uhr

Business

nicolas Kadri: mid-sized firms could potentially recover 20,000 euroO

livier

Min

aire

Luxembourg firms are failing to claim millions of euro in tax refunds each year, says KPMG Luxembourg. That’s despite the launch of an official online portal last year that was supposed to help make the process easier. So the consultancy recently launched a service to help cli-ents recover cross-border value-added taxes (VAT).Under EU rules, companies are enti-tled to refunds on VAT paid in European countries where they do not operate. According to KPMG, this can include everything from travel expenses and professional service fees, to training courses and even mobile phone charges. Figuring out the eligible amounts is fairly complicated, as each country determines its own tax and refund rates for each good and service.There are no hard-and-fast rules for how much VAT a company can recover, explains Nicolas Kadri, the big four’s VAT manager. However, he estimates that KPMG can--for example--recover 20,000 to 30,000 euro for a Luxembourg-

based IT company with 150 employees.Until last year, companies had to “com-plete paper-based claim forms for every single country, in their language, and fol-low-up with each different VAT author-ity.” The Grand Duchy’s government introduced www.VATrefund.lu in 2010, which allows simpler electronic filings. Yet “you still have to follow-up with indi-vidual VAT authorities and there’s still the language issue,” Kadri says. In addition, users are limited to attaching five mega-bytes of data for their supporting docu-ments.“Most of the time companies don’t recuperate VAT because they don’t know they can or they don’t know how. Or if they know how, they don’t want to because it’s a complete hassle.”KPMG charges a fixed percentage of recovered taxes. “So there’s no risk: if there’s no refunded VAT, there’s no fee.”“We believe there is huge potential for this market,” says Kadri. He estimates that today only about 3,000 out of 30,000 Luxembourg firms are recovering cross-border VAT refunds. AG

Tax

MONEY LEFTON THE TABLE The eyes of many business managers glaze over at the mention of cross-border VAT refunds, but KPMG aims to help recover millions of euro due to companies in the Grand Duchy.

Cross-border contracts

AVOIDING HEADACHES

Attorney Jean-Luc Schaus of Pierre Thielen Avocats recently spoke at a British Chamber of Commerce luncheon about the pitfalls of inter-national transactions. He told Delano that businesses should carefully consider the “applicable law” clause in their cross-border agreements.

AG: WhAt is An “ApplicAble lAW” clAuse?J-LS: Most international contracts, if not all, bear a provision stating what law is supposed to apply to such contract. For instance a clause could say “this contract shall be governed by Luxembourg law.“

AG: is it better to siGn contrActs under luxembourG lAW?J-LS: As long as you choose the law of a civilised country--the UK, US, Luxembourg, Spain--it will not have a substantive influence on the outcome. All legal systems are reasonable and coherent in their own way. You can’t argue New York or Luxembourg laws are better or worse. They’re just different.What is true is that if you go to a judge here in Luxembourg and you plead a case under, for example, Spanish law, then it will cost you two or three times as much, and it will last two or three times as long.

AG: WhY is thAt?J-LS: You need to hire at least two legal teams. For example, an English law team and if you sue here, a Luxembourg legal team.If you plead a case under foreign law, then you have to prove [the foreign laws]. The judge does not know foreign law; he knows the law in his own jurisdiction.All of this is a nightmare in practice.

Oliv

ier M

inair

e



www.greenhill.lu

In a lush, leafy setting just minutes from the city centre of Luxembourg, Green Hill apartments provide an impressive view of the Dommeldange valley.Everything has been designed for your comfort: quality of the construction, exterior landscaping and interior fittings, luxury finishes, concierge service, in order to make Green Hill a benchmark for comfortable living. The Green Hill apartments have large balconies and parking spaces. Units range from 40 m² to 170 m² from € 192,000. Magnificent penthouses available.Don’t wait! Come to our on-site sales office for more detailed information.

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1749_GreenHill_an Wagner2 Delano.indd 1 03/05/11 14:49

BUSINESS

LAURENT ROUACH AND JEAN-FRANÇOIS CHAMPIGNY: say PwC has the technical and fi nancial savvy to make eco-friendly investments a success

OEC

D d

ata

Oliv

ier M

inair

e

The Grand Duchy’s sustainable devel-opment sector saw a big boost in visibil-ity with the March 31 acquisition of engineering fi rm PROgena by PwC Luxembourg. With climate change and socially responsible investing ever higher on business and government agendas, the blended PwC team says it will offer investors the combined technical and fi nancial services needed to ensure green investments are profi table.In the next few years, a plethora of new European regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, energy effi ciency and waste reduction will come into effect, notes Laurent Rouach, founder of PROgena and now sustainability part-ner at PwC Luxembourg. At the same time, Jean-François Champigny, sus-tainability director at PwC Luxembourg notes it is already “obligatory for all CAC 40 listed companies” to produce envi-ronmental and sustainability reports. “We are sure it will also become obliga-tory” across Europe, eventually even for smaller fi rms. Most pressing for the real estate sector are the “passive house” requi-

rements that buildings generate nearly as much energy as they consume.Rouach says his fi rm, although large for Luxembourg, was often perceived as too small by real estate developers and fund managers. When PwC car-ried out its sustainable buildings sur-vey last year, he was impressed with the calibre of people he met and its client base in the real estate funds market.While PwC could have tried to enhance its technical skills internally, purchasing PROgena “was the fastest way to acquire the relevant competencies, and the fastest way to be relevant in the industry,” says Champigny. The new group’s goal? “We want to be in the position to demonstrate to investors that a green building is better than investing in a non-green building,” he says.Since PROgena can certify buildings under French, German, UK and US rules, he says the new Luxembourg-based team will be able to address client challenges worldwide. “We are very con-fi dent we will become one of the centres of excellence in the fi eld.” AG

Being green

NOT SOPASSIVE HOUSE PwC hopes a recent acquisition will help make it the sustainable development leader. Can it make the fi ght against climate change profi table?

RESTRICTIVE RETAIL

Luxembourg ranks worst in the EU and second worst globally in retail sector over-regulation, according to a recent OECD study. Of the coun-tries surveyed, only China has higher barriers to entry in retail trade. The Grand Duchy also has the most restrictive professional services market aside from South Africa.www.oecd.org

TAX TREATY REFRESHSince January, revised double taxation agreements with Iceland, the Netherlands and Switzerland have offi cially gone into effect. The government also asked the Chamber of Deputies to approve revamped agreements initialled with seven jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, Panama and Sweden.www.impotsdirects.public.lu

WASTE NOTLuxembourg residents are the most supportive in Europe of “pay as you go” garbage collection fees. According to a European Commis-sion survey, 88% said they preferred paying an amount related to the quantity of waste their household generated, rather than taxes. Only 47% in Portugal supported the idea.www.ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/

least restrictive = 0

LUXEMBOURG - 4,28

BELGIUM - 3,74

FRANCE - 3,11

GERMANY - 2,67

UNITED STATES - 2,63

EU AVERAGE - 2,43

UK - 2,03

SWEDEN - 0,50

RUSSIA - 1,94

BRAZIL - 1,77

CHINA - 4,58



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Dave Evans is an advisor at the insur-ance broker Spectrum-IFA Group. Born in Holyhead, Wales, he grew up in Durban, South Africa, before return-ing to live in the UK for eight years. He has been a resident of Luxembourg since 1995.AG: Why did you move to the Grand Duchy?DE: My sister arrived a couple years before I did. We came to visit her and we had two very young children at the time. We liked the looks of Luxem-bourg, the feel of it. AG: What was the biggest surprise when you arrived?DE: The way the authorities make it so easy for you to arrive and get settled in. From the receptionist at the local commune to the tax offi ce, they’re all approachable. They’ll all give you advice. They don’t just give you a form and say “read the manual.”AG: What was the biggest integration challenge you had?DE: When we fi rst arrived we put our children in the local school system. That was pretty tough. I look back and it was a good move. They got basics in French, German and Luxembourgish. That’s a hell of a start for kids today. They still have these languages. One of my kids is at university in the UK and my son is doing his bac this year. I don’t think they appreciate--yet--

what opportunities are out there because of their languages. It doesn’t matter what course of life they follow, what career, the languages do help.AG: Was the local school system frus-trating for you as a parent?DE: They start giving them homework at a very early age. Not having the lan-guages, it was very diffi cult to help with their homework. That was the greatest struggle for the family.We had a very candid, frank conversa-tion with a teacher at our local school. He put his cards on the table when my kids were 10 and 11. He said, “ find another system. They’re struggling now; it’s not going to change. Get them out.” So eventually we got them into the Euro-pean school, and the whole family dynamic changed. Life became so much easier. They were better behaved. I think they lost their frustration.AG: Do you think Luxembourg schools should change the lingual system?DE: It would be tough to do that with-out losing identity. Luxembourg is their country; they want to keep their iden-tity, which is fi ne. But maybe there should be two school systems.AG: What is the biggest difference you see between Luxembourg and the UK, for adults?DE: I think everybody is less stressed in Luxembourg. There’s a lot more laid- back attitude.

DAVE EVANS: forget about howthings worked where you lived before

British

CHANGEYOUR PACE”Resident in Luxembourg since the year Jean-Claude Juncker became prime minister, Dave Evans gives his insight into working and living in the Grand Duchy.Interview: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: David Laurent/Wide

I used to travel three hours between Kent and London each day. That puts a huge amount of stress on people’s lives. It shortens their day. I think in Lux-embourg, because there’s no real com-mute, you can become more family- oriented. There is time to do things.AG: What about in professional life?DE: Really, the country works. Through my work and being president of Rugby Club Luxembourg, I meet a lot of new arrivals in Luxembourg. Sometimes they get a bit stressed at the pace things work. Things do happen slowly, espe-cially over the summer months. My advice is, don’t bang your head against the wall. It will happen. Change your pace; don’t expect Luxembourgers to change theirs.AG: How about in the insurance sector?DE: The insurance industry in the UK is so, in my view, over-regulated. I do believe regulation is good, but there are limits and I think the UK has gone too far. Europe has not, as yet, over-regu-lated things.AG: What advice would you give new-comers?DE: Mainly, forget about how things worked where you lived before. Every country is different. You really do give yourself a headache when you com-pare. I’m not an expat. I chose to come here, so I don’t have the “expat atti-tude.”

“


THINK LOCAL: DAVE EVANS

08_p40_thinklocal.indd 40 05.05.2011 12:51:00 Uhr

COLLECTION DROIT

www.maisonmoderne.lu/publishing/eshop

160 pagEs

35 E

banners_livredroit2.indd 1 06.05.2011 8:59:52 Uhr

Holding an LLM from New York Uni-versity School of Law and LLB from Tel Aviv University School of Law, Itai Horstock is founder and managing partner at the Israeli venture capital fund Evolution. Since 1998, Horstock has served on various boards of di-rectors of US and Israeli based funds and companies. He was also previ-ously the legal advisor for the Israel consulate and economic mission to the USA and north of America.

ITAI HORSTOCK Executive director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment O� ce in Israel

Sam

bach

Nahalat Binyamin Street

Israel last year became the 3rd largest trade partner for Luxembourg in the Middle East region. This despite a fall in trade during 2010 from the heights of 2007 when exports from Luxembourg to Israel reached some 18 million euro (trade the other way stood at 1.9 million last year, compared to fi ve million in 2007). Itai Horstock, executive director of the Luxembourg Trade and Invest-ment Offi ce in Tel Aviv, believes that the fact that Luxembourg’s economy is largely dependent on the banking sector, and that diversifi cation efforts are still ongoing, partly accounts for the varia-tions in the trade balance. “Such diversi-fi cation efforts naturally take a lot of time.”Israeli presence in the fi nancial sector is represented by Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi, while another Israeli com-pany, Raval Europe S.A., has been in Luxembourg since 2002 and today has a staff of around 40. Furthermore, SNCI and BGL Investment Partners from Luxembourg have both invested in the Israeli Millennium Materials Technolo-gies Funds. Luxembourg’s fi rst trade mission to Israel was led by minister of the economy and foreign trade Jeannot Krecké shortly after the opening of the Tel Aviv offi ce in June 2010. Recent visits by R&D and science delegations and by foreign minister Asselborn have also taken place. “All these presences are

crucial for strengthening trade links between both countries,” says Horstock. It is in the ICT and life sciences sector that Horstock believes trade between the two countries has potential to grow. “Industrial growth in Israel during the past decade…refl ects a gradual transition from a declining traditional industry to the growing high-tech industry. Approxi-mately 40 percent of the manufacturing industry is now classifi ed as high-tech.” The Tel Aviv offi ce is in discussion with the Israel Offi ce of the Chief Sci-entist to explore the possibility of a bilateral R&D agreement with Lux-embourg, which would serve as a plat-form for cooperation between companies from both countries interested in imple-menting joint R&D projects. “Luxembourg provides Israeli companies with a highly competitive legal and regu-latory framework, a favourable economic environment and state-of-the-art IT host-ing infrastructures,” says Horstock. Attractive intellectual property incen-tives, good government R&D sup-port, rates, political stability and one of lowest VAT in Europe are other advantages that could attract Israeli investment. “What I personally like most about Luxem bourg is that the government is very attuned to business needs; always open to suggestions before and during an investment.”

Tel Aviv

HIGH-TECHPOTENTIALThanks to a new presence in Tel Aviv, Luxembourg’s relations with Israel’s technologically advanced economy couldplay a role in driving diversifi cation Text: Duncan Roberts


THE VIEW FROM ABROAD: ITAI HORSTOCK

08_p42_viewfromabroad.indd 42 05.05.2011 12:57:52 Uhr

To mark its tenth anniversary, paperJam is getting togetherwith MyClimateLux asbl with the aim of raising awarenessof climate change, the use of renewable energy sourcesand voluntary reduction of CO2 emissions among businessesand institutions.

Concurrently, paperJam is launching a fund-raising campaignfor MyClimateLux asbl, and is seeking companies willingto assist with this effort.

In June 2011, to conclude our tenth anniversary year, paperJam will donate 100,000 to MyClimateLux asbl as part of a grand open-air celebration. The highlight of this event will be the release of 1,000 sky lanterns sponsored by 100 partners of the project.

paperJam is looking for 100 businesses that will each sponsor 10 lanterns with a donation of 1,000

Please visit: http://myclimate.paperjam.lu/

WE NEED YOU!

Demi_page_myclimate.indd 1 02.03.2011 10:02:57 Uhr

11 july 2011Open air at the Neumünster AbbeyConcert

FOALS

Send an email mentioning “den Atelier/FOAlS” to [email protected] Deadline for entries is 3 june 2011

Winners will be notified by email

Win

concert

tickets!

22HDelano.indd 1 06.05.2011 9:50:15 Uhr


business

The next edition of Delano will feature events starting from June 23 through the summer. We invite you to submit your events by sending an email no later than June 3 to:[email protected]

The events planner

ON THE HORIZONDelano presents a guide to the next two months of business, social and informational events for Luxembourg’s international community. Events are listed by organiser. Advance registration or fees may be required, so consult the website indicated for full details. All events are held in English unless otherwise noted.

British ChamBer www.bcc.lu

15•

june

TAX MANThis evening business forum covers tax information ex-change and how to respond

to a tax investigation.Hilton, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, time to be announced

1•

july

GOLF DAyThe chamber’s annual charity golf tournament, an 18-hole in-dividual Stableford competition,

is followed by cocktails and an evening prize-giving dinner. There will also be a Golf Clinic with the club pro in the afternoon, for beginners looking for an introduction to golf.

Golf Club de Luxembourg, Junglinster, starting at 10:00

the Business LunChwww.thebusinesslunch.lu

1•

july

JULy LUNCHOrganisers promote the monthly confab as “an opportunity to pro-mote yourself and promote your

business in this relaxed networking event.”

The Last Supper, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 12:30-14:30

CanaDian CLuBwww.canadiansinlux.com

5•

july

COFFEE MORNINGLuxembourg’s Canadian commu-nity catches-up the first Tuesday of the month.

Art Café, Luxembourg-Centre Ville, 10:30-12:30

amCham www.amcham.lu

26•

May

NETWORKING EVENTAMCHAM’s IT Committee hosts keynote speaker François Biltgen, minister of communications and

media, for a members-only networking event.

RTL Studios, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:30

6•

june

ABAL LUNCHEONTom Seale, CEO of European Fund Administration, is keynote speaker.

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 12:00

9•

june

EXpAT VOTING IssUEsAn evening panel discussion including key governmental and party leaders on political and

voting issues impacting the expat community.

Venue and time to be announced

21•

june

pHILANTHROpyAMCHAM’s financial services committee hosts an event that asks how philanthropy in Luxem-

bourg can gain momentum.

Banque de Luxembourg, Luxembourg-Centre Ville, 18:00

7•

july

THE BIG ONE-FIVEAMCHAM celebrates its 15th anniversary.

Kikuoka Club, Canach, time to be announced

CrP henri tuDorwww.emiss.org

30•

May

ICT MAsTERs INFOInformational session for those considering the new European executive master’s degree in

innovative service systems, which begins in September.

CRP Henri Tudor, 14:00-15:00

DeLoittewww.deloitte.com/lu

26•

May

ART BANKINGPresentations on how to under-stand clients’ collecting behav-iour and how to take informed

decisions in an art banking environment, fol-lowed by a networking cocktail. Speakers in-clude Deloitte’s Adriano Picinati di Torcello.

Deloitte, Luxembourg-Cents, 17:00

DemoCrats aBroaD LuxemBourgwww.democratsabroad.org

30•

May

MEMORIAL DAyDemocrats Abroad will partici-pate with other associations in Memorial Day ceremonies.

Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg-Hamm, time to be announced

14•

june

sECOND TUEsDAyThe group’s regular monthly gathering is an informal gath-ering to discuss current politi-

cal topics, upcoming events of interest to the overseas community, and ways to contribute to American politics.

Brasserie Basso, Luxembourg-Grund, 19:00

4•

july

INDEpENDENCE DAyThe group will join with other American organizations in hosting a Fourth of July picnic.


engLish-sPeaking ChurCh (angLiCan)

www.anglican.lu

19•

june

CHURCH FAIROne of Luxembourg’s best known charity fundraising events. Family friendly.

14 rue de Boevange, Useldange, 12:30

euroPean Jurist’s Forum

www.eurojurist2011.lu

17•

june18•

june19•

june

6TH ANNUAL FORUMThis legal conference addresses cross-border financial regulation, fundamental rights, and information law. Prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker and European commissioner Viviane Reding keynote. Simultaneous translation will be provided during each workshop in English, French and German.

Conference Centre, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, Thursday 14:00-18:30, Friday 09:30-12:30 and 15:00-17:30, Saturday 10:00-12:00

05_p44-45_business.indd 44 05.05.2011 16:56:41 Uhr


business

FFCeLwww.ffcel.lu

19•

june

WORK-LIFE BALANCEDuring this monthly networking lunch, Béatrice Martin of Kids Care discusses how to reconcile

personal and professional life.

Restaurant Brasserie Le Jardin, Luxembourg-Centre Ville, 12:00

inDian assoCiation LuxemBourg

www.ial-lux.org

21•

May

CLAssIC CARNATICThe IAL hosts a music perfor-mance by ‘Sushma Somasekha-ran & her young troupe’ as part

of their first European tour. Fundraiser for the construction of the Sankara Eye Care centre in Punjab province (www.sankareye.com)

Mamer Schlass, site of Mamer commune hall, 19:00

inDian ChamBerwww.ibcl.lu

20•

june

INDIAN FUNDsThe chamber hosts a discus-sion of asset management op-portunities between India and

Luxembourg.


Junior ChamBerwww.jcluxembourg.com

16•

june

CyEL GALA The chamber presents the 5th

annual Creative Young Entrepre-neurs Luxembourg Award.

Venue to be announced, 17:30

13•

july

MONTHLy MEETINGThe Junior Chamber of Com-merce Luxembourg promotes citizenship and entrepreneurship

for 18-40 year olds.


kPmgwww.kpmg.lu

22•

june

UCITs V DEBATEFree seminar to discuss the Eu-ropean Commission consultation paper and exchange views on

the potential implications of UCITS V for Luxem-bourg, followed by cocktails.

KPMG, Strassen, 17:30

LuxemBourg For FinanCewww.financialforum.lu

26•

May

LUXEMBOURG FINANCIAL FORUM The 6th annual edition will dis-cuss accelerated changes in in-

ternational finance. Speakers include the prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker and the head of Luxembourg’s financial regulator, Jean Guill (photo). In English and German.

Centre de Conférence, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 08:00-16:30

Luxinnovationwww.luxinnovation.lu

26•

May

BUsINEss MEETs REsEARCHInformational and networking event for entrepreneurs and scien-

tists seeking collaboration partners. Presenters include Biohealth Cluster chief Françoise Liners.

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

netherLanDs CommerCe Forum

www.nhf.lu

17•

May

CHINA TRADEFormer consul general of the Netherlands in China Jochum Haakma talks about doing busi-

ness in the People’s Republic. In Dutch.

Golf-Club Grand-Ducal, Senningerberg 19.00

the networkwww.the-network.lu

22•

May

GOLF INTROThe Network members, and their friends and families, get an intro-duction to the sport from golf pro

Alexander Born.

Golf & Country Club, Christnach, time to be announced

15•

june

BEER TOURAn insider’s guided tour of one of Luxembourg’s largest breweries.

Brasserie Bofferding, Bascharage, time to be announced

club.paperjam.lu

21•

june

ONLINE HR 2.0Keynote speaker Dave Mendoza is an award winning blogger and open networking expert. In 2010

he was chosen as one of HRExaminer’s Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiters.


28•

june

REINVENTING yOUR BUsINEssPresented by Marc Sniukas of Doujak Corporate Development,

this interactive workshop provides insights on business model innovation in theory and practice.

Abbaye de Neumünster, Luxembourg-Grund, 08:30-13:00

14•

july

FRENCH COCKTAILAlthough the event (nominally) cel-ebrates Bastille Day with (mostly) French music, “Je t’aime moi non

plus” aims to be a multicultural moment to mark the end of paperJam Business Club’s 3rd season.

Cat Club, Luxembourg-Hollerich, 18:00

ProJeCt manage-ment institute

www.pmi.lu

24•

May

BIODIVERsITyThe UN decade of biodiversity runs through 2020. This round-table explores constructing

infrastructure projects internationally and in Luxembourg.

European Investment Bank, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:00

rose oF traLee LuxemBourg

www.rose.lu

14•

May

BOOGIE NIGHTs“Start dusting down the jump suits and lacing up the platform boots” for this fancy dress fundraiser.

The Black Stuff Irish Pub, Luxembourg-Pulvermühle, 20:00

2•

july

ROsE BALLTenth anniversary ball will cel-ebrate this year’s Rose, Aisling Mc Inerney, as well Roses from

the past decade.

Hotel Royal, Luxembourg-Centre Ville, 19:30

rugBy CLuB LuxemBourg

www.rcl.lu

18•

june

GALA BALLMuch anticipated annual fête starts with a champagne recep-tion, followed by dinner and

“dancing till late.”

Hilton, Dommeldange, 19:00

university oF LuxemBourg

www.uni.lu

25•

May

GEODEsyProf. Felix Norman Teferle lec-tures on global navigation satel-lite systems in the 21st century.

University of Luxembourg, Campus Limperts-berg, 16:00

05_p44-45_business.indd 45 05.05.2011 16:56:51 Uhr

09_p46-50_cover story.indd 46 05.05.2011 13:52:12 Uhr

cover story

claude Waringo (With Jani thiltges, left): maintaining contact with young talent

The Hollywood cliché of a film pro-ducer as a brash, arrogant, egomaniac is thrown out of the window when you sit down for any amount of time with Claude Waringo. Like his co-founder at samsa film, Jani Thiltges, Waringo is softly spoken, assured and witty and has a soupçon of self-deprecation thrown in for good measure. The assuredness might seem a given to outsiders, who will note that samsa film this year marks its 25th anniversary--an achieve-ment that is unique in the Luxembourg film industry. Waringo, however, does not take anything for granted. “If I think back to what I imagined 25 years ago, we are certainly in a position that you could never have even dreamed of,” he says. “We have had lots of luck. Things could have gone wrong over the last few years. But, I also think we have been good managers and our project choices have not been bad. And in many ways, some good news has always followed bad news;

whether it was a film that went well, a change to the law or simply filling a finan-cial hole from a previous project.”Indeed, finances in the film industry are notoriously difficult to balance. Production companies more often than not live from one film to the next, and the collapse of project can have disas-trous consequences. Waringo readily admits that samsa has really only achieved what he calls “stability” over the last five years. “Before that it was really a fight for survival.” Now samsa has grown and has a permanent staff of 12, but the company hires according to its needs for different projects. He explains that there is not a day goes by where ten people are not coming or going during the development stage or as part of a shoot. The samsa offices reflect this nomadic spirit, with a multi-functional office/meeting room that any of the company’s collaborators can use.

What pleases Waringo most, though, is that samsa has not only maintained but also nurtured contact with young directors and creative talent. “I have observed the situation abroad where young directors have said they would rather work with young producers or smaller compa-nies.” Indeed, there is a plethora of up and coming youngsters working on fea-tures, short films, documentaries and animation projects who are eager to make films with samsa. “More than finan-cial success or stability or whatever, that is what has given me the most joy.” So he has clearly not become jaded over the past quarter of a century? “It is not the great adventure it was before. You become more professional and have more responsi-bility, but it is still fun. Through the young directors you get to continue to expe-rience what you did at the beginning. And you see them asking the same existential questions--am I good enough, do I have the strength and energy to survive in this

Claude Waringo

Making quality cineMa is the right road” As he prepares for Cannes, samsa film co-founder Claude Waringo reflects on the state of the local film industry and the company’s achievements over the past 25 years.Text: Duncan Roberts — Photos: David Laurent/Wide – cover and opener shot with analogic Mju camera

“



cover story

Past achievements: posters of films, such as last year’s award winning La Régate, line the office walls

industry. They are questions we still ask ourselves now and again.”

co-producing

Keeping the job interesting comes easy to Waringo, simply by choosing differ-ent types of projects. Samsa makes art house cinema and some more commer-cial films, often with a budget of up to eight or ten million euro. “People who like our art et essai films can’t understand why we make something like a French comedy, and vice-versa--some question us making a film like Beryl Kolz’s Hot Hot Hot, with its strange universe. But we always try to find a balance, and you have to understand that everyone--technicians and actors, as well as ourselves--makes a good living from the commercial films. They can earn up to 20 or 30 percent more than their ‘normal’ wage.” Waringo and Thilt-ges share production duties, depending on which company is involved. Both have established networks that have

evolved almost organically over the years, though as a general rule Waringo is more likely to go with a project from Belgium (where samsa has its sister company, Artemis Productions) and Thiltges with France (where the com-pany’s sister is called Liaison Cinéma-tographique).The ever increasing significance of Ger-many, with its wealth of distributors, TV companies and sales agents, has also been noted by samsa. “Last year was the first time since the Second World War that Germany made more films than France. It is a market we cannot afford to miss out on. But it will not be a case of us saying ‘here we are’. We want to find strategic part-ners.” Another samsa ambition is to develop its own world sales agency. “We simply loose too much money in commissions and costs. But as a sales agent you can get even closer to the market, make connections with other production companies that might eventually be interested in a project with

the group.” Although at an embryonic stage, Waringo also hints that samsa is looking at the idea of working even closer with its sister companies and maybe even creating one label--a strong brand identity that would give the com-pany a more prominent presence at Cannes and other festivals and markets such as Berlin. “So we could be celebrating our 30th anniversary under a new name.”As a veteran producer, and an active member, and former president, of ULPA--the Luxembourg union of audiovisual producers--Waringo is in a good position to comment on the state of the local film industry. ULPA was instrumental in working with politi-cians and successive ministers to ensure the audiovisual law has been constantly improved to meet new challenges--it has been changed four times since 1989. “Which was vital, because although we were among the first in central Europe to introduce a tax shelter, we now have com-

future glory: Rob Stanley in Beryl Koltz’s Hot Hot Hot, due for release this autumn

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cover story

christian KmioteK: samsa's finance director is an active player in the localand European film industry

petition from everywhere in Europe--even though many countries, and in particular France, were critical of the law when it was introduced. And we have had to react to that competition by altering the law. Not by increasing the amount of money available, but by making the system com-patible for co-productions. As a small coun-try we were forced to think differently, which has helped us stay one step ahead.” That has also helped samsa, as the company--and especially its back office team--has become highly skilled in the technical aspects of co-financing. “We can perform services for our production partners.”

studio project

Looking into the future, a project for purpose-built studios in Dudelange is also in development. The complex, in the Hall Fondouq--the former steel mill used for events during Luxembourg’s capital of culture year in 2007--would

include four sound stages, post-produc-tion studios and even room for outdoor sets. “It would be a vital step in concen-trating the local industry in one place. That would help improve the quality of service for foreign producers, because everything is rather scattered at the moment. It would really be a showcase for the Luxembourg industry, a sort of mini, mini, mini Cinicittà.” The principle for financing has been agreed, with costs being shared equally between the state, the produc-tion companies and the city of Dude-lange, which is also home to the Centre National de l’Audiovisuel and is keen to set itself up as a “city of images”.Luxembourg’s industry is also being showcased at Cannes this year, where once again a Luxembourg film has been selected for the official programme (in 2010 it was Iris Productions’ Illégal, in 2009 samsa’s Ne te retourne pas and Melusine Productions’ Panique au Vil-lage). Samsa’s Les Géants has been given

the honour of closing the festival’s pres-tigious Quinzaine des réalisateurs selec-tion. “I am really pleased because [the director] Bouli Lanners really insisted on shooting in the north of Luxembourg, because some of his family originated from there.” Les Géants already has a sales agent--Me-mento, which also invested in the film--but the prestige of being shown as the closing slot of the Quinzaine cannot be underestimated. Although Cannes, which is not just a festival but also a huge film market, is more important in terms of networking rather than doing actual business, says Waringo. “We now have partners in the natural co-production countries. So we no longer have to go actively seeking new projects and have meeting after meeting just to get our name known. Nevertheless, if you are not at Cannes, you are dead.” In addition, Thiltges is president of the Luxem-bourg-based EAVE training pro-gramme for audiovisual entrepreneurs,

Jani thiltges: samsa film’s co-founder is the producer of Cannes-selected Les Géants



christoPhe Wagner: the young director is preparinghis first feature film, which will shoot this summer

cover story

in the can: a selection of samsa film titles

Samsa film

25 years of productionSamsa film can justifiably claim to have been there right at the start of what is now a thriving Luxem-bourg film industry. The company’s third feature film, WWII occupation drama Schacko Klak (1989), is often cited as the spark for the creation of Film Fund Luxembourg, which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since then samsa has produced and co-produced close to 60 feature films that have starred the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Marianne Faithfull, Gerard Depardieu, Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci, as well as local films and a slew of shorts and award-winning docu-mentaries. It currently employs 12 full-time staff and has sister companies in France and Belgium.www.samsa.lu

which allows him to make contact with young producers across Europe. Les Géants will be released in Luxem-bourg this autumn, as will Hot Hot Hot, Beryl Koltz’s English-language feature film debut about which Waringo truly enthuses. “She is a natural screenwriter. She has managed to take the atmosphere of her short films and successfully transpose it into a feature.” Meanwhile, shooting starts this summer on Christophe Wagner’s first feature film following his impressive short Un Combat for samsa in 2002 and his well-received documentaries Ligne de vie and Luxembourg, USA. The new film, a crime thriller, pairs Luxembourg’s two finest actors, Jules Werner and André Jung, on screen for the first time. “I am optimistic about the future,” says Waringo. “I like the films we are making, even if some of them become commercial. Making quality cinema is the right road to take. We have to keep small films small, and not go down the road France has gone where films are 15 per-

cent more expensive each year.” But he also thinks that video on demand should be embraced--especially for Luxembourg films that have a limited market in the Grand Duchy because of the size of the country but that could interest foreign audiences and especially Luxembourg-ers living abroad. “ULPA is interested in improving the distribution and marketing of Luxembourg films via a VOD plat-form.” With cinemas becoming more geared towards the “event” of going to the movies, rather than a place to sit and watch films, and with home cin-ema technology becoming more and more sophisticated, there is little doubt the way audiences watch films is changing. “On the other hand technology also means that our product, to call it that, can be viewed anywhere. Maybe we just have to adapt the format to that technol-ogy. But still, I look at a film we have made and have the pride of a father, and can say ‘that’s why I am here’.”



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NETWORKING


Although it originated 14 years ago in Sweden, the founder and managing director of the Nordic Countries-Bel-gium-Luxembourg Chamber of Com-merce (Nobelux) stresses the multilateral mission and structure of the group. In true Nordic egalitarian fashion, man-aging director Mathilde Nankwaya explains that its offi ces in Brussels, Luxembourg and Stockholm are all equal branches of the organisation.In contrast to the numerous national chambers of commerce active in the Grand Duchy which have a country or linguistic focus, Nobelux represents companies from across the Nordic region--Denmark, Finland, Iceland,

Norway and Sweden--that have a pres-ence in Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as Belgium and Luxembourg fi rms with operations or clients in the Nordic markets. While the American and Brit-ish chambers in Luxembourg have suc-cessfully positioned themselves as serving the English speaking business commu-nity, Nankwaya says, Nobelux has a “strong Nordic identity.”“Like any other networking-oriented cham-ber, we give members opportunities to net-work and [raise the] profile of their businesses,” she says. “We also represent the interests of our members, of course, before different organisations and authorities. We are also a door-opener for members,

both to the local authorities and also to other members. From time to time I get calls from members, who say ‘I would like to get in contact with this company... can you help?’”She continues: “To a certain extent, we offer services for those seeking contacts when they are establishing themselves in the mar-ket. Some services they can get from Nobelux directly, and for some services we try to include other members’ competencies.”In Luxembourg, the chamber is proba-bly best known for its monthly “Get together lunch” events, which attract high level speakers (such as government min-isters and European commissioners) and high level attendees (such as CEOs and

Nordic Countries-Belgium-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce

OPENINGDOORS ANDCLOSING GAPSBest known for its high level business lunch series, the chamber now hopesto improve networking opportunities in the middle ranks, and between Nordic interests in Belgium and Luxembourg.

MEETINGSThe chamber’s monthly Get Together Lunch is usually held on a Monday in Luxembourg. All Nobelux members can also attend the chamber’s monthly Business Lunch events held in Brussels (see box opposite).

EXECUTIVEFounder & managing director: Mathilde Nankwaya

COUNCILChair:Jan Stig RasmussenVice chairs:Michel MaquilBerndt KockumFredrik RågmarkMathilde Nankwaya

PRACTICAL INFONordic Countries-Belgium-Luxembourg-Chamber of Commerce13, place d'ArmesL-1136 LuxembourgTel: +352 26 45 96 [email protected]

10_p52-53_lifestyle_networking.indd 52 05.05.2011 12:59:28 Uhr

NETWORKING


ticipate in events in Belgium, and vice versa. However, Nankwaya believes a more specifi c effort is needed because of the organisational structure of many Nordic companies. Many have offi ces in Belgium covering the Luxembourg market, or alternately an offi ce in Lux-embourg that must also serve customers in Belgium. Yet many are “not necessar-ily succeeding” with this approach.“It’s quite clear to me, there’s a need,” Nankwaya states. The goal is to “create a bridge between our members in Belgium and our members in Luxembourg, to facil-itate exchange and networking, and to develop business opportunities.” The project will strictly target the Nordic-interested audience, and not seek to replicate the other well-established Belgium-Lux-embourg groupings.The “more targeted events” should help Luxembourg members gain insight and exposure in Belgium. Likewise Nobelux will bring “Belgium company leaders to Luxembourg, so they can see how the Lux-embourg fi nancial sector works, how other markets here work.” AG

MATHILDE NANKWAYA: building bridges between Belgium and LuxembourgO

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country managing directors). “We’ve found a trademark with” the lunches, Nankwaya says. “When you attend our events, you meet the right people.” However, “we need to do more.”In fact, she notes another contrast with the Anglophone chambers, saying they do a better job of reaching down into members’ organisations. “Most of those participating [in Nobelux events] are top management,” Nankwaya explains. “You see a large representation in the British and American chambers at the middle man-agement level.” To attract a wider cross-section of company employees, Nobelux started developing a new series of infor-mal business networking events, which will be unveiled later this year.Nankwaya also stepped up use of social media, notably Nobelux’s LinkedIn group, to better connect with member companies’ staff.The chamber’s second big initiative this year is a programme to close the gap between Nobelux members in Belgium and those in Luxembourg. Already Luxembourg members can freely par-

ECONOMICGOVERNANCE

Speaker: Didier Reynders, Belgium’s deputy prime minister and fi nance minister (photo: on left, with Jean-Claude Juncker) Time: 12:30-14:30Venue: Stanhope Hotel, Brussels

ASSET ALLOCATION

Speaker: Thomas Thygesen, head of X-asset research at SEBTime: 12:00-14:00Venue: Hotel Parc Belair, Luxembourg

GET TOGETHER LUNCH

Speaker: Anders Borg, Sweden’sfi nance ministerTime: 12:00-14:00Venue: Hotel Parc Belair, Luxembourg

More information on these events can be found at www.nobelux.lu

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25•

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10_p52-53_lifestyle_networking.indd 53 05.05.2011 12:59:44 Uhr

LIFESTYLE GOING NATIVE


CLUB LIFEA regular list of local associations.Submit a text for inclusion by sending a mail to:[email protected]

Luxembourg is...

“

BUSINESS

EUROPEAN MANAGEMENT ASSISTANTS ASSOC.A multilingual group of personal assistants who are building their professional networks. www.euma.lu

SOCIAL

THE ANZ CLUBA social club for Australians, New Zealanders, their families and friends, as well as for those who lived the down-under lifestyle. www.anzclub.lu

A DELICATE BLEND OF TRADITION AND MODERNITY, MIXED WITH A PINCH OF FRANCE, GERMANY, BELGIUM, PORTUGAL, ITALY AND MUCH MORE… THERE’S ACTUALLY A LOT OF EUROPE IN IT”

JEAN-MICHEL COLLIGNON: director, Luxexpo

SPRANGPROZESSIOUNSo bizarrely unique that it was even deemed worthy of mention on UK satirical quiz Have I Got News For You, the Echternach hopping procession was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list last year. The event, held on Whit Tuesday, attracts thousands of visi-tors and participants to the town to watch or join in the procession that winds its way through the streets. Participants are linked by white handkerchiefs and move in pre-ordained manner (there is a myth that this involves two steps forward and one step back, but it is slightly more complicated than that). First documented in 1100, the procession is founded on the cult of Saint Willibrord, a founder of the Abbey of Ech-ternach, revered for his missionary activities and gift of curing certain illnesses.June 14, Echternach, http://willibrord.cathol.lu

ING EUROPE-MARATHON LUXEMBOURGNow moved to a 7 p.m. start on Whit week-end, the 6th ING europe-marathon Luxem-bourg will once again attract a vast fi eld of professional, amateur and novice runners. The course, one of the toughest on the circuit due to several climbs, winds its way through the city centre from Kirchberg. Additional vibes will be provided by samba bands, who also play on the eve of the race. Participants can choose to enter the full or half marathon, and there is also an event for teams of four. Regular registration is open until May 22, with late registration also pos-sible on June 10 and 11.June 11, Luxembourg-Kirchberg and centre, www.ing-europe-marathon.lu

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OCTAVEThe sight of weary pilgrims trudging through the streets of the capital towards the Notre-Dame cathedral will become familiar to morn-ing commuters in May. They are going to honour Our Lady of Luxembourg. All those weary pilgrims need sustenance, so food and drinks tents and stalls are set up on the place Guillaume II during the Octave. The traditional speciality is baked fi sh in a light batter, served with a generous portion of freshly cooked fries and washed down with a crisp Luxembourg white wine.May 14 to 29, Notre-Dame cathedraland Place Guillaume II, www.cathol.lu

Local events

THREE PARTICIPATIVE EVENTS

10_p54-55_lifestyle_goingnative.indd 54 06.05.2011 12:04:06 Uhr

GOING NATIVE LIFESTYLE


People in the news

THE CRUCIAL THREE

POLITICAL

REPUBLICANS ABROADGroup that represents the interests of overseas Americans, and communicates their concerns to leaders in Washington.www.republicansabroad.lu

SOCIAL

NORDIC WOMEN’S CLUBWomen from across the Nordic region get togeth-er in Luxembourg to participate in trips, dinners, cultural activities and sports. www.nwc.lu

SPORT

LUXEMBOURG INT’L ROWING CLUBOffers competitive and leisure rowing on the Moselle from May to October. www.luxrow.org

THE KNOWLEDGEHOW TO... WIN CSI SHOW-JUMPING TICKETS

Delano is giving away two pairs of Sponsors’ Lounge tickets for each day on June 17, 18 & 19 at the Réiser Päerdsdag CSI Luxembourg interna-tional show-jumping tournament. The three-star level tournament attracts quality horses and riders from all around the world, and also includes a host of entertainment and culinary attractions. Competi-tions take part each day, climaxing with the Grand Prix Luxembourg on Sunday afternoon.

To win a pair of tickets, simply answer this question: The Réiser Päerdsdag CSI Luxem-bourg now has how many stars on the international tournament scale? Send answers and contact details and preferred date to: [email protected]. Deadline is May 30. Winners will be notifi ed by email. www.jumping-reiser.com

MARIE-JEANNE CHÈVREMONT-LORENZINIThe former managing partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and current senior advisory at Arendt&Medernach was awarded the honour of Les Insignes de Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur at a reception hosted by French ambassador Charles-Henri d’Aragon on May 12. As well as being a lead-ing fi gure in the local business scene, Mme. Chèvremont-Lorenzini is actively engaged in several philanthropic activi-ties, including the Little Plus--Toutes à l’école association that encourages education for girls all over the world.

PASCAL SCHUMACHERThe vibraphone player has just released his fi fth Pascal Schumacher Quartet album, Bang the Can, on Enja Records. The 32-year old studied at the Conservatoire in Luxembourg City and is now back there teaching in be-tween composing and playing with his own quartet (featuring pianist Franz von Chossy, bassist Christophe Devisscher and drummer Jens Düppe) and as a duo with pianist Jeff Neve. The quartet plays Dudelange on May 19 and then selected European dates before heading to Australia for six dates in June.

RANGA YOGESHWARThe Luxembourg-born TV presenter was awarded the German cardiologists’ association’s (DGK) annual prize for science journalism. Yogeshwar was born in Luxembourg in 1959 to a Luxembourg art historian and Indian engineer, and was educated in the Grand Duchy and India--fi nishing high school at the Lycée classique in Diekirch. He stud-ied experimental physics at university in Aachen and is now a star of popular German television science shows such as Wissen vor 8, and is also the author of several books. He was awarded the 2,500 euro DGK prize for service to broaden-ing the appeal of science.

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10_p54-55_lifestyle_goingnative.indd 55 06.05.2011 12:04:12 Uhr

LIFESTYLE


Seven live performances to watch

ON STAGE

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The annual festival of dance focuses on Finland with performances by the Alpo Aaltokoski group as well as the latest work by Luxembourg-based Finn-ish choreographer Anu Sistonen. Titled Image X, the abstract multimedia work sees Sistonen join forces with photogra-pher and video artist Miikka Heinonen, whose dance photos will also be shown in an exhibition titled Motional Issues during the festival Finland is also rep-resented by Johanna Ikola, who will be giving dance classes. Other foreign guests include France’s Camille Mutel,

and Spanish troupe CobosMika com-pany. Local dance artist Tania Soubry and didgeridoo player Lex Gillen also team up for one of three “After Hours” performances at 10 p.m. Before each evening’s feature show, at 8 p.m., Bel-gian troupe Compagnie Irene K. will perform a different dance on the fore-court for free (photo shows Masami Sakurai and Hiroshi Wakamatsu per-forming Inside Time/Outside Space, scheduled for May 27).May 26 to 29, CarréRotondes, Exit07 & Fondarch, Luxembourg-Hollerich, www.danzfestival.lu

DANZ FESTIVAL LËTZEBUERG

DELIGHTFUL FINNISH

MOBY

SELL OUTGUARANTEE

Den Atelier is bringing Moby back to Luxembourg for a fi fth show, this time at the Rockhal. Be warned, the previous four shows at the Hollerich venue sold out very quickly, so tickets may already be gone but will be worth seeking out via ticket exchanges. Moby will be releasing his latest album, Destroyed, on May 13.June 15, Rockhal, Esch-Belval, www.atelier.lu

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

MAHLER’S DEATH KNELLMichael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony have come to specialise in Mahler’s symphonies, and here play the composer’s fi nal (completed) work. It is, says the conductor, one of the most profound works in the symphonic repertoire. ”The Ninth is in turns poignant and devastating, encompassing the depth of Mahler’s passion for life as he knowingly approached his own demise.” May 27, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

10_p56-57_lifestyle_onstage.indd 56 05.05.2011 16:52:25 Uhr


DARKSTAR

DUB DREAMSRecruiting singer James Buttery for their fi rst album was clearly a smart move by James Young and Aiden Whalley, the duo who formed Darkstar at university. Their ear for a melody coupled with the down-beat, almost industrial melancholia is perfect for a record titled North. Imagine the dark materials of early 80s northern English electronica --Human League or New Order-- melded with dubstep sensibilities.May 20, Exit07, Luxembourg-Hollerich, www.rotondes.lu

TRANSATLANTIC DIALOGUE

CULTURE CROSSES OCEANSThe University of Luxembourg has teamed up with universities in the USA, including Miami University (Ohio), Northern Arizona and Bowling Green State to produce a programme of con-ferences, exhibitions and live perform-ances. Several events are open to the

public, including a European Soirée at the Cercle featuring a reading with music of Dana Rufalo’s epic poem I am the viola da gamba of the singing building, an American Soirée at Abbaye Neumünster with dance troupe Steps Afrika! and a concert by the Miami University Men’s Glee Club (photo) at the Protestant church.May 25 to 28, Cercle, Abbaye de Neumünster, Protestant Church, Luxembourg, http://transatlanticdialogue.uni.lu

THE GIACOMO VARIATIONS

MALKOVICH IN THE MIDDLEJohn Malkovich is no stranger to Luxembourg. He was here to fi lm The Shadow of the Vampire some eleven years ago, and last year made his debut at the Phil-harmonie in The Infernal Comedy. This time he plays Giaciomo Casanova in this complex chamber opera play written and directed by Michael Sturminger. In the face of his approaching death, Casanova looks back on his life and slips into various roles from Mozart operas--he was a close friend of librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. The result is a piece that is both philosophical and humorous. May 21 & 22, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

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BENIN BEATS

Beautiful Beninoise singer Angélique Kidjo brings her band to the Philharmonie to join local composer Gast Waltzing for the annual Pops concert. Waltzing takes up the baton to conduct the Orches-tre Philharmonique du Luxembourg for a programme that promises to run the whole gamut of popular music-- Kidjo’s repertoire includes cover versions of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’ and Santana’s ‘Samba Pa Ti’.June 8, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmionie.lu

LIFESTYLE

10_p56-57_lifestyle_onstage.indd 57 05.05.2011 16:52:41 Uhr

LIFESTYLE

DOUGLAS RINTOUL: a journey through the work

Douglas Rintoul’s latest professional engagement in Luxembourg, Patrick Marber’s Closer, is, he says, a continua-tion of his previous work as a director at the Capucins, Noel Coward’s Design for Living. Not only in that two of the lead actors--Jules Werner and Myriam Muller--are the same, but also in its context. “I knew Closer and it felt the right sort of connection to the Coward piece. It is a continuation in a much more 20th century way.” Indeed, Patrick Marber has admitted that the form of his play was “stolen” from Coward’s Private Lives--the idea of two couples switching--while the time frame is derived from Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. Appropriately enough, Rintoul has directed Betrayal and Werner and Muller have also pre-viously acted in Pinter’s acclaimed play. “It is seemed right that there was a thread, a journey through the work, which you don’t always have the opportunity to do.” That thread is also underlined by a connection with the local English-lan-guage theatre community. For Design for Living Rintoul added local English-speaking actors to the cast, and while here this time he led a series of free workshops for the community.Working in Luxembourg has also been enlightening in other ways. “One of the great joys of working in theatre is that it is so immediate. You have all that investment and then it disappears. Because of that, each country has its own way of working, and, though rare, it is exciting to cross borders, because you discover such different ways of working.” The director thinks he shocked everyone with his technical rehearsal,

because in Britain he was used to having everything in place and slowly and meticulously working through the rehearsal. “Whereas here you just keep run-ning and everything accumulates gradu-ally. But at the end of the process the technical team said they saw the validity of working in that way as well. There is no one way of making theatre.”Working with a non-native English speaking cast has not fazed the direc-tor. “It is a very British play, but it could actually take place anywhere.” Indeed, Rintoul has enjoyed working with actors with different training--Icelandic actress Elisabet Johannesdottir has American, Stanislavsky training, Myriam Muller has a French background and Jules Werner was trained in the UK. The only English actor, Richard Shackley,

whom Rintoul brought with him, actu-ally trained in Wales.In November Rintoul will return to Lux-embourg with Invisible, a production for his own Transport company. “It is about globalisation and migration, fl uidity of identity and language. So Luxembourg, with its confl uence of people, is exactly the place a piece like that should be.” Rintoul, who fi rst visited Luxembourg in 2005 as director of the chorus in the Barbican production of Julius Caesar, is delighted that Frank Feitler, director of the city’s two theatres, and Marc Olinger, the former head of the Capucins, have recognised that there is a place in Lux-embourg for home-made English-lan-guage productions, and not just touring companies. www.theatres.lu

Theatre

THE RIGHT CONNECTIONEnglish director Douglas Rintoul speaks about Patrick Marber’s Closer, which he is directing at the Capucins this month.Text: Duncan Roberts — Photo: David Laurent/Wide

LIFESTYLE

58 - DELANO - May 201158 - DELANO - May 2011

10_p58_Lifstyle_news1page.indd 58 05.05.2011 13:59:39 Uhr

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LIFESTYLE


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COUNTRY STRONG

TWANG Country music has made for some brilliant fi lms--think Robert Altman’s Nashville or last year’s Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges, or even the biopics of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. Sadly, everything points to the fact that Country Strong will not be joining that illustrious roll call. Gwyneth Paltrow plays (and sings) a washed up alcoholic country legend who begins A Star is Born type relationship with a young buck, played by TRON: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund. Predictable and probably for true Country fans only. Released May 27

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

SAIL FOURTH

With annoying Brits Bloom and Knightley out of the equation, and Penelope Cruz adding lustre, maybe the Pirates franchise can recover from its disastrous third outing. Johnny Depp returns as Jack Sparrow searching for the fabled Fountain of Youth. Cruz is his former lover and Geoffrey Rush is also on board, while Richard Griffi ths plays King George II.Released May 18

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THE TREE OF LIFE

MALICK AFORE-THOUGHTBe

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Four fi lms to watch

ON SCREENTHE BEAVER

TALK TO THE HANDIf Mel Gibson is trying to re-ingratiate himself with cinema audiences, he could hardly have chosen a more off the wall role than this. In Jodie Foster’s third fi lm as director, Gibson plays successful businessman and father Walter Black, who has lost his way and suffers from debilitating depression. When Wal-ter’s wife (Foster) kicks him out he fi nds rehabilitation via a glove puppet beaver. Billed as a darker version of Har-vey, in which James Stewart befriended an imaginary six-foot rabbit, the trailer to The Beaver seems to indicate that Foster has not shied away from senti-mental melodrama.Released May 27

Having taken a 20-year sabbatical bet ween his second fi lm, Days of Heaven, and The Thin Red Line, Terrence Malick is becoming veritably prolifi c by making his third fi lm in 12 years. The Tree of Life may well repeat his Cannes triumph with Days of Heaven (which won the best director award) as it has been selected in competition at this year’s festival. The appearance of Brad Pitt and Sean Penn and their respective partners on the Croisette will certainly cause a media storm. Pitt plays a father who tries to give his son (played in adult life by Penn) valuable life lessons that inevitably lead to confl ict in what is essentially a coming of age, loss of innocence story. This being Malick, the fi lm is beautifully shot and judging from the trailer has what Roger Ebert described as the “elegiac” tone of Days of Heaven.Released May 18

10_p60_lifestyle_cinema.indd 60 04.05.2011 19:28:35 Uhr

with a Full English Menu


LIFESTYLE

News and recommendations for

EPICUREANS AND NIGHT OWLS

Com

ed

The Thailand restaurant in Belair and its city centre sister Thai Celadon host their eighth Ramayana Festival. The fortnight celebrates not only the best of Thai cuisine, but also an important work in Thai culture derived from the Hindu epic detailing the life of Rama. Restau-rant founder Lek Zimmer creates a superb menu that provides regular din-ers with something different and novices with a real taste of Thai cuisine. Start-ers, for example, include a selection of

Thai hors-d’œuvres or a beautifully refreshing salad with scampi, beans and groundnuts. Scampi--this time stuffed with green asparagus--also feature among the choice of fi sh dishes, along-side steamed Gulf of Siam bass. Meat dishes are either an Udorn chicken with noodles and fresh vegetables (photo) or pork served Bangkok street style with potato salad. Dishes can be ordered à la carte or as a three-course menu.Until May 29, www.thai.lu

FESTIVAL RAMAYANA

CELEBRATE THAI FLAVOURS

SPRING BEERS

TERRACEBREW NEWS

Just in time for the warmer weather, locally produced Battin brews have a new look. While the taste remains the same, all three blondes sport new packaging: Battin Gambrinus (youthful, easy to drink); Extra (strong, take your time); and Fruitée (distinctive, fruity). The brand has no website: “Just log off and have a Battin,” a spokesman says playfully.

SPRING MENU

LES ROSES’S SIGNATURESThe seasonal selection created by chef Alain Pierron at Les Roses at the Casino 2000 in Mondorf refl ects the style he has brought to the restaurant since taking over from his former boss, Peter Körner, in September 2009. One of his signa-tures is fi nger food entrées such as a crisp of brown shrimps with sweetbread caviar and cold rata-touille or Ourdal trout with artichoke. A fi ve-course tasting menu including three glasses of wine and coffee is available on Thursday evenings.www.casino2000.lu

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André Hufer has returned to the country of his birth to take over as the new head bartender at the Hotel Le Royal. He began his career as a baker’s apprentice, but then re-schooled to enter the hotel business. After some local jobs as a receptionist, Hufer started as a barman at the Marriott in Hamburg and then worked at several top-class hotels in Switzerland.Apart from the piano, the Royal’s bar is renowned for its selection of whiskies, with some 107 different brands and vintages available, as well as creative cocktails. www.leroyalluxembourg.com

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BEHIND BARS

ANDRÉ HUFER AT THE PIANO BAR

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LIFESTYLE


MELUSINADown in Clausen the view from the sun-drenched terrace of the Melusina may have been spoiled somewhat by the Rives de Clausen complex on the opposite river bank, but you can still enjoy a fi ne lunch menu (combining a choice of a main course, starter and dessert) and views onto the Bock rock and the old town. The evening menu by Gilbert Welter is also well worth checking out--fi ne dining at reasonable prices.Melusina, 145 rue de la Tour Jacob, tel: 43 59 22, www.melusina.lu

JUEGDSCHLASS A veritable Luxembourg institution, the Juegdschlass is one of those places where it seems the menu and décor hasn’t changed for decades--though seasonal dishes such as asparagus and game are added to the menu when appropriate. The terrace offers some great views across the valley into the Grünewald and is a calm and discrete place to enjoy a light lunch such as a brochette de scampi or a typically Luxembourgish dish such as Ham, fritten an zalot and then stay for an aperitif (a chilled framboise sauvage, for example). The historical building, built in 1873 as a hunting lodge for steel mill owners, is also home to peacocks and a playground for kids, and is a great starting point for a walk in the woods.Juegdschlass, 400 rue des Sept-Arpents, Luxembourg, tel: 33 71 37, www.juegdschlass.lu

The unique menu du jour lunch menu at Go Ten is delicious and beautifully simple, and the carrot cake is divine. But, situated near the Chambre des deputés and Urban, not to mention the Grand Ducal palace, the terrace is also a great place for people watching--spot-ting parliamentarians, people sneaking in a long lunch at Urban and groups of tourists will keep you entertained for hours. Go Ten, 10 rue du Marché-aux-Herbes, Luxem-bourg, tel: 26 20 36 52, www.goten.lu

Good table guide

TERRACE DININGTexts: Duncan Roberts — Photos: Olivier Minaire

GO TEN

IL FRAGOLINO

The walled garden of Il Fragolino is a perfect getaway, an oasis in the city. The waiters may be a bit posey--many of them prance around like wannabe Italian male models--but the service is effi ciently managed by Lauria Rosa and the food is very good. A great lunchtime or evening venue on a warm spring or summer day.Il Fragolino, 56-58 Montée de la Pétrusse, tel: 26 48 02 67, www.il-fragolino.lu

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10_p62-63_lifestyle_goingout.indd 63 05.05.2011 13:02:49 Uhr


LIFESTYLE

Four exhibitions to see

VISUAL ARTS

Just across the border from Schengen, the Château de Malbrouck is well worth a visit before the end of August to take in an exhibition of photographs by Robert Doisneau. Renowned for Le baiser de l ’hôtel de ville, the iconic “kiss” photo that came to symbolise Parisian post-war romance, Doisneau’s real skill was in fi nding beauty in the mundane, and especially in children’s street culture after WWII. “The marvels of daily life are so exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you fi nd in the street,” he said. The exhibition fea-tures some 300 photographs, including some previously unseen and around 50 taken in Lorraine, providing a touch

of local fl avour. Many of the images are memorable and convey what the Encyclopaedia Britannica calls Doisneau’s “exquisite sense of humour...anti-establish-ment values, and...deeply felt humanism.”Until August 28, Château de Malbrouck, Manderen (France), www.chateau-malbrouck.com

ROBERT DOISNEAU

MORE THAN A KISS

Maja Weyermann’s photos take an in depth look at Chandigarh, the Indian city largely designed by Swiss architect Le Corbusier in the 1950s. In particular she focuses on the contradictions and confl icts that arose when Corbusier’s

European urban planning and architecture met Indian social and cultural tradi-tions. The exhibition is presented by the Fondation de l’Architecture et de l’Ingénierie and galerie Nosbaum & Reding, under the patronage of the Swiss embassy and with support from Swiss Re.Until June 4, Fondation de l’Architecture et de l’Ingénierie, Luxembourg-Hollerich, www.fondarch.lu

MAYA WEYERMANN: CHANDIGARH

CULTURE CLASH

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GINO RICCA

GOING UNDER-GROUND

Known for his X-Non-Magazine fan-zine in the 80s and 90s, Gino Ricca was a true “face” of the Luxembourg nightlife scene. But before he arrived in Luxembourg he spent time in London, Paris and Berlin as an artist and photographer. This exhibition is a chance to view some of the photos he took of Underground Models of the 60s. Until May 14, Galerie Nosbaum & Reding, Luxembourg-old town, www.nosbaumreding.lu

SECOND LIVES

VIRTUAL REALITYCurators Paul Di Felice, Kevin Muhlen and Pierre Stiwer have brought together a selection of art-ists who tackle the theme of virtual worlds and the people who fi nd ref-uge in them. Often these are people who hide their identity behind a “mask” that allows them to express themselves freely.From May 15 to September 11, Casino - Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg-centre, www.casino-luxembourg.lu

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10_p64_lifestyle_exhibitions.indd 64 05.05.2011 13:06:56 Uhr


LIFESTYLE

SUMMER ACTIVITIES (II)

LANGUAGE CAMPSTravel agency Sales-Lentz is offer-ing new language learning camps together with the Berlitz language centre. The camps are hosted in Luxembourg and are aimed at children aged 10-17. Combining language learning with activities such as kayaking, hiking and other sports, students can playfully learn English or French. www.sales-lentz.lu

SQUASH

KPMG-CITCO LUXEMBOURG OPENA fi rst for Luxembourg, the KPMG and Citco Luxembourg Junior Open Squash Tournament will be held in at the Top Squash club in Sandweiler over the last weekend in May. President of the Lux-embourg Squash Federation, Stephen Kaiser, hopes that if the tournament is a success, it will become an annual fi xture in the squash calendar. “The birth of the tournament came from enthusiastic parents whose children have participated in Euro-pean Junior Circuit tournaments.” Specta-tors are welcome to lend support.May 27-29, Top Squash, Sandweiler,www.ljopen.lu

The city of Luxembourg’s SdS Sport-wochen programme provides opportu-nities for youngsters to take part in courses including football, sailing, golf, horse riding, mountain biking, skate-boarding and rock climbing through-out the summer. Most of the courses are in Luxembourg, though sailing and surfi ng courses--strictly limited to kids aged between 13 and 17--take place at Brouwersdam in the Netherlands and Lake Como in Italy. Courses take place between July 17 and September 4. Reg-istration is open to anyone, though residents of Luxembourg City get reduced prices.www.vdl.lu

SUMMER ACTIVITIES (I)

SPORTS CAMPS

OPEN DAY

The Luxembourg City conservatory is hosting an open day featuring presentations and informationsessions on its music singing and dance courses, and a behind the scenes look at the institution. Students from the school will also be performing throughout the day. May 21, 10:00-16:00, Conservatoire de Musique de la Ville de Luxembourg, www.cml.lu

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Four events for

FAMILIES AND KIDS

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LONG DISTANCERUNNING

The Fédération Luxembourgeoise d’Athlétisme (FLA) helps organise numerous fun runs and street races throughout the year. Many are open to the public, with the most popular annual events being the Postlaf in March, the Ousterlaf in Greven-macher on Easter Monday, the ING Europe-marathon Luxembourg in June, the JP Morgan City Jogging in July and the Route du Vin semi- marathon and Walfer Vollekslaf in the autumn. But the joy of running is that it can be practised anywhere --as Xavier proves in Zagreb (photo).www.fl a.lu

Although it was football that fi rst caught Xavier Thillen’s sporting imag-ination, by the time he was a student he had started running. An encounter with the Hash House Harriers (the fun run group with branches all over the world) while on a student exchange in Nicaragua served to fi re what is now a true passion. Upon his return to Luxem-bourg to work for RTL productions in 1993, Xavier started doing 10K street races and half-marathons--though he admits he had off seasons and that it was only after his children were born that he became a truly dedicated run-ner. He is now a regular participant in the Route du Vin along the Moselle at the end of September and the Walfer Vollekslaf at the beginning of October. “The climate is perfect for running at that time of year,” he says.Xavier ran his fi rst full marathon when he did the ING Europe-marathon Luxembourg in 2009, and is keen to run one a year--time restrictions not really permitting the commitment to train for more. “I think running the marathon requires a certain maturity. I had wanted to do my fi rst marathon at 40, but I missed out. So I did it at 42; for 42 kilometres.” He followed the ING with the Berlin marathon last year, joining an offi cial delegation of some 40 runners, and 15 rollerbladers, from RTL Group. Many of those runners have carried on training in an informal capacity and, along with Xavier, will

take part in the Cologne marathon this October. The group trains for races two evenings a week with a dedi-cated trainer; in the Kirchberg woods during the seasons of late daylight and at the Coque in winter. “It is great that we have the woods up here, they are a perfect location. And the company has a fi tness room with shower facilities, so we can even run at lunchtime.” As head of production at BCE, Xavier travels all over Europe and to the United States to meet clients. His run-ning shoes are now automatically part of his luggage. “In a city I haven’t before been to I love to get up early, as soon as the sun rises, and run. It is a great way to discover a city and it also frees the mind, to help me think about the day ahead, pre-pare for a meeting or even fi nd a solution to a problem.” Xavier’s children have followed in his footsteps. Xavier jr. is a goalkeeper for RM Hamm Benfi ca under 11s and also trains with the football federation’s under 12s, while Christina is as keen a runner as her father. Indeed, she is the current Luxembourg cross country champion in her age group. “We spotted quickly that she was a fast runner; she could keep up with her older brother. And she enjoyed it and felt good running,” says Xavier with pride. But Xavier can also take pride in his own achievements--his personal best for the marathon is a very respectable 3h36mins, while he has run the half marathon in 1h34mins.

Xavier Thillen

Long distance running

MARATHON MANThe head of production at Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE) regularly races and loves to discover new cities with his running shoes.Text: Duncan Roberts

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MY OTHER LIFE: XAVIER THILLEN


11_p66_myotherlife.indd 66 04.05.2011 18:28:49 Uhr

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Delano May 2011

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