Delano

February 2012 – Issue 09 – 4€ – www.delano.lu

5 453000 010015

Understanding Luxembourg: current affairs, business, lifestyle, Culture

Building Europe: Juliane Kokott gives an insider’s view of the Court of Justice

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editorial

impressum February 2012 - Issue 09

Editor in chief: Duncan Roberts (duncan.roberts@maisonmoderne.lu) Journalist: Aaron Grunwald (aaron.grunwald@maisonmoderne.lu) Contributors: Neel Chrillesen, Brian Power, Tonya Stoneman Photography: Charles Caratini, Luc Deflorenne, David Laurent/Wide, Olivier Minaire Proofreading: Cathy Weber, Wendy Winn

Vigilance not Vigilantism Text: Duncan Roberts — Illustration: Quentin Vijoux

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The brutal attack by a gang of youths on a train passenger just before Christmas may well have merited little more than a few lines in the local media had the police and state prosecutor’s office not decided to release CCTV footage of the robbery. The video has since been watched over 10,000 times online and the ensuing furore has awoken a nation from its slumber. Successive surveys listing Luxembourg as the safest city in the world have led to complacency over personal security, but the train attack--the latest in a series of violent muggings on trains and city streets--may have unintentionally led to everyone being a little more vigilant.

That is not to say that Luxembourg doesn’t deserve its accolades for safety.

Violent incidents are still rare and the culture of drinking and fighting so gleefully portrayed in documentaries and police “reality shows” in the UK, for example, has never threatened to invade the Grand Duchy.

The train incident also reignited the debate over data protection and the use of surveillance cameras in public spaces. The Green party warned that the unexpurgated transmission of the video may well have implicated innocent bystanders, or those even trying to assist the victim, as perpetrators of the crime in the eyes of some viewers. In the face of the emotional outcry over the violent footage this was a brave stance from the Greens, but it was met with criticism even from some of the party’s natural supporters.

The dissemination of the video did help apprehend four of the suspects (one had been arrested shortly after the attack,) but it was unclear from the blurry black and white footage of the precise role in the incident of some of those captured on camera. CCTV can help assist the authorities in helping bringing criminals to justice, but unless used prudently there is a danger it will be seen as just another medium for so-called infotainment or could even encourage vigilantism.

February 2012 - delano - 3

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contents

44 COver STOry

JULIANE KOKOTT Building Europe Juliane Kokott, advocate general at the European Court of Justice, gives an inside view of the institution and the key role it increasingly plays in making the EU a day-to-day reality.

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6 CurreNT AffAirS

24 buSiNeSS

10 TEN WORTHY ORgANISATIONS Get involved & make a difference

30 ExPAT INSURANCE Are you really covered?

Alfred Funk on the Belval campus

The PM on the euro zone

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT Volunteering through the workplace

12 UNIVERSITY CHALLENgE 16 ATLAS BOUND

WIDENINg gAP? Luxembourg’s coming labour shortage

NETWORKINg The Network

35 JUNCKER JOVIAL BUT WARY

54 HOT WHEELS

52 gOINg NATIVE Three festivals to see off winter Seven luxury sports cars to drive

36 gETTINg THE MESSAgE

56 KONRAD OPENS

38 FATCA

62 DISCOVERY ZONE

Luxembourg teams tackle Morocco rally

Nominees awaiting the word

The public transport debate rages on

Americans not welcome anymore

20 TRAM TURMOIL

50 lifeSTyle

regulArS 42 THINK LOCAL

Dong Feiyu: the Chinese teacher from Inner Mongolia explains why the Grand Duchy is the place for her son, how she confronted her fear of French, and what amazed her about Luxembourg city hall.

66 MY OTHER LIFE David John Pike: the opera singer and business consultant talks about how he has managed to build two careers, how he strikes the balance between the two, and how he is preparing for his next big role.

62

English stand-up comedy returns

Finding new films

SNAPSHOTS 28 THE HUNT FOR TALENT

Nicolas Schmit on attractiveness

34 POSITIVE STEREOTYPES Alice Walpole on the UK’s EU veto 40 BRITISH WANTED Luc Frieden on the UK’s EU veto

February 2012 - delano - 5

Corporate and social responsibility

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT More and more Luxembourg companies are helping their staff volunteer through the workplace. Is it time well spent?

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Illustration: Charlotte Wood

David Laurent/Wide

current affairs

diane Wolter: sometimes staff just need help getting started

Over the past decade, many companies’ philanthropic activities have been subsumed under the “corporate and social responsibility” umbrella. Several Luxembourg firms have already moved well past simply writing a cheque and then sending out a press release to publicise their donations. Today companies are getting their employees involved--quite literally--and focused just as much on the intangibles.

Sometimes the hardest part of volunteering is getting started. While many employees have “had it in mind for some time to become active in a non-profit association, maybe they didn’t know how to do it,” says Diane Wolter, philanthropy advisor at the Banque de Luxembourg.

That was one motivation behind the bank establishing its Hëllef Hëllefen, or Help to Help, programme in 2006.

Simply put, “it is convenient to learn about projects at your workplace. Then [an employee might] think, ‘well, why not, I can give part of my time to an association.

Let’s do it!’”

Hëllef Hëllefen missions are all proposed by employees, who must personally be involved with the organisation to be supported and serve as the project’s

internal advocate. Staff present their arguments to a seven-member committee of colleagues, drawn from across the bank’s ranks, to win approval for their charity. In its five year history, the programme has supported more than 20 NGOs in Luxembourg and the Greater Region, and doled out more than 76,000 euro in financial support (although each organisation can receive a maximum of 5,000 euro annually).

In fact, the money does not really even come from the bank’s coffers: it is raised partially from the fees employees pay to park in company garages, and from all the advertising sold in its in-house magazine which is sent to private banking clients. In addition to money, Hëllef Hëllefen has donated the bank’s reusable computers and furniture, collected clothes and toys from employees, and hosted public events in its boulevard Royal auditorium.

But perhaps the most important aspect is that the project organiser “can use our internal communication channels.” For example, if the organisation needs volunteers for a special event, they can put out the call on the bank’s intranet site. This makes it

easy for fellow staffers to donate their time.

FRAMEWORK “There are a lot of people who want to get involved, but didn’t take the steps,” explains Paul Wilwertz, public relations manager at the bank. If you say, “‘We need ten guys Saturday morning from eight to 12 to do this,’ we will find them. We will find more than ten. Because we have given them the opportunity, we have given them the framework. Then people engage.”

In 2008, one of the bank’s employees who is actively involved in Stëmm vun der Strooss, a group that helps the homeless, was looking for extra hands for the NGO’s annual Christmas dinner for 300 people. Indeed, he found ten colleagues to help, a number which grew to 18 last year.

Luxembourg’s steel giant also centres a huge amount of its philanthropic efforts around helping employees find ways to volunteer. The ArcelorMittal Foundation was created with the 2007 merger, “because neither of the companies had a foundation,” says its managing director, Felicidad Cristobal. Since then it has

February 2012 - delano - 7

ArcelorMittal Foundation

current affairs

sponsored more than 500 projects per year, with more than 700,000 employees donating about 30,000 working hours annually, Cristobal calculates.

Last year, for example, a dozen ArcelorMittal employees joined a Habitat for Humanity initiative organised by former US president Jimmy Carter which built 100 houses in Haiti in just one week.

DOLPHIN THERAPY The company is currently ramping up its year-old “Solidarity Holidays” scheme, in which ArcelorMittal employees in any country will be able to participate in a project in another part of the world, such as building schools in Liberia or assisting doctors at a mobile health camp in Senegal. All travel expenses are covered by the company, so “employees only need to give their time.”

So far, about 65 percent of ArcelorMittal staff who participate in the programme are white collar employees and 35 percent are blue collar. “Our objective is to have the opposite,” says Cristobal. In addition to the mixing of employees from different roles and departments, “if not for this project, some people from the

8 - delano - February 2012

Hard at Work: ArcelorMittal Luxembourg employee Adina Sinea building houses in Haiti with Habitat for Humanity

developing world would never be able to” visit another region or participate in such a volunteering activity.

“We try to involve our people as much as possible” in the firm’s community investment programme, says Guy Loesch, partner at the law office of Linklaters in Luxembourg. For example, employees travelled to Benin to volunteer at educational centres run by Afrique Décide, which helps physically disabled children. The Linklaters staff helped with recreational activities and gave French lessons. “That was an absolute great experience” for the employees who participated, Loesch states.

The firm also supports Le rêve le petit prince, a group that provides dolphin therapy to seriously ill and developmentally disabled children at a centre in Turkey. “Of course it’s quite costly, and we’ve been supporting the association by making donations, which is absolutely vital.” But a few months ago, company personnel for the first time accompanied a small group of children from Luxembourg during their one week stay. Loesch says the firm is considering if they can send staff on future trips.

Closer to home, Linklaters staff can propose engaging in volunteer activity with an organisation in Luxembourg or the Greater Region with which they are involved. If approved, the firm grants employees one paid working day per year. Loesch also would ideally like to have clients participate in volunteer activities alongside employees, but Linklaters is still developing the idea.

The Banque de Luxembourg remains quite active in traditional philanthropic activity and has no plans to abandon its long history of financial support. It also donates hundreds of staff working hours to worthy causes each year, seconding staff to work onsite at association offices, for example.

Yet helping employees volunteer their time “corresponds to the values shared by people within the bank,” reckons Wolter, and has a “social team building” benefit.

Morever, Wilwertz says: “if we want to get people interested in what the bank is doing, we also have to have an interest in what [its] people are doing.”

For 10 ways to get involed outside of the workplace, see article on pages 10-11.

current affairs

Get involved

TEN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Delano presents ten worthy organisations where Luxembourg’s international residents can help make a difference.

Many in the Grand Duchy’s international community would like to get involved in volunteer work outside of work, but sometimes face the questions of language or need a better of idea of where to start. Delano has ten English-friendly ideas.

All of the groups profiled welcome the general public to participate and volunteer in its activities, so we are not including groups restricted to a particular profession. Our criteria also required the associations to have a physical presence here in Luxembourg, however they could be active both within the Grand Duchy and internationally.

To maintain a more cosmopolitan and cross-border appeal, we excluded groups focused on a single foreign nation. Likewise we selected organisations focused on causes with wider interest, attempting to avoid overly political or religious agendas.

In addition to the ten associations profiled here, many worthy causes are listed on Luxembourg’s volunteer portal, www.benevolat.public.lu, which is published in French. AG

10 - delano - February 2012

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CLAE

FAIRTRAdE LëTzEbUERg

An umbrella group, CLAE fosters a multicultural approach to immigration and integration. For more than 20 years it has hosted the Festival des migrations--to be held March 1618 at Luxexpo--which celebrates citizenship.

It needs more than 300 volunteers to make the show a success. The festival includes several expos “to savour the large cooking traditions of Luxembourg and also in the numerous bookstands of the Salon du livre et des cultures, which display the literatures of Luxembourg,” says Anita Helpiquet. www.clae.lu

Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg promotes sustainable and fairly traded goods. That means, for example, chocolate or coffee makers in the developing world receive a greater cut of the profits for their products sold here in the Grand Duchy. In addition to English language writers, the group needs event organisers.

“We need the help of motivated people to inform” the public about the fair-trade concept, explains Alice Zehner. Volunteers can also take part in lighter hearted PR vehicles, such as its Fairtrade Banana Day (photo). www.transfair.lu

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FONdATION dE LUxEmbOURg

KICK CANCER INTO TOUCh

Supported by the government, the Fondation de Luxembourg allows aspiring philanthropists to quickly and easily establish and run their own personal foundation without necessarily having to create their own stand-alone office and infrastructure. “The foundation helps donors in finding and setting up of projects to support, and it accompanies the donors in the monitoring of these projects,” says Tonika Hirdman (photo). The idea is to make private philanthropic activity more attractive by removing many of the administrative hassles. www.fdlux.lu

Kick Cancer Into Touch, which spun out of the Rugby Club of Luxembourg, supports the Kinner Kanner Kranks, a centre for terminally ill children and their families, and Omega 90, a cancer hospice in Hamm. While the children’s clinic always needs volunteers to help with activities, “you shouldn’t always rely on other people to set up fundraising events,” stresses Joe Lister. For example, volunteer Tony Savage cycled 500 kilometers from London to Paris last summer, raising €16,500 (photo).

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current affairs

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NATUR&ëmwELT

REd CROSS INTERNATIONAL SECTION

SPECIAL OLymPICS LUxEmbOURg

natur&ëmwelt restores land in natural reserves. The group’s “Fit by Nature” volunteer programme combines protecting the environment with keeping in shape. It can be hard physical work--ranging from clearing out alien species to planting native trees--but participants can take pride in seeing their job bear fruit. Projects typically last three to four hours and take place during the weekend. “This programme is open to everyone, including families, and no special background is needed,” says Mireille Molitor. www.naturemwelt.lu

The Luxembourg Red Cross’s International Section is made up of volunteers that support all of the wider organisation’s mission. “It was created some time ago to meet the expectations of expatriates that want to volunteer for a good cause,” says Tanja Kinnen. They are looking for help with writing, translation and graphic design, as well as with organising public events, such as the annual Afterwork swimming challenge (photo), “which raises funds to support struggling families in Luxembourg.”

Section.Internationale@croix-rouge.lu

Special Olympics Luxembourg is a sports federation for people with intellectual disabilities. Known for its international meetings of Olympic-type competitions, the group runs year-round sports programmes across the Grand Duchy. It needs coaches and assistant coaches, for a variety of sports, who can participate in weekly sessions. “We also need volunteers for our sports events during the year,” says Marc Feltgen, citing roles from timekeepers and event secretaries, to catering and organising medal awards. www.specialolympics.lu

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TELSTAR

TIERASyL

UNITy FOUNdATION

Telstar is Luxembourg’s international (and English speaking) scout group, with more than 130 young members between the ages of six and 18. “We operate on the basis of ‘many hands make light work’ and want to extend our team to ensure that no one is overloaded. We can make use of any time that people feel they can offer,” says Chris Garratt. The group provides leader training and can reimburse out of pocket expenses. It is not necessary to volunteer each week and Telstar also needs help with administrative tasks. www.telstar.lu

The national animal shelter in Gasperich has been helping cats and dogs for more than 100 years, and is set to move into an expanded facility later this year. While caring for the animals inside the shelter requires special training, anyone 18 and up can help make a dog’s day. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. to take one of the canine residents out for a walk. The group is really looking for “people who are used to large dogs, because we don’t have many small ones,” says Monique Jentges. www.deierenasyl.lu

Supported by the foreign ministry, the Unity Foundation supports community school and youth empowerment programmes in developing countries. “As the name of our NGO suggests--Unity--we are interested in creating a community of interest here in Luxembourg which unites people from various backgrounds,” explains Thomas Hueck. It needs volunteers to translate project status reports from English into French. The foundation is also looking for volunteers from the international community to organise fundraising events. www.unityfoundation.lu

February 2012 - delano - 11

current affairs

Higher education

universiTY challenge

The new chief operating officer at the University of Luxembourg, Alfred Funk, says great opportunities lie ahead for the young institution.

Text: Neel Chrillesen with Duncan Roberts — Photo: Olivier Minaire

Despite only taking over from Eric Tschirhart in mid January, the new chief operating officer at the University of Luxembourg already looks very much at home in his new office. Freshly arrived from Hohenheim University, in Germany, where he held the same position, 47 year-old Alfred Funk is adamant that he will take his time before imposing any new standards. “Change is essential and even more so for a university like Luxembourg’s which is in the midst of growing,” he says. “There will of course be adjustments but not until I’ve listened to what people have to say and observed how things function. Anything else would be bad management. You don’t go about making changes just for the value of doing it.”

He admits that the Luxembourg way of working will also take some getting

road deathS up Preliminary figures jan released by Statec indicate there were some 36 road fatalities in Luxembourg in 2011--up from 32 in 2010.

However, the goal of reducing 2001 road death figures by half has still been achieved.

2•

DATE LINE January 2012

12 - delano - February 2012

used to: “My first week here was a bit surprising. It’s always astonishing to see that the same things can be managed differently from what you’re used to. Not worse, not better, just differently. And they use so many acronyms here! Some sentences might just as well be in Chinese. It’s normal for everyone else, but it’s a whole new experience for me!”

Funk, a father of two--his wife and sons aged 10 and 13 will be joining him in September--studied law but is also passionate about political science, history and philosophy. Before his post at Hohenheim, he was what he calls “a sort of lawyer / legal counsellor” for a university in Paderborn, then director of the small and relatively new Fachhochschule Westküste. Indeed, Funk says that since arriving in Luxembourg he has noticed some parallels with the

Stadium cutS A meeting between jan property developer Flavio Becca and the ministers of small- and medium-size business and sport resulted in an agreement to reduce the amount of retail space at the planned new national football stadium in Livange.

3•

Good SerVice An international study jan

by Presence Mystery Shopping Best Practices caused huge debate when its “undercover shoppers” ranked the avenue de la Liberté as the shopping street with the second best service in the world.

4•

current affairs

Westküste institution--“the pioneering spirit is still perceptible: a great deal is still in the planning stage. And the pride of people in ‘their’ university.”

With his solid background in finance and HR management, it would seem natural if Funk addresses these areas first. “I still have a lot of things to evaluate before taking any steps. It does however occur to me that the university has grown in the last year but that the administration has not grown in the same way.

This could be an issue in the future and something we should work on developing.

As for the financial management, I believe it is solid. However, we need to get some graphs up to show how the growth is taking place and analyse the different sources

of money and the different costs so we can adopt a strategy which conforms to that of the University.”

Moving souTh One of the biggest projects Funk will have to deal with is the relocation of Luxembourg University to Esch-Belval. The first phase of the project, budgeted at 600 million euro and involving around 20 new buildings, will house the University of Luxembourg as well as the Cité des Sciences off-university research facilities and a start-up centre. Ultimately it will be home to around 7,000 students and 3,000 teaching staff and researchers. Moving the entire university, currently spread

out across numerous sites, is expected to start in 2014 with only the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance remaining, partially, in the capital.

“I’ve experienced this before so I know about all the pitfalls. It’s a big idea to move a whole university but it’s also a great opportunity.” Funk also views the Belval project as a way to implement what he calls “a green university” from scrap. “When I worked in Stuttgart we had great success marrying economy and ecology and I plan to do the same in Luxembourg. I’m not talking only about green power supplies. A green university is a whole, a complete spirit of ecology. The Belval project is a big chance for applying that from the start.” greaTer region neTwork

The pioneering spiriT is sTill percepTible” Alfred Funk

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Steel Site hack The Belgian branch of jan hacker group Anonymous hijacked the website of the world’s largest steel group, ArcelorMittal. The group had warned of the attack, saying it was a protest against the closure of its mill in Cockerill, Belgium.

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Cour grand-ducale

jan

GrandDukeJean,whoreigned from 1964 to 2000, turned 91.

Another important project Funk sees evolving is that of the University of the Greater Region, a cross-border association involving the universities of Saarland, Liège, Luxembourg, Metz, Nancy, Kaiserslautern and Trier. It allows students to follow study programmes and courses at partner universities and promotes a large range of cross-border activities and networking of researchers, for example. While the structure of the University of the Greater Region has been working since 2011 as a “project”, hope is that it will become a permanent entity in 2013.

Funk hopes the University of the Greater Region will also facilitate contacts between institutions in the bordering countries for his administration.

“In Germany, there are different working

Velodrome planS jan Sports minister Romain Schneider unveiled plans to build the long mooted velodrome indoor cycling arena and training centre in Mondorfles-Bains, the home town of pro cycling brothers Fränk and Andy Schleck.

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Sitcom SucceSS A survey by TNS Ilres jan revealed that 33% of all Luxembourgers regularly watched local language sitcom Weemseesdet on RTL. The Deal Productions show was especially popular among young audiences.

15 •

February 2012 delano - 13

Le fonds Belval

current affairs

the future Belval site: an opportunity to develop a complete spirit of ecology

groups within which the administrative directors of each university can help each other and exchange ideas. The problem with a small country like Luxembourg is that there are no other similar institutions you can work with, which is why the cross-border project is so important on all levels.” The new chief operating officer

royal intern Crown Prince Guillaujan me began a threeweek “internship” at the European Commission and the embassy of Luxembourg in Brussels. Coincidentally, Stéphanie de Lannoy, who is reportedly Guillaume’s girlfriend, lives in the Belgian capital.

16 •

14 - delano - February 2012

of Luxembourg University will have no language problems. His wife being French, Alfred Funk speaks the language of Molière fluently as well as English and his native German. He also, of course, intends to take up Luxembourgish very quickly. “Multilingualism is ostensibly 'only' a tool,” he said

17 •

jan

Thefirststoneswerelaidatthe new ISL Lower School building.

in an interview published on the University’s website. “But switching between languages stimulates the intellect, because there are cultures, mentalities and identities behind languages, and I presume that multilingual people are rather inclined to understand and adopt different positions.”

Stolen data The Piratenpartei rejan vealedthattheprivate data of some 50,000 patients had been accessed by someone who easily stole the password of a doctor at the Centre medico sportif. The party said it wanted to highlight poor security in the state data bank.

19 •

What criSiS? Some 24,000 visitors jan attended the annual Vakanz fair, according to figures released by Luxexpo. That is 1,000 more visitors than in 2011.

RTL reported that exhibitors said they had not noticed any negative effect of the crisis.

23 •

current affairs

Sport

ATLAS BOUND

Two teams will represent Luxembourg in a women-only rally across Morocco.

Text: Aaron Grunwald – Photo: Charles Caratini

No GPS, no mobile phones and no other modern technology; just a 4x4, a map and a compass to traverse the Moroccan desert. That is the idea behind the 22-year old Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, a women’s only event that will take place from March 17 to 31 and raises money for charity. The Grand Duchy’s Desert Impulse team--comprised of Nathalie Doyen and Julie Kohlmann--is preparing to make its debut run.

Twenty-seven year old Kohlmann raced in last year’s rally, admitting “it was quite difficult for me, because I had no experience.”

Nevertheless she knew immediately that she wanted to return in 2012. She began to look for a new teammate after her racing partner became pregnant last year.

It will be Doyen’s first rally, although she has long been interested in the sport and never found the opportunity to race herself. Now that her two children are a bit older, with support of her “super” husband and her mother, she decided to take the leap. “You never know what can happen from one day to another, so you have to take advantage of each day. I’m 44, and I thought, 4x4, four-wheel drive, so ‘let’s go’.”

She and Kohlmann both work in the business aviation sector and had met professionally quite some time ago. But it was not until last May at an industry event in Geneva that a mutual contact suggested they team up for the rally.

They clicked and then got Arnold Kontz Land Rover Luxembourg on board as their main sponsor.

Kohlmann enthuses about the support and training given by Kontz, saying

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nathalie Doyen anD Julie Kohlmann: tough training near Bridel

“they are as motivated as we are! ” Doyen notes the company ordered and fully kitted out a brand new Defender for the rally (a training model is pictured above).

While some teams in the rally have one pilot and one navigator, the two Desert Impulse women will share duties. “When you are [both] navigating and driving, you can understand what the other thinking,” explains Kohlmann. “Communication is the most important thing.”

“You have so many opportunities to disagree,” adds Doyen. “So it’s good when you know how difficult it is to pass a dune, how difficult it is to fix a point in the landscape and you lose the point you fixed.”

Desert Impulse is not the only team representing Luxembourg. Les Gazelles d’Ailleurs--made up of Sonia Gomes and Sylvie Heiderscheid and primarily backed by their employer KBL Private Bankers--will also be in the rally. Gomes says driving through the desert is “completely different” than on the street. Training is “like you’re doing your driver license again.”

The racers are mainly motivated by being able to have a great experience and help raise funds for the children’s charity Cœur de Gazelles. “We are not going to win or to come in first,” says Gomes.

“For us, the important thing is to go there and participate.”

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current affairs

Reform

MERSCH BLASTS GOVERNMENT

it's been a Good or bad month For: ICE WINE CONNOISSEURS

The outspoken governor of Luxembourg’s central bank has criticised the lack of economic reform in the Grand Duchy.

Fans of the sweet wine made from et win pes that a have been Riesling grapes t belo picked att temperatures below -7oC ighted too hear th will be delighted that the ookk ppl harvest finally took place on January nterr ha 18--the mild winter had threatened e the 2011 vintage.

ER 25 WOMEN UNDER en whoo have h a bbirth Young women escriptionn for the pill are control prescription unded up to 80% oof the being refunded nall health hea insurance. cost by the national aapply under the Older women cann app al, but b other forms Planning Familial, n fall under of birth control do not e the new scheme.

ESSE SMALL BUSINESSES A record numberr off 93 930 bankruptcies rded in 2011, 20 and by were recorded e 29 com January 188 a further companies der accordin had gone under according to the te. barreau.lu website.

18 - Delano - February 2012

yVes mersch: Luxembourg needs more frank talk

Blitz

ANS EUROVISION FANS hatt iit hhas no plans RTL confirmed that rreturn to the Eurofor Luxembourgg too ret test. st LLuxembourg vision Song Contest. ery Eu competed in every Eurovision nchh in 1956 and 1993, between its launch es (wi winning five times (with singers from ce) e) an aand hosting on France and Greece) four occasions, butt its last entry with was in 1993. RTLL w withdrew from that it could not the contest citingg th ndd wo w afford to enter and would definitely ostt tthe ccompetition not be able to host n. W if Luxembourg won.

With five wins, or ssecond place Luxembourg tiess for w w among thee all-timee winners with the UK andd France and beh behind record nd, which hi ha winner Ireland, has claimed en occ the prize on seven occasions.

While the total number of jobs is the highest ever seen in Luxembourg, the figure has not kept up with brisk population growth, Yves Mersh has said.

In fact, “we’ve seen negative job creation over the last months.”

Mersch--who has been head of the Banque centrale du Luxembourg and a member of the European Central Bank’s governing council since 1998--spoke during a British Chamber of Commerce for Luxembourg sustaining members’ reception in December, which was hosted at the official residence of the UK’s ambassador to the Grand Duchy, Alice Walpole.

Traditionally Luxembourg had accumulated significant budget surpluses which allowed the country to take a long-term view towards fiscal policy, Mersch explained. With the financial crisis “these buffers have been eaten up. Now we’re in deficit. There are no buffers left and no measures on the expenditures side. There’s no real downsizing of how the central government conducts its business.”

Mersch lamented that the government’s frequently announced timelines for

revamping the pension and wages systems continually slip past their intended deadlines. Politicians’ failure to embrace reform will only exacerbate the Grand Duchy’s financial situation, he reckons. “It’s better to start to adjust early with smaller measures than have to take harsh measures later.”

“The pension system surplus will disappear rapidly in the coming years,” the governor added. The central bank expects economic growth of three percent “but that’s 50 percent less than the growth we had during the last 20 years.”

Mersh said that the Grand Duchy’s social system requires GDP growth of at least four percent to avoid falling into deficit.

Mersh also took on the automatic indexation of wages with inf lation, which many have said is distorted by energy costs. “Our salaries are still growing faster than our productivity. Employers need to make it clear that this is not compatible with reality. We will need to have more frank discussion than we’re AG used to having.”

current affairs

Transport

tram project in turmoil

The much-vaunted tram project has been the subject of much polemic over the years.

Recent statements by Luc Frieden and Xavier Bettel have reignited the debate.

Text: Duncan Robert — Photo: Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands

Following a statement by finance minister Luc Frieden about the future of the tram project, major Xavier Bettel and deputy mayor François Bausch say they are exasperated by what they see as the inconsistent stance of the government. Speaking at January’s monthly City Breakfast briefing for the press, Bettel said that he had been surprised

by Frieden’s statement that there was currently no budget to build the tram.

Because, says Bettel, just two weeks previously he and Bausch had met with minister for sustainable development and infrastructure Claude Wiseler to discuss the finer details of the project.

Indeed, back in March 2009, when the designs by London firm Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands for the urban architecture of the tram network were unveiled, then transport minister Lucien Lux said the government was determined to realise the project. “Let there be no doubt that the tram is coming,” he said. Now Frieden has indicated that the tram is not a priority in current spending plans and could remain on the backburner until 2020.

François Bausch, who is in charge of mobility policy in the city administration, said that there were not many alternative solutions to the city’s transport problems other than the tram. And easing traffic flow in the city is essential if Luxembourg wants to remain competitive. Bausch even cited future minister for the economy, Etienne Schneider, who has said that improving

20 - delano - February 2012

re-imagined city: the place de Paris could look like this if the tram is ever built

infrastructure would play an important role in the future economic development of Luxembourg.

Indeed, Bausch pointed out that other cities in the Greater Region, notably Metz, were proceeding with innovative transport concepts while the Luxembourg government was dragging its feet. “If we don’t invest in infrastructure now, there will be plenty of other things we can’t afford in the next few years.

Because if we neglect infrastructure it is clear that we will have hardly any economic growth, or we will even see negative growth.” But Bausch was also damning of the speed at which plans to build a Velodrome in Mondorf-lesBains seem to have progressed com-

pared to the years it has taken the tram project to even get to this stage.

The Ville de Luxembourg has agreed to contribute one third of the budget required to construct the tram system, which would connect new peripheral railway stations and Park & Ride facilities with the city centre, Kirchberg and Findel airport. “This is not just a city project, but a joint project with the state,” said Bettel. “Statements like that made by Mr. Frieden only give ammunition to opponents of the project.” He has written a letter to prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker to ask for a meeting with him, Frieden and Wiseler.

“We can’t build the tram alone, so we need to know where we stand.”

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current affairs

Modelling

a fairytale experience

Fashion model Florence Lodevic was thrust into the spotlight when she featured in the Heidi Klum hosted Germany’s Next Top Model in 2011. Now she lives and works in Milan.

Text: Brian Power — Photo: Yileste

There is little question that appearing on reality show Germany’s Next Top Model opened doors for Florence Lodevic. Nevertheless, the 22 year-old Capellen native remains firmly grounded.

She took her first steps of what has since turned into a career in the fashion industry when she won a modelling competition in Belgium at the age of 17. “But I was studying at the same time. Now, since the show, I’ve been modelling in Milan. In 2012 I would quite like to go to Paris and see how I do there.” It doesn’t necessarily represent the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition. Florence wasn’t actively interested in modelling from a young age.

But, following encouragement from others, bolstered by the fact that she “was always very thin and tall,” she felt compelled to give it a go. She then applied for GNTM and admits that she got further in the show than she expected.

What was the experience like? “Before, I didn’t have expectations. Then, when you are there it’s like a different world. Every day you do something different, but really crazy things like photo shoots hanging from the outside of a helicopter. We were living in a villa and treated exceptionally.” The travelling aspect opened her eyes. “We were in Las Vegas, we were in Brazil. We were based in Los Angeles. That was the best part of the show. It goes far beyond modelling. But at the end I was really happy to go home, though I was sad to leave people behind that I had shared three intense months with. And it took me a long time to see the episode where they kicked me out!”

Indeed, the learning experience was more about life than modelling. “It’s a

22 - delano - February 2012

florence lodevic: remaining firmly grounded as she pursues a modeling career

show,” Florence remarks. “Things aren’t always what they seemed. People want to see you crying more than the actual modelling aspect. At the same time it gave me more confidence. At the beginning I stayed more in the background. I didn’t want to show too much of myself. I was not a good one for acting.” Did she take any bad memories from the show? “Well I did one shoot in massive high heels and I had to jump while an explosion happened behind me in a forest setting. It required loads of takes because I couldn’t concentrate on my expression. Then the photographers just make you feel worse. In the end we got some-

thing good out of it, but they didn’t show that on TV: just the part where they made me annoyed. That’s what I don’t like about the show.”

As for the immediate future, she will continue to work in Milan. “My agency wants me to and the fashion week is on at the end of February. I don’t just want to stay in Milan though: as I said I’d like to go to Paris, for the experience and to see if I can make it there.” After all, if she can make it there, she can make it anywhere and this determined young woman will undoubtedly give it her best shot.

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Workforce renewal

WIDENING GAP? With changing demographics, Luxembourg faces new challenges in the war for talent.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: Luc Deflorenne

Business

michel lanneRs: Luxembourg depends on the Greater Region

aniTa de Viell: the financial sector will see problems starting in about five years

“Demography will be trouble for Europe,” intones Pierre Bley, head of the Luxembourg employers group UEL. He points out that the population is expected to shrink by 50 million people by 2050.

With massive retirements in store, particularly in the financial industry, the potential economic impact is enormous.

With half of those working in the Grand Duchy being cross-border commuters, not to mention its international residents, Bley states: “one could say that Luxembourg already faces the problem of not having the necessary workforce.”

“We are no longer living in a small country,” says Michel Lanners, chief counsellor at the education and vocational training ministry. “We are living in a much broader community.” He not only means that in a globalised world, Europe is home to “only” 300 million of the Earth’s seven billion inhabitants, but also that the Grand Duchy is highly intertwined with the Greater Region.

The global economic crisis has brought a false sense of security that the coming talent shortage can be managed.

“We are not experiencing any problems now because we have the benefit of a very dull

labour market,” says Vinciane Istace, human capital partner at PwC Luxembourg. “But this is the tree hiding the forest.” She points out that the next immediate generation to enter the workforce, those aged 15 to 24, represents only about 12 percent of the population--compared with about 14 percent for those aged 25 to 34 and 16 percent aged 35 to 44.

The shrinking population will take its toll across economic sectors, reckons Istace. “There are already jobs ‘missing.’ We can’t produce enough engineers, enough IT people. It’s the capacity rather than the nature of the job. It’s a question of volume.”

The financial services sector will start to see a problem in five or six years time, when many of today’s managers being to retire or relocate in earnest, estimates Anita De Viell, director at fast, the recruitment and training firm.

Much of the fund industry’s entry-level work has been off-shored from Luxembourg to, for example, Singapore and India. That means the next generation of experienced staff is not located here.

“How do we fill the gap of this centre of excellence in the middle when there’s not

enough people coming up through the lower ranks? ” she asks. “One could think that people could come to Luxembourg [from Singapore and India] but then you’ve got the work permit issues because they’re non-EU.” EDUCATION Bley believes the educational system needs to be shaken up, a topic that has been much discussed over the past decade. “Everybody knows that we have to change.” Pointing to Luxembourg’s historically poor showing in PISA exams, the international rankings run by the rich world club OECD, he says: “we have to adapt our system to the multicultural background which we have here. I would expect more constructive input from the teaching community. For the moment I just see that community is going to be very destructive and is only looking after its special status.”

“The PISA scores are not very good, but they are not catastrophic,” retorts Lanners. He also thinks the test results obscure Luxembourg’s true skill level.

While the OECD and EU are encouraging increased instruction of foreign

February 2012 - delano - 25

Business

Vinciane isTace: the economic crisis is giving employers a false sense of security

languages, “the strong point of Luxembourg, the huge multilingual competence which is one of the best in Europe, is not measured by PISA and is not taken into account in any way.”

Nevertheless, he agrees with the sentiment that some students should be able to focus on fewer languages in order to complete their studies. Lanners notes that twenty years ago 68 percent of students spoke Luxembourgish at home, while today the same percentage of pupils speak a different language. The current set-up “doesn’t work. You have to have a bigger diversity of school offers or you have to give greater flexibility.” The education ministry has been working on reforms which aim to give more responsibility to local schools, increase transparency for parents, and “introduce feedback instruments” for all stakeholders. Despite the continual press reports on union strife, Lanners believes ministry officials and teachers are “sitting on the same side of the fence” together when it comes to preparing young people for the future (see “The schools challenge” in Delano’s May 2011 edition for more on educational reform).

26 - delano - February 2012

De Viell thinks the University of Luxembourg will start to have a positive impact soon, since fewer students will settle abroad permanently. “Having the university here is already a step to keeping young people in Luxembourg, to getting them into the workforce at an earlier stage.” She also has seen an increase over the last ten years in the number of expats staying in the country when they retire. De Viell says those who plan to stay in Luxembourg are likely to work in the Grand Duchy longer due to incentives in the pension system.

WAGE GAP Nevertheless, a bigger threat lurks nearby. The problems of a shrinking population may be compounded by fewer cross-border commuters being available, according to Bley. The populace throughout the Greater Region will age, so “the demand for workforce will increase in the surrounding countries, and that will certainly have an impact on wages,” he says.

“That’s a point we must face. Nowadays Luxembourg is still attractive for these

people due to [higher] wages, the fiscal situation and the low contributions to social security.” If wages do not continue to outpace those in Belgium, France and Germany, and if commute times continue to increase, “at a certain point I’m not sure these people will still be willing to come to work here.”

“We can become a centre of unique knowledge and expertise whatever the field,” affirms Istace. Yet she too finds fault with the Grand Duchy’s current path.

“We are marketing Luxembourg as a place for doing business. But we should similarly market Luxembourg as the place for building a unique career. There’s an international marketing duty to focus not only the business aspects but also on the people aspects.”

“The problem is that Luxembourg is a country that sticks to extremely strong traditions,” concludes Lanners. He says the oft-quoted saying, “we want to stay what we are,” is taken out of context.

The expression refers to the past threat of the Grand Duchy disappearing from the map. “I think the situation right now is a completely different one. We have to face a world which is evolving.”

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International recruitment

THE HUNT FOR TALENT Photos: Charles Caratini

Just before Christmas employment minister Nicolas Schmit addressed the American Chamber of Commerce on the challenge Luxembourg faces in attracting talent from abroad.

Schmit cited a recent article in The Economist that highlighted the increasing global competition in the search for talent. “Those who are skilled and qualified determine the evolution of our economies,” the minister said.

It is a subject that has been addressed throughout Luxembourg’s history, Schmit said. From the technology used to develop the steel industry to the new media skills from abroad that helped establish SES, Luxembourg has always had to rely on foreign talent and investment.

But in the light of increased competition, Luxembourg is facing a stiff challenge. Schmit said that Luxembourg has to re-imagine its economy because it is small and open, and requires new investors and activities. He underlined the government’s desire to develop the biotech industry and the success in attracting e-commerce.

“The word for today and tomorrow is innovation, and that means talent.” The minister said that foreign talent can play a DR major role in achieving this.

Robert A. Mandell

“The word for today and tomorrow is innovation, and that means talent,” Nicolas Schmit said

From left: Nicolas Schmit, Dr. Gudrun Ziegler, Marion Guth

David Wallace and Darren Robinson

Stéphane Compain and Selvaraj Alagumalai

Paul Schonenberg and Lynette Stoltzfus From left: Danielle Verbrugghen, Nathalie Delebois, Marielle Vanwaarbeek, Françoise de Jongh

28 - delano - February 2012

Business

Personal finance

As an expat, you may think that once you’ve figured out the intricacies of the local insurance system, you’re good. But even in Luxembourg, considering extra coverage and verifying the products you possess can be a good idea.

Text: Neel Chrillesen — Photos: David Laurent/Wide

The insurance market in Luxembourg is a flourishing one in part due to the flexibility with which products are modified to meet cross border requirements. As a resident however once you’ve signed the required car and house insurance and you understand that these contracts will be always be tacitly renewed (something that surprises some), what else should you worry about?

“It all depends on your needs and on how long you plan to stay in Luxembourg,” says Marc Lamby from Interassurances Pauly & Lamby, Foyer. “If you work here, you’re protected by the national social security system, but this will not cover all your health expenses. Some companies provide a group complementary health plan for their employees. But if this is not the case, it’s

January 2012

30 - delano - February 2012

PENSION PLANS The Luxembourg state pension is usually supplemented by a complementary pension scheme through your company. But regardless of when you came here, when you retire and where, will it be enough to cover your needs and can you rely on it for your financial planning? “The answer is no,” says Michael Doyle from Spectrum IFA. “While some countries have robust state pension schemes, many struggle to fund current, or to provide for their future, liabilities. So assume ‘YOYO’ (you’re on your own): cover your retirement income needs

RECORD TEXTS More than 10.5 miljan lion SMS texts were senttoring-intheNewYear.Midnight messages on LuxGSM’s network were up 12.5% over last year, while Tango saw 13.2% more texts and Orange saw a 30% rise. None of the carriers reported delivery delays.

1•

DATE LINE

definitely a good idea to get one. An individual complementary pension plan can also be interesting if you plan on staying in Luxembourg, because you can deduct up to 3,200 euro in taxes every year.”

from your own personal savings and if the state pension comes up trumps, that’s a welcome bonus! ” Doyle says. “Everyone’s situation is different and one should always seek independent financial advice before making any long term financial commitments. There is a range of financial and insurance vehicles available to help fill these shortfalls, such as insurance wrappers, for example, which offer you low cost access to a wide range of funds whilst also being very tax efficient.”

If you have a UK-based pension scheme and are living outside Britain, you have the possibility of transferring your frozen pensions offshore. “This can be done within the Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes. These can be very useful for international estate planning. Pension transfers of this type are, however, not right for everyone and once again, a thorough examination

FUEL RISE The price at the pump jan climbed two and a half cents per litre, to €1.314 for regular unleaded fuel and €1.337 for Super 98. Diesel remained €1.199 per litre. Maximum fuel rates are set by the government, but there are no minimum price requirements.

3•

4

• jan

3.2%

Consumer inflation in December (STATEC).

Business

michael doyle: assume “you’re on your own” for retirement Jan hudson: Americans need to be careful about buying life insurance

of the benefits and costs is required before making a decision.” Luxembourg also offers several regulated pension funds that could be of use to expats, such as the SEPCAV, the société d’épargnepension à capital variable, which is similar to a SICAV investment fund.

HealtH insurance The national social security plus a local complementary health scheme keeps you well covered in Luxembourg. But for country-hopping expats, international private medical insurance (PMI) may be a better choice. No need to worry about overburdened--or inexistent--healthcare systems if you suddenly find yourself transferred to another country, and no need to worry about paperwork for each national social security system. The PMI

SURPRISE MOVE Luxembourger Jeanjan dec Marc Gales said he would leave his post as the number two of French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën to lead an industry group in Brussels. Analysts said the company repeatedly failed to meet sales targets during his 3-year run.

4• 26

is not a like a typical “top up” plan, but takes care of everything from A to Z. “It’s a question of how many risks you are prepared to take,” says Martin von Kiær from Globality DKV. “The big advantage of an international PMI is that you are fully covered no matter where you are in the world and where you move to, on a 24/7 basis. You simply take your health insurance with you.

There are no surprises or need to do extra check-ups and you get advice whenever and wherever you need it.” Like many Luxembourg complementary health schemes, PMI will also cover costs of alternative treatments.

Luxembourg has quite a reputation in the life insurance field, especially outside its borders: close to 60 companies are active in the market and although most of them conduct both domestic

ACCOUNT CLOSED Anonymous Belgium’s jan channel on YouTube was blocked following its hijacking of ArcelorMittal’s website, which was promoted on the video sharing service. “All videos uploaded to YouTube must comply with our community guidelines,” a spokeswoman said.

9 2•

and international interests, more than 95 percent of premium income is derived from the cross-border business. life insurance There are of course many reasons for taking some sort of life insurance at different stages of your life, be it to protect your family or to secure a credit (most banks here will require a life insurance policy before providing a mortgage).

There are also tax reasons. Life insurance premiums are tax deductible under Luxembourg’s tax code, “which means you can deduct 672 euro per year for each member of your household,” indicates Lamby. Tax regulations also allow deductions on other insurance products like car insurance, complementary pension, health and civil liability, he says.

CRISIS WARNING Luc Frieden said he jan could not rule out future bank rescues, such as Luxembourg’s action with Belgium and France to bailout Dexia.

“Governments may have to act again” as the “crisis of confidence” in Europe has not passed, the finance minister noted.

11 •

NEW RATINGS The ratings agency jan MicroRate and trade body LuxFLAG launched Luminis, a database of 80 microfinance investment funds. The web-based service lets fund managers “evaluate the social and financial performance of microfinance investment funds.”

13 10 •

February 2012 - delano - 31

Business

maRc lamBy: many insurance policies are tax deductable

While this is interesting for most people, “American expats should definitely stay away from insurance policies with cash value from non US carriers,” says Jan Hudson from AEIB. Why? Because of the recently passed Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act Report. “Every US tax payer must complete and file a [financial report] annually assuming the aggregate value of their foreign financial accounts totals $10,000 at any point during the tax calendar year.”

“Ninety-nice percent of non-US cash value life insurance and annuities do not meet

16 •

jan

UNSCATHED Europe’s Luxembourgjan based bailout fund floated €1.5 billion in 6 month bonds--receiving €4 billion in bids--despite being downgraded by ratings agency S&P the day before. The Japanese government alone bought €120 million of the EFSF’s notes.

17 •

46

Fewer Luxembourg money market funds in 2011 (ECB).

32 - delano - February 2012

the IRS” definition for non-taxable insurance and could be taxed at the same rates as investment funds, he explains. If US tax payers do not declare such policies in their fiscal filings, they could be subject to increased tax rates and even penalties: up to 85 percent, Hudson warns.

To clear up any potential misconceptions, this blanket amount of $10,000 applies to the aggregate value of all foreign financial accounts owned by that person, including savings, checking,

securities, time deposits, commodity futures, options, shares in a mutual fund, foreign whole of life insurance policies, foreign pensions, annuities, foreign money market funds, and investment accounts containing foreign mutual funds.

Jan Hudson’s advice: “If you’re an American expat and you already have a non-US life insurawnce policy, you might be able to process [an exchange] from the non-US policy to a US life policy with the help of a competent US insurance broker.”

NEW CEO Swiss Re appointed jan MichelLies,a57yearold Luxembourger, as its new chief executive. Lies was promoted from within the company, where he has held various executive positions in a career spanning more than three decades.

19 •

23 • jan

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S&P reaffirmed its 2nd highest rating on BCEE.

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British keynote

POSITIVE STEREOTYPES

Photos: Luc Deflorenne

More than 170 people gathered for the British Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas lunch. British ambassador Alice Walpole’s speech was much anticipated, and despite wanting to keep serious matters for a less festive occasion, she addressed December’s British EU veto without further ado (also see page 40).

“For many commentators it was a ‘typical British’ move,” said the ambassador. “We must combat that kind of preconception.

Yes, the British are perfectly happy to stand up and say what we mean, but when we decide on something in Brussels or Luxembourg, we go home and implement it.

It is essential we make clear to everyone that we remain totally engaged in the EU and loyal to our commitments.”

According to Walpole, the way the British are perceived by others is, however, also something that can be used positively. “The British are viewed as being fair-minded, pragmatic, visionary, engaged.

We are traders, explorers and adventurers.

My job here is to reinforce these positive stereotypes in the same way you all are, showing Britain as its best and highlighting our dedication and collaboration within the EU as well as outside.” NC

From left: Jason Boyes, Patrick Browne, Ros Browne, Francis Hoogewerf

Alice Walpole, Sophie Kerschen, Robert Deed

Tom Loesch and Jean Kerschen

Freddy and Anne-Marie Bracke

Martial de Calbiac

Joelle Niclou and Christopher Clarke Francis Pedrini

34 - delano - February 2012

Business

Media

Juncker Jovial but wary The prime minister’s annual address to journalists at the start of the new year was packed with his trademark humour, but he warned that 2012 would be a tough year.

Text: Duncan Roberts – Photo: Charles Caratini

Amidst the rounds of new year’s receptions held by cabinet ministers for colleagues and associates that hosted by the ministry of state and its communications service receives the most attention. Hardly surprising as the guests are journalists and representatives of Luxembourg’s media businesses.

The reception--this year held in the Musée National d’Histoire et d’Art--is a chance for the president of the press council to gently prod the government on its failure to create a legal framework that would allow journalists access to information at various public administrations. But outgoing president Josy Lorent (photo, left) also praised the work of journalists all around the world and revealed that presently Luxembourg is home to some 493 accredited journalists.

Jean-Claude Juncker generally plies journalists at the event with his trademark dry wit and did not disappoint this year.

He, too, said he respected the quality and quantity of the work carried out by local journalists, most of whom have to cover a variety of subjects.

But he warned against respect and even friendliness leading to “ buddiness” and stated that even if he did have friendly relations with some local journalists, that did not mean he called them up to complain if they had written something with which he disagreed, a reference to the recent controversy surrounding German president Christian Wulff and the Bild newspaper.

The prime minister bemoaned the speed of modern news reporting, say-

Jean-claude Juncker: 2011 may be a good year in hindsight

ing that modern technology had led to superficiality in many media.

“News is often reported prematurely, it is not properly researched and can change three or four times a day.” In the old days, much of the news reported today would not even have made it into the papers or on to radio broadcasts, Juncker ventured.

He also warned that by the end of 2012 many observers will probably be looking back on 2011 as a relatively good year. “Europe and especially the euro zone is on the verge of a recession, and nobody knows how deep it will be,” Juncker said.

However, he said he was not a fan of those commentators who hide their ignorance about the economic situation by predicting total catastrophe.

He also reminded his audience that the failure, for the second successive year, of the tripartite meeting between government, employers and unions did not mean the collapse of the Luxembourg social model. “In 1982 and 1983, under the presidency of prime minister Pierre Werner, the tripartite also failed to find agreement and the subsequent modulation of the index was greeted with a general strike.”

Juncker stated that in contrast to Josy Lorent, who is stepping down as president of the press council, he would be here to address the reception next year, a clear indication that he has no plans to seek the permanent presidency of the Eurogroup when his mandate as part-time chairman ends in June this year.

February 2012 - delano - 35

Business

Grand Prix paperJam – Communication, Marketing, Design

GettinG the messaGe

Tension is mounting as the third awards night for the Grand Prix paperJam – Communication, Marketing, Design nears.

This year's event is a joint ceremony with the RTL Media Awards.

Grand Prix paperJam – RH

Thierry van ingelgom: understanding that HR is involved right across the business

Entries are being sought for the second edition of the Grand Prix paperJam – RH, which culminates in a gala awards night on June 27.

The Grand Prix process aims to identify, promote and reward best practices in human resources in Luxembourg, explains Thierry van Ingelgom, HR director of Maison Moderne, publisher of both Delano and paperJam. However the evaluation process focuses directly on discreet projects, not on the people or business involved, he says. Indeed, it is a unique opportunity to showcase HR teams, both within a company and external suppliers, and highlight their involvement in the implementation of overall company strategy.

“Smart companies are those that, at the right time, best develop the full potential of their teams, taking the right steps -- whether traditional or original,” van Ingelgom says. The jury of 20 will be comprised of representatives from private business, training institutes and higher education and the government. Applications, in French or English, for the Grand Prix paperJam - RH 2012 must be received before February 27. www.grandprix.paperjam.lu

36 - delano - February 2012

Olivier Minaire (archives)

David Laurent/Wide (archives)

Developing team potential

Trophies: the winners will take away these awards on February 15

Some 50 projects made it to the “short list” selected by the Grand Prix paperJam – Communication, Marketing, Design jury in December. They range from classic poster designs to street marketing campaigns, from corporate and city branding to the creation of the Discovery Zone film festival and the book celebrating 15 years of den Atelier.

A total of 128 projects were submitted for the prize, compared to 107 for the 2010 edition. As Vincent Ruck of paperJam Business Club writes, “The uncertainty and turbulence of the current economic cli­ mate has apparently not discouraged com­ panies and agencies from investing in communication.” But Ruck is adamant that the competition is not about finding the best agency or the most beautiful advertising campaign, or even which client is the shrewdest. “It is a question of finding, picking out and advancing intelligent, well prepared, well conceived and effective pro­ jects.” It is the actual working process, the quality of collaboration between cli-

ent and agency, the relevance of the final project and how it resolved communications issues that count.

The jury, presided by consultant Boz Temple-Morris, is comprised of JeanClaude Bintz (Lakehouse), Patrick Ernzer (Chambre de Commerce), Benjamin Garrigues (Culturepub.fr), Éric Hieronimus (INDR), Pascale Kauffman (Ville de Luxembourg), Bart Lombaerts (Media Marketing), Isabel Roig (BCD Barcelona Design Centre) and Raoul Thill (independent consultant). It now has the task of selecting the final ten projects that will be rewarded during the awards ceremony at the Rockhal on February 15.

The RTL Media Awards, meanwhile, are voted for by the public in three categories for best radio, best cinema/TV and best internet advertisement. The event is open to the public--tickets can be purchased online via the Grand Prix DR paperJam website. www.grandprix.paperjam.lu

Business

FATCA

US clientS not welcome

American residents in Luxembourg are already suffering from new US banking regulations and the situation will only get worse, a meeting of Democrats Abroad Luxembourg heard in December.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Charles Caratini

Several American participants at the Democrats Abroad Luxembourg's mon­ thly get­together said they had had their applications to open new bank accounts refused­­or had already been given notice that their existing accounts would be closed­­by financial institu­ tions operating in Luxembourg.

These personal and professional chal­ lenges are part of the fall­out from a new set of US financial rules called FATCA, due to go into effect in 2013.

The tax­avoidance regime requires potentially every bank and investment fund in the world to file reports on their clients to American tax authorities.

“FATCA causes different emotions in people when they hear the word,” Roger Behrend, DAL's chair said as he opened the conference.

The group’s guest was Jean­Jacques Rommes, CEO of the Luxembourg bankers association, the ABBL, who detailed some other prospective impli­ cations of FATCA on American, as well as for European, citizens and banks.

Initial guidance from the Internal Rev­ enue Service indicate that any bank with any connection with the US­­ which in today’s global financial world means the vast majority of all banks on the planet­­will need to screen all cli­ ents to determine if they are potential US taxpayers, explained Rommes. In fact, there is a “reverse burden of proof ” for all clients to demonstrate they are not US tax persons, he said.

Implementing FATCA is expected to cost between $30 and 80 million for an

38 - delano - February 2012

Jean-Jacques Rommes: American clients will be pariahs

average sized bank and $150 million for an average cross­border bank, accord­ ing to the ABBL. Banks and investment funds that do not sufficiently comply with FATCA will be subject to a 30 percent with­ holding tax on all US income. The tax will be applied to all of the banks’ or funds’ customers, regardless of their nationality.

Thus some financial institutions are reducing their exposure to US cus­ tomers­­in effect making Americans “pariahs”­­to reduce their “compliance risk,” and because “having US clients will be a pain in the neck,” Rommes explained.

In addition to dumping American cus­ tomers, Rommes reckoned many inter­

national financial institutions will slowly but surely reduce their investments in ­­and may even divest from­­US secu­ rities and business, due to the adminis­ trative burdens and legal uncertainties.

“The US economy will suffer” as a result.

The ABBL chief stated that complying with the US law will force banks to violate EU and national data privacy laws. In addition, the rules violate national sovereignty, as the IRS would directly regulate, for example, a Luxem­ bourg bank without any involvement of the Grand Duchy’s government.

Rommes was invited to speak by Dem­ ocrats Abroad Luxembourg after his article, “Is FATCA anti-American?” appeared in the ABBL’s publication Luxembourg Banking Quarterly.

cropmark.lu

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myenergy days 2012 the fair for energy-efficient renovation Win a Conception & layout : apart © Photo : Andrés Lejona

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Euro crisis

BRITISH WANTED, FRIEDEN SAYS

Luxembourg’s finance minister Luc Frieden and Britain’s ambassador Alice Walpole

Photos: Olivier Minaire

Europe needs the UK but not a Tobin Tax, the finance minister told a British Chamber of Commerce event in January.

With the British ambassador in the audience, Luc Frieden expressed disappointment over the recent UK veto of tighter EU budget controls (also see page 34). The finance minister said he was “sad” that Britain was the sole dissenter at last December’s meeting of EU leaders. Ultimately, Luxembourg-and in his view, several other member states--could support many British demands, but UK prime minister David Cameron did not effectively communicate Britain’s point of view and perhaps gave an ill-timed presentation of his case.

“Sometimes the British are a little late, so there’s always hope” that the UK will join with the other 26 members at the euro zone table. “Europe would be well advised if we stuck together and moved ahead with all 27.” Frieden later said, “We need Britain and Britain needs us.”

He also came down against the so-called Tobin Tax, which would be a small levy on all financial transactions. “Clearly I consider such a tax to be risky if all the major financial centres in the world do not apply it in the same manner.” AG

Charles Muller asking about the proposed Tobin Tax

Austin O’Connor

Catherina Biver

Laure Gomez Robert Deed

40 - delano - February 2012

Luc Frieden said Europe is better off when all 27 members act together

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thinK local: DONG FEIYU

Chinese

“THEY GAVE ME A CONTACT PERSON!” Four years after moving to Luxembourg, Dong Feiyu gives her insight into living and working in the Grand Duchy.

dong Feiyu: not scared of French anymore

Interview: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: David Laurent/Wide

A native of Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia in China, Dong Feiyu worked in Beijing before pursuing graduate studies in educational science in Holland and Belgium. She met her husband Martijn in the Netherlands, and they moved when he was transferred to Luxembourg in 2008. Today she teaches Chinese.

have ‘the sense’ of it, you know. Now, more or less, I understand a little bit. But to have conversation? Ummm, no.

AG: Has that been a problem for you?

DF: It depends. If I go to offices or government bureaus, it’s fine, it’s no problem. But if I go to the supermarket, sometimes I want to ask, ‘what’s this, what are the ingredients?’ and I have problems. Not everybody in basic daily life can speak English. But I think they understand. Like me, I understand, but to speak?

I already got over this so-called scared thing. I think now it’s fine, I got used to things.

AG: How did you end up teaching Chinese?

DF: I went to the Chinese embassy actually. They told me that there is a Chinese school in Luxembourg City, and said from what you learned, you can teach Chinese!

AG: Who are your students?

DF: The students are from about six years old to 15 or 16.

Mainly the young ‘kiddos’ come from Chinese families. Their grandparents or parents moved from China to Luxembourg. That’s about 90 percent of them. For the rest, some of them they have mixed parents, and some of them are just European or western children.

The parents would like to give one extra skill for their children later on in this world. It will be nice for their future.

AG: What did you know about Luxembourg when you and your husband were considering moving here?

DF: I had heard that it’s the paradise for children. I thought that would be nice, since we just had had a child, so I said, ‘yes, let’s move to Luxembourg!’

AG: What surprised you after moving here?

DF: I was scared of French! I thought, oh my gosh, I don’t understand! In China, I learned English. Mandarin is my mother tongue, of course, and then my third language in university was Russian.

Then I went to Holland. I understand Dutch, but can’t really speak it well, because my courses were in English. I could use English to communicate and I never had a problem doing anything in Holland.

Then we moved to Luxembourg. And I have realised, oh no; French! You have to speak French!

I tried to learn French and it’s so difficult. Maybe because for adults it’s more difficult to learn a language. So I don’t

42 - delano - February 2012

AG: What language do you speak with your husband?

DF: English.

AG: With your son?

DF: Chinese. And between father and son, Dutch.

AG: Does your son speak English?

DF: He understands and speaks a little bit because he hears it every day. Right now in school he speaks Luxembourgish. Then Chinese, Dutch and English.

And German next year, because he will be six. That’s one thing about the multilingual surroundings. It’s wonderful.

Children can adapt much more than adults. They won’t mix it up in their minds. They know at school, Luxembourgish, with mama, Chinese, with dad, OK, Dutch. That makes it so easy.

I’m really jealous!

AG: What has been your experience with the Luxembourg authorities?

DF: The government, actually, they did a really good thing. I had just moved here and I had no idea about things. I went to the [Luxembourg] city hall and they gave us all of the information.

They even gave me a contact person to ask about children and schools. They gave me a contact person! That really amazed me.

AG: What advice would you give newcomers?

DF: If you don’t speak French, you have to learn a little bit, at least for daily communication.

Business

The events planner

ON THE HORIZON

Delano presents a guide to the coming months’ 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.

ALFI

www.alfi.lu

13-14

SPRING CONFERENCE

One of the world’s premier asset management confabs covers regulation and other key industry issues. More in Delano’s March edition.

• mar

Conference Centre, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

BrItIsH CHAMBer

10 •

MAKING WAVES

NH Hotel, near Findel Airport, 12:00

BrItIsH CArs www.bscoc.org

COOL WHEELS

2•

Luxembourg’s only British car club meets the first Friday of the mar month to cover everything “from Mini to Aston Martin,” both classic and modern. Non-members welcome.

Conterstuff, Contern, 20:00

ABAL LUNCHEON

INterNAtIONs

www.internations.org/luxembourg-expats

Venue to be announced, 18:30

One of Luxembourg’s main computer security groups hosts its Feb second edition of the technical and networking conference. Cetrel’s Manuel Fischer is keynote speaker.

Abbaye de Neumünster, Luxembourg-Grund, 09:00-18:30

LUXeMBOUrG eXPAt MeetUP www.meetup.com/expat-200

26 •

BUERGBRENNEN

Join expats in celebrating the bonfire festival (see page 52) in the Petrusse Valley. The prelude to spring features a torchlight procession, food stands and mulled wine.

15 •

BE AWARE

Frédéric Girard of the CRP Henri Tudor talks about personal and professional information security.

More about The Network on page 50.

Feb

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 19:30

PrIvAte BANKer www.privatebanker.lu

27 •

THIRD EDITION

The event offers masterclass presentations, panel discussions and networking for high-level decision makers in the private banking world.

mar

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

teDX

Meeting at Place de la Constitution, 18:30

WOMEN’S DAY

The American Chamber welcomes Viviane Reding, vice mar president of the European Commission and European justice commissioner, for an evening networking cocktail.

INFO SECURITY DAY

8•

Feb

Alvisse Parc Hotel, Luxembourg-Dommeldange, 12:00

16 •

www.the-network.lu

Maritme lawyer André Harpes discusses the Grand Duchy’s shipping sector, including the legal niche of Luxembourg-flagged mega yachts.

www.amcham.lu

Patrizia Luchetta, life sciences director at the economy and trade Feb ministry, speaks about the virtuous cycle connecting research, healthcare and economic development.

tHe NetWOrK

www.isaca.lu

Feb

AMCHAM

6•

IsACA

www.bcc.lu

www.ted.com/tedx/groups/3368

23 •

MEET EXPATS

21 •

Learn more about the expat social networking group’s monthly getFeb togethers on the Delano website: delano.lu/news/internations-fetes-turks

TEDxLuxembourgCity is an independently organised programme produced in the spirit of the TED conference’s mission of “ideas worth spreading.”

mar

Sins City, Luxembourg-Clausen, 18:30-23:59

8•

MUDAM, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 13:00-20:30 club.paperjam.lu

INT’L GET-TOGETHER

A free welcome drink will be offered to all registered attendees, so be sure to sign up in advance on the club’s website.

mar

Venue to be announced, 18:30-23:59

The next edition of Delano will feature events taking place from March 13 through May 15. We invite you to submit an event by sending an email no later than February 20 to news@delano.lu.

THEME: FAILURE?

7•

BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY

Marc Sniukas hosts the “Blue Ocean Game” and the Blue Ocean Feb Strategy, which helps incumbent organisations innovate and renew their business models.

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

WOMeN LeADers www.women-leaders.eu

8•

INSPIRING WOMEN

The “Inspiring Woman of the Year” and “Top Company for Gender mar Equity” awards will be presented as part of International Women’s Day.

Cercle Munster Luxembourg, LuxembourgGrund, 18:30

February 2012 - delano - 43

cover story

Juliane Kokott

“ BUILDING EUROPE”

An advocate general at the European Court of Justice gives an inside view of the institution and the key role it increasingly plays in making the EU a day-to-day reality.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: David Laurent/Wide

Juliane KoKott: No other international court has so much influence within states

When Juliane Kokott moved to Luxembourg in 2003, “it was a little bit of a homecoming,” since she grew up in a small town in nearby Saarland. Her career had taken her the length of Germany via Switzerland and both coasts of the United States, before becoming one of only eight advocates general at the Court of Justice in Kirchberg. It is a lesser known role, in an often misunderstood institution. But both the position and the court have immense and ever increasing influence over daily life in the EU. The daughter and grand-daughter of lawyers, Kokott admits “it was a banal decision” to enter the family trade. However, “I always had an interest in different cultures, and I thought with international law and the European Union that I could combine this interest with real work.”

She studied law at the Universities of Bonn and Geneva, American University in Washington DC, and then Heidelberg and Harvard Universities. She was a visiting professor at the University of California in Berkeley, before teaching at the Universities of Augsburg,

Heidelberg, Düsseldorf and St. Gallen, having also served as a judge at the arbitration court of the regional security organization OSCE and on the German federal government’s Advisory Council on Global Change.

When Kokott was nominated as advocate general, she jumped at the chance.

“I think practically every lawyer specialised in European law would be happy to work here,” she says. “You have very good working conditions, very interesting cases, and also a lot of responsibility. I think it’s a big challenge--and a big chance--to contribute to the integration of European law; to building Europe.”

The Court of Justice is actually one of the older European institutions, founded in 1952. It has jurists from all EU member states, all of whom are appointed by agreement of the 27 governments.

“Our task is to assure the uniform application of European Union law in all 27 member states, working together with the national courts.” That does not mean that most citizens and businesses will have their case heard in Kirchberg. European law is typically built into national

law and applied by each member state’s court system.

Nevertheless, the court does rule directly in some high profile matters, such as appeals against European Commission competition fines, persons in the EU suspected by the UN of supporting terrorism, and when Brussels lodges socalled “infringement procedures” against member states that the commission says is not respecting European law.

LEGAL CULTURES In the majority of cases, however, the European court’s role is to give guidance to courts in a member state.

“Because national courts work in different countries, against the background of different legal cultures, and they work with different linguistic versions of the laws written in Brussels, there is a risk that they could interpret it differently” than in another EU country, Kokott explains.

“If they are not sure how to interpret it, they can suspend their procedure and ask us. We give them answers. On the basis of those answers, the national courts decide the case.”

February 2012 - delano - 45

Olivier Minaire

cover story

Proceedings: Juliane Kokott reading an opinion into the record

Court of Justice of the European Union

Olivier Minaire

language: Vassilios Skouris, president of the court, listens to interpretation of one the 23 official tongues used

Over the past year, the court has ruled that forcing airline pilots to retire at 60 is age discrimination, and that EU law allows the use of foreign satellite TV decoders, in a blow to broadcasters that have national monopolies of televised sporting events, such as English Premier League matches. The court has said that a Dutch national who lives in Spain, but works on a gas drilling platform located outside the Netherlands’ territorial waters yet on its continental shelf, is still covered by the Dutch social security system.

One of its most visible recent rulings was the case brought by several US airlines challenging the EU’s aviation emissions trading scheme, which the companies unsuccessfully argued should not be applied to non-EU airspace.

Kokott is an expert on climate change law, but like all of the court’s jurists, she cannot publicly go into much detail on specific cases, both to maintain judicial impartiality and avoid mixed messages being sent to national court systems.

46 - delano - February 2012

advocates general: lesser understood but important part of the court’s “double control” approach Union

At the same time, she suggests media’s coverage of the aviation ruling was overblown. “This case has gotten a lot of attention, but I think that the legal questions are not really so difficult. It has got all this attention because it’s politically interesting and it has economic consequences. It’s politically controversial, that’s the reason more than any really difficult and interesting legal issues.”

She also reckons that “the main problem in climate change is that politicians should find a solution that gets countries like the US and China on board. The main problems must be addressed politically” rather than in the courts.

ADVOCATE GENERAL When the court’s judges announced the aviation emissions ruling in December, they had agreed with Kokott, who was the advocate general that published a similar opinion on the case three months prior. In fact, the court follows the advocate general’s opinion in more than 80 percent of cases, she says. Yet

yOU mUST BE SELfDISCIPLINED” Juliane Kokott

the court’s “double control” approach often confuses.

The role of the advocates general “is modelled on the French rapporteur public, or public reporters, and I think this describes our role quite well. We make independent proposals to the court, and those proposals are public” to give “transparency into how decisions are made” in Luxembourg.

“The court is in many cases, not technically speaking, the first and last instance,” where a matter is heard, she explains. When a national court asks it “how to interpret EU law or whether some directive is void, there is no appeal. Those judgements have effects in 27 different legal cultures, so it’s better to really think about them. So the cases

cover story

eu-wide: judges come from all 27 member states

are examined from scratch two times: one time by the advocate general, and one time by the judges.”

Even though judges sit in chambers in three, five or 13 jurists, there is still one reporting judge who writes the preliminary and then ultimately the final ruling. Since the reporting judge and the advocate general are never from the same country, the “case is really examined from the perspective of two legal cultures.” When the opinions of the advocate general and reporting judge do diverge, “there’s a broader basis, I think, to find a decision” among the full panel of judges.

A good jurist at the court needs “to be open towards different legal cultures, to handle arguments which are made against the background of other legal cultures” and to be open to “different approaches, based on other legal traditions.”

There is one judge per member state, 23 official languages, and needless to say the court functions on the back of a small army of translators and interpreters. While “you absolutely must speak

French if you work here,” it gets more complex from there.

Jurists receive documents in the original language--be it Finnish or Spanish--plus the French version. All court translators are trained lawyers. But Kokott admits it is fair to wonder about the “completeness and the quality of translations.” She says translations are usually very professional, but “there are always more member states and less money.” Sometimes lengthy filings are summarized, with only the summary translated, and annexes are usually not translated. “This can create uneasy feelings, if you have the feeling there might be more” to understand.

Jurists can always ask for annexes to be translated, but “if it’s a language you do not understand, like Hungarian, then well, what pieces should you have translated? ” Just like at the United Nations, proceedings are simultaneously interpreted into the languages of all participants.

“It’s more difficult to have a really lively audience if you always have to think about

the interpreters,” who are not lawyers but studied professional interpretation.

“There are questions and answers and discussions, but if it’s a language none of the judges really speak, then it’s more difficult,” she says. “Many judges speak a couple of languages, so they often can discuss the case with the parties in their original language.” But if it’s a foreign language judges don’t speak, “then everything goes slower.”

GROWING STATURE The US ambassador to Luxembourg has called the Court of Justice one of the most critical parts of European policy today. Off the record, many court staffers admit it continues to gain in importance as Brussels issues ever more directives and as treaties spend more time percolating across the union.

“Of course it becomes ever more important,” Kokott reckons. “At the beginning it was more on the economic mark. There are many, many--sometimes politically controversial--issues which the court has to decide

February 2012 - delano - 47

cover story

growth: the court’s Kirchberg complex saw an impressive expansion during the late 1990s

Olivier Minaire

The Court of Justice was founded in 1952, making it one of the older European institutions

now, like age discrimination, the fight against terrorism, or criminal law, family issues, guardianship of parents and so forth.”

In Kokott’s view, the court is also vital “because there’s no real EU executive. The law is implemented by the authorities of the member states.” So, European integration is really happening through the administration of justice. During its genesis, “the court developed the approach that individuals can rely on those supranational norms before their national courts.

Direct applicability of union law and the priority of union law: the court has developed this, and these are really cornerstones of integration.”

She also stresses the court has a special responsibility as “there’s no other international treaty or international court that has so much influence on the life of citizens within the states. This is really unique.”

Kokott continues to find it amusing that some people think she works in

48 - delano - February 2012

Brussels and that “the court is constantly mixed up with the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg [which covers 47 countries], even by lawyers and even in legal newspapers.”

At the same time, she believes “the growing influence of human rights in our jurisprudence” will make up a more important area of the court’s future docket. “In the beginning, it was economic law, technical law. More and more it’s all law, and with regards to human rights the question is how much are national constitutional courts responsible for the protection of human rights, and to what extent Luxembourg is also responsible for the protection of human rights of EU citizens.”

Kokott is the mother of six and seems to have a found the delicate balance between work and family life. “Of course you must organise yourself! And you must be self-disciplined.” But a few moments later she adds: “I don’t have much free time, not at all.”

Soon after she joined the court eight years ago, Kokott became pregnant with her youngest child and her oldest was about to enter high school, “so it was difficult” for her and her husband to decide what to do. They decided that the kids would stay in Germany during the school term. She shuttles back and forth on weekends and the children stay in Luxembourg during holidays.

Her husband is a commercial lawyer in private practice in Germany, “so one of us would have to commute anyway.” Like many international residents, she also did not realise that she would end up staying in Luxembourg for so long.

She currently is in the middle of her second six-year mandate, which runs until 2015. As for a third mandate, she says that she has no definite fixed plans. “Of course, I like my position here very much, but it’s difficult to predict. It’s not my decision.”

Interviews with the court’s president and one of its long-serving judges can be found on Delano.lu

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networKing

The Network

NO BARRIERS TO ENTRY

Olivier Minaire

For more than 20 years the group has helped professional women exchange and engage with each other, across career stages and sectors.

cindi wilson: The Network meetings are addictive

The Network asbl ork.lu getintouch@the-network.lu

www.the-network.lu

50 - delano - February 2012

Committee

President: Cindi Wilson Vice President: Hana Kuhn Newsletter: Geeta Rajaraman Membership Secretary: Mariska Nijhuis L’Amin Treasurer: Ioanna Konstantinidi Media/PR: Catherine Moisy

Web Coordinator: Geeta Rajaraman General Secretary: Martine Balland

RegUlaR meetingS Charles Caratini (archives)

pRaCtiCal inFo Fo

NETWORKING

Charles Caratini (archives)

annUal FUnDRaiSeR

A couple of decades ago, business networking was still a clubby--and primarily a male--affair in the Grand Duchy.

Thus, in 1991, The Network was born.

“It was the idea of three women who decided that they needed a forum for women’s professional networking in Luxembourg modelled after the American businessmen’s association, which their husbands had belonged to,” recounts Cindi Wilson, president of The Network.

“What distinguishes us is the fact that we’re open to all women, in all career levels,” explains Wilson, a management consultant who moved to Luxembourg in 1995 after working in Michigan’s automotive sector. “We don’t specifically target corporate executives or women who’ve started their own business. We have been open to all women who want to advance their career and network with other women.”

While a large number of its members are indeed executives and entrepreneurs, “it’s just that we’re open to everyone at every level of their career,” Wilson

The Network meets the third or fourth Wednesday of the month at the Sofitel in Kirchberg (see www.delano.lu/news/ beyond-banks-and-castles). Doors open at 7:30 p.m. After the more formal portion of the programme, “we adjourn to the lounge for networking,” says Cindi Wilson.

The Network’s annual charity dinner and silent auction is held shortly before Christmas. The proceeds are then supplemented by “top-up” donations, Cindi Wilson explains. The most recent event and follow-up pledges raised more than 3,000 euro for Little Plus (www.littleplus.org), which “ helps to provide education to women in underdeveloped countries.”

stresses. “There are really no barriers to entry. I think that the annual fees to join The Network are very inexpensive compared to most social groups or professional networking organisations: only 35 euro per year. So, for any woman, with any career objective, it’s affordable.”

In contrast with many female-oriented business groups, English is the lingua franca of The Network meetings. “So if people are new to Luxembourg and are not yet fluent in French, they can still participate in our organisation.”

Francophones are not at all excluded, however. In fact, France is the second largest country of origin, after the US, among the 26 nationalities represented.

British, Dutch, Germans, Luxembourgers and Belgians are other notable blocs among the group’s more than 100 active members. Many are new to the Grand Duchy, looking to change career paths, or are rejoining the workforce after full-time motherhood.

While more than 40 percent work in financial services, Wilson says members are active across a variety of sectors, including the arts, manufacturing and professional services, and even include a bed & breakfast owner.

One evening each month, the group gathers at the Sofitel in Kirchberg to hear an invited speaker. “Our presentations are typically around some topic of career advancement or personal development,” says

Wilson. Subjects covered last year included starting a business, working with different cultures, and leadership mentoring.

In 2012 the group will hear about Mastermind Groups, information security at work and at home and women in science and technology careers. Each regular meeting also includes an information exchange, where participants can describe open job postings at their company or what type of position they are looking for.

A few months ago, a member--who joined the group after being a guest speaker-“expressed her desire to join a particular organisation,” says Wilson. A fellow participant helped make the right introductions. “Two months later she was in the job.”

The group also organises several special events throughout the year. The upcoming line-up includes “speed networking” in March and September, a golf seminar in June, a tour of the European Investment Bank, also in June, and summer drinks in July and August; “because there are still people here! ” exclaims Wilson. The group’s annual charity dinner and silent auction is held in December (see box above).

While the official focus of The Network is on careers and personal development, “the social aspect just becomes part of it, because people find the meetings are very friendly, supportive, engaging. Typically, once people have been to one meeting, they AG want to come back for more.”

February 2012 - delano - 51

lifestYle GOING NATIVE

Local events

THREE CELEBRATIONS TO SEE OFF WINTER

BUERGSONNDEG

POSTLAF

The annual Postlaf kicks off the road running season in Luxembourg. Now in its 16th year, the 10km run starts and ends in Gasperich at the headquarters of the P&T’s Division des Télécommunications. Online registration is now open and usually is at a discounted price until a week before the race.

The event also includes two short distance kids’ races. Participants receive a “Champion Chip” timer and the organisers also provide a warm up, food and drink and entertainment en route.

March 11, Luxembourg-Gasperich, www.postlaf.lu

A tradition that represents the banishing of winter, the victory of the sun over darkness, Buergsonndeg takes place on the first Sunday in Lent and involves the lighting of a huge fire in villages and neighbourhoods.The bonfire is called built in the shape of a cross or some sort of other icon and is called the Buerg-from the Latin comburere, meaning to burn.

Enthusiasts from local associations such as Scout troops or the volunteer fire brigade organise the collection of combustible material for the fire which is set alight following a torch-light parade through the local streets.

The festivities include the ubiquitous grill with sausages and pork chops as well as a drinks stand selling champagne, beer and even Glühwein if the weather is cold enough.

Sunday February 26, across the Grand Duchy

CARNIVAL PARADES

The carnival period in Luxembourg stretches over several weeks and takes in parades through the streets in town such as Diekirch, Schifflange, Esch and Petange as well as huge costume balls. Other traditions include the Stréimännchen celebration in Remich, which involves the setting alight of a straw man effigy which is then thrown off the bridge into the Moselle and usually signals the end of carnival.

Of course, the biggest and best carnival parades in Europe take place in Mainz and Cologne. Both cities are just a two-hour drive and stage famous Rosenmontag parades on February 20.

February 19 (Diekirch), February 22 (Remich)

Luxembourg is...

“AN OPEN-MINDED COUNTRY WITH UNEXHAUSTED POTENTIAL TO BE UNLOCKED. THEREFORE EVERYONE’S COMMITMENT AND TALENT IS NEEDED. LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!” Jeannot kreckÉ: former economy minister

CLUB LIFE

Highlights from the directory of local associations found on Delano.lu

52 - delano - February 2012

SOCIAL

BUSINESS

Sends a girl to enter the qualifying heat of the annual Rose of Tralee festival. A Rose Ball to select the winning girl is being held on March 10.

For members aged 18 to 40 JCI provides a chance to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills and to build an intercultural business network.

ROSE OF TRALEE

www.rose.lu

JCI LUXEMBOURG www.jci.lu

GOING NATIVE lifestYle

People in the news

THE CRUCIAL THREE MARIE-CLAUDE BEAUD

THE KNOWLEDGE HOW TO...

CONSULT DELANO’S JOB DOCTOR

Etienne Delorme (archives)

The former director of the of MUDAM--the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean to give it its correct name--was awarded the title of commandeur de l’ordre grand-ducal de la couronne de chêne on January 12. Beaud was the first director of the museum between 2000 and 2008, and oversaw its controversial development including the enforced change of plans for the building designed by renowned architect IM Pei and its grand opening in July 2006. The honour bestowed on Beaud was also reward for her dynamism and efforts in promoting contemporary creativity in Luxembourg. A former director of the American Center in Paris, Beaud is currently the director of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco.

ANNE HOFFMANN

The new managing director of the Luxembourg National Tourist Office (ONT) has been appointed to develop its corporate strategy. Hofmann previously worked in the marketing departments for Fujitsu, American Power Conversion and Schneider Electric.

The managing director position is a newly created post and sees the ONT’s long-time director, Robert Philippart, take on the role of tourism ambassador. www.ont.lu

Delano’s website is launching a new service for its readers--each Tuesday our Job Doctor will answer questions submitted via email about any aspect of finding work or career development.

1 Write a question about finding work--anything from how to write a CV to what sort of training you should be looking for.

2 Word the question in such a way that it is pertinent to as broad an audience as possible.

3 Submit the question via email to news@delano.lu, using the heading “Job Doctor”by Wednesday morning for the following Tuesday’s Job Doctor session.

4 The Delano editorial team will select the best questions and forward them to the Job Doctor.

5 Your mail will be treated confidentially--the Job Doctor will not be informed of your name, nor will it be published anywhere by Delano.

6 Consult the Delano website to see if the answer to your question is posted online the following Tuesday.

JAMES HORMEL

The former ambassador to Luxembourg has just published his autobiography, Fit To Serve. The title of the memoir reflects the 18 months or so during which Bill Clinton’s nomination of Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg was blocked repeatedly by the senate committee and Hormel was subject to vigorous and vicious anti-homosexual campaigning by Republicans and lobby groups. Clinton eventually resorted to making Hormel a recess appointment and he served as ambassador in the Grand Duchy between 1999 and 2001--there were no objections from Luxembourg to his appointment. The book is co-authored by Erin Martin. www.jameschormel.com

SOCIAL

SOCIAL

Brings together Finns living in Luxembourg and people who are interested in Finland by hosting events, sport activities, language courses etc.

Gathers South African expats to participate in braais, craft fairs, an annual bazaar, parties and concerts.

FINNISH-LUX SOCIETY www.finlux.org

www.delano.lu

MUSIC

SOUTH AFRICA CLUB

LUXEMBOURG PIPE BAND

www.saclubluxembourg.blogspot.com

www.pipeband.lu

Currently has around 13 playing members. Its repertoire includes typical Highland tunes, as well as traditional bagpipe music.

February 2012 - delano - 53

lifestYle

LOTUS EVORA S

COMPETITION FOR THE PORSCHE 911 The Evora S upgrades include a Pioneer navigation system, a premium sport interior, and big changes under the hood. New engine mounts control the motor’s mass better at low speed, a revised flywheel and clutch pack allow it to rev faster, and the exhaust valve comes with a silencer. The Evora S will go 0-95 km/h in 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 277 km/h. Specs include a 3.5-litre V6 that generates 276 hp with a 6-speed manual gearbox, giving the Porsche 911 a run for the money.

Lotus Cars Luxembourg, 55-57, rue Basse, Schifflange, www.lotuscars.lu

Seven luxury sports cars to

DRIVE IN 2012 MINI COOPER S

JAGUAR XF

FUEL SAVER

The luxurious Jaguar XF is the most fuel-efficient model in the company’s history, burning just 5.4 litres of diesel per 100km. Even the hybrid Lexus GS450h uses more fuel. This achievement is made possible by the 2.2-litre engine and the new 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox with start-stop technology.

Jaguar Luxembourg, 293, route d’Arlon, Luxembourg, www.jaguar-dealer.be

PACKS A LOT OF PERSONALITY The light-weight and compact dimensions of this car don’t restrict comfort or cargo space. Its roomy interior offers plenty of headroom and the hatch measures 23.3 cubic feet with rear seats folded down (there is a passthrough for longer cargo). The new Mini offers a huge array of a la carte and package options. Specs include: 1.6 litre 4-cylinder, 121hp with 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. Practical, yet stylish, the Mini Cooper S is fuel efficient, nimble and, as always, fun to drive.

Arnold Kontz, 184, route de Thionville, Luxembourg, www.mini.lu

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lifestYle

FERRARI 458 SPIDER

LOSES THE TOP AND GAINS MOMENTUM wait. In a mere 14 seconds, the roof tucks vertically behind the seats leaving a small power-operated rear window situated between two buttresses that serve as integrated rollover protection. The whole system is 25kg lighter than its cloth counterpart.

The 458 Spider specs are identical to the Italia: a 4.5-liter V-8 generates 562hp that travels through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The sprint to 100 km/h can be done in less than 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 318 km/h.

Francorchamps Motors, 14, rue d’Arlon, Windhof

INFINITI M35H

FAST AND FRUGAL

The Infiniti M35h is the fastest fullhybrid car on the market, having raced through a quarter-mile run in just 13.9 seconds. That time puts M35h on par with the performance of a 1982 Lamborghini.

The M35h uses a 3.5 litre V-6 engine with 302hp as well as an electric motor rated for 67hp. The engine and motor combine for a peak of 360hp.

But you won’t pay extra for the speed.

This car uses 8.8 litres of fuel per 100km (highway), delivering V8 performance for a four-cylinder price.

Infiniti Luxembourg, 535, route de Thionville, Alzingen, www.infiniti.lu

AUDI R8 COUPE

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT

You can pretty much have your Audi R8 Coupe any way you like, mixing and matching the Coupe and Spyder bodies with a V-8 or V-10 and a 6-speed manual or 6-speed paddleshift R tronic gearbox.

This two-seat supercar is available in 4.2 Coupe, 4.2 Spyder, 5.2 Coupe, 5.2 Spyder and GT 5.2 Coup trim levels. The 4.2 comes with a 4.2 V8 and the 5.2 with a V10 engine.

Garage M. Losch Luxembourg, 78-90, route de Thionville, Luxembourg, www.losch.lu

Top Speed

The fifth generation of Ferrari’s midengine V-8 volume car, the 458 Spider, is about much more than notoriety and sex appeal. Like all Ferraris, it pushes design and engineering to extremes: it is graceful and aggressive, elegant and powerful, sophisticated and primal.

But this car is also convertible and coupe. The retractable roof is a twopiece hardtop that rotates, rather than folds, into storage. Ferrari has been working on the novel flip-off top for years and the end result is worth the

ASTON MARTIN VIRAGE

TWIST AND SHOUT

The French word “Virage” means “twist, bend, curve.” The Virage combines genuine sports car performance with luxury. The 6.0 litre V12 engine produces 490hp and 420 lb/ft of torque, but is mated to a 6-speed Touchtronic automatic transmission. The result is a powerful car that will sprint from 0 to 95 km/h in 4.6 seconds (max 299 km/h) with the ease and elegance of old world opulence.

Interior leather hides by Bridge of Weir and state of the art technology make it authentically Aston Martin.

Aston Martin Luxembourg, 128, route de Thionville, Luxembourg, www.astonmartin.lu

February 2012 - delano - 55

lifestyle

Stand-up

KONRAD OPENS COMEDY CLUB

The art of English language stand-up is alive and kicking in Luxembourg, with a regular comedy club taking place once a month in Konrad’s basement performance space.

The return of English-language standup comedy to Luxembourg has been long overdue. Between 2005 and 2007 fairly regular stand-up events organised by the now defunct Lime-o-Lux were held in Scott’s in the Grund.

They attracted a host of up and coming comedians including the likes of Shazia Mirza and Patrick Monahan who have since become regular media faces in the UK. But when one of the organising team left Luxembourg, the events dried up and were continued only sporadically.

So, when Konrad’s owner, Ture Hedberg, decided to use the downstairs space of the café & bar to host live entertainment, stand-up comedy seemed to fit the bill perfectly. After all, most comedians just require a small stage and a microphone to perform -- oh, and an eager audience. Ture knew he could supply all three, and following a meeting with Lime-o-Lux’s Veronique Faber, he and Konrad live event organiser Jim Kent set the ball rolling.

With national carrier Luxair flying the comedians from London City to Luxembourg and sponsorship from Greenfield, Prisma and Fund Advisers, the event has secured enough support to be able to keep ticket prices low and to ensure it will be a regular monthly feature on the Konrad schedule throughout 2012.

The first comedian to appear at the Konrad Comedy Club was Andrew O’Neill, who played to a sell-out audi-

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tom Deacon: off-the-wall edge

ence over two nights in early January.

The organisers even had to turn away people who had not booked in advance.

O’Neill’s surreal, cerebral and very funny shows received positive feedback and a real buzz has been created around the Comedy Club. O’Neill clearly also enjoyed playing to a multinational audience. He felt the audience was “was very sharp and seemed very open and eager to take part,” but was also pleased that he could maybe break some taboos with some of his material. “At home people will either go for it or be offended. Here they were going for it, but there was a palpable frisson, which made me feel like a bolder comic than I probably am.”

Next up is young English comedian Tom Deacon over the weekend of February 17 and 18. Just turned 25, Deacon has his own show on BBC Radio 1 and has also twice appeared at that mecca for stand-up, the Edinburgh Fringe.

Comedy website Chortle says that Deacon “presents his random thoughts with the bemused and slightly confused demeanour of a manchild,” and that last year’s Can I Be Honest show was “entertaining… with a nice off-the-wall edge to it.” DR February 17 & 18, Konrad café & bar, Luxembourg-Centre, www.konradcafe.com & Facebook page

GRAND THÉÂTRE

SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI 23 & 24 MARCH 2012 AT 8 PM Choreography: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Music: Nitin Sawhney Production: Sadler’s Wells, Bunkamura, Eastman Coproduction: Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg

www.theatres.lu / Adults 25 €, 20 €, 15 €, Students 8 € / Tickets: www.luxembourgticket.lu or call + 352 47 08 95 - 1

Grand Théâtre / 1, Rond-point Schuman / L–2525 Luxembourg

© Hugo Glendinning

TEZUKA

lifestYle

Seven live performances to watch

ON STAGE

PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT

LEGACY HONOURED

“Hooky” arrives in Luxembourg with The Light to perform Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures--a move that has been met with mixed reception.

There are those who say he has sold out and is embarrassing the legacy of Ian Curtis, while others have defended his right to play the music of a group that he founded. Either way, it is a chance to see another Mancunian legend at den Atelier; and promises to be better than Ian Brown.

February 7, den Atelier, LuxembourgHollerich, www.atelier.lu

PRINTEMPS MUSICAL

SPRING IN THEIR STEP

The Luxembourg City Tourist Office’s annual Printemps Musical celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a programme of 13 concerts over six weeks that reflects the traditional world and jazz feel of the festival. Although some artists will be familiar to regular festival audiences, the line-up also includes some fresh faces with a focus on piano and music from Cuba. The festival opens with a ciné-concert for kids in association with the Discovery Zone film festival (see page 62), then launches straight into its piano theme with a concert at the Philharmonie by Jason Moran (photo) in

58 - delano - February 2012

homage to the great Thelonious Monk.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra returns to Luxembourg for a gig at den Atelier, which also hosts concerts by Austrian vocal ensemble Bauchklang and Cuban dance orchestra Los Van Van in the first month of the festival. Over 100,000 spectators have attended Printemps Musical concerts over the last 30 years, and none more so than in the last two years--so clearly the programmers are doing something right.

March 4 to May 21, Philharmonie, den Atelier, Conservatoire, Abbaye Neumünster, www.printempsmusical.lu

KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS

SWEET AND TENDER SONGMAN Kurt Vile may not be a household name, but he has been compared to the great Leonard Cohen for his tender and evocative lyrics. He has also been likened to artists as diverse as Animal Collective, My Bloody Valentine, Bob Seger and Nick Drake. He is an unpretentious (apart from his name) classic American singer-songwriter who delights in crafting beautiful pop songs as evidenced on his latest album Smoke Rings For My Halo.

February 24, Exit07, LuxembourgHollerich, www.rotondes.lu

lifestYle

LIVE CINEMA

CHAPLIN SCORE Every year at the beginning of March the Cinémathèque invites composer and conductor Carl Davis to lead the OPL in a performance of one of his scores to a classic silent film. This year the film is Charlie Chaplin’s romantic comedy City Lights, in which his Tramp character falls in love with a blind flower girl and befriends a drunken millionaire before one of the most famous film endings of the era. A special Family Edition featuring three short films by Chaplin, Hal Roach and Mark Sandrich is scheduled for the Saturday afternoon.

March 9 & 10, Philharmonie, LuxembourgKirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

NOSTALGIA 77

COOL FOLK Acclaimed British producer Benedic Lamdin comes to the Kulturfabrik on the back of last year’s wonderful The Sleepwalking Society album, his fourth under the Nostalgia 77 guise. The music he produces is a mesmerizing mélange of blues, soul and jazz. Also on the bill is beguiling Ninja Tune artist Jono McCleerey, while local duo Monophonia, featuring Claudine Muno and Chook, provides support.

February 9, Kulturfabrik, Esch-Alzette, www.kulturfabrik.lu

PIANO PLUS…

Jazz In Luxembourg (JAIL) is organising a series of six concerts at the Abbaye de Neumünster featuring pianists from all over Europe performing in duet with other musicians and singers, ranging from double bass via cello and trumpet to saxophone and vibraphone. As well as the international artists the concerts include young Luxembourg vocalist Marly Marques singing with pianist Claude Schaus and two stars of the local jazz scene, vibraphone player Pascal Schumacher and pianist Francesco Tristano (photo), playing together.

February 15 to March 2, Abbaye de Neumünster, Luxembourg-Grund, www.ccrn.lu

08_crédit_photo

Aymeric Giraudel

EBONY AND IVORY …AND OTHERS

POWER TO HURT

FORCE OF WILL

Austrian composer and sound/visual designer Christian Mair has written ballads and songs using Shakespeare texts to produce a programme labelled a “cinematicmusical-trip”. Singer-actor Raphael von Bargen performs the songs and video footage projected onto a screen adds a third dimension to the show, which explores the Bard’s work from his early love sonnets to the political monstrosities that people his plays and the cruel poetry of his later sonnets.

March 7, Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.theatres.lu

bruary 2012 - delano - 59 February

lifestYle

Theatre

A UNIQUE DOUBLE-BILL

Theatre goers are being treated to a rare double bill in February, when the BGT English Theatre Company and New World Theatre Club join forces at the Tramsschapp in Limpertsberg.

BGT, renowned for its recent productions of Jane Eyre and Opera Comique, will perform the premier of a brand new work by Luxembourg-based writer Celeste Schuh-Koehler.

Class Act is described as “a light but searching look at the question of where acting stops and reality begins.” Its protagonist is a teenage girl determined to spend her summer holidays taking an acting class despite the protestation of her mother, Ruth, whose own mother was an actress and whose drinking and immorality Ruth says ruined her life.

Class Act is a comic but poignant piece in which the audience is confronted with questions about how much we are all acting, even in our private lives.

Schuh-Koehler, who has had several short plays produced in Luxembourg and the United States, wrote Class Act especially for BGT. Director and head of BGT Tony Kingston says he worked on a 10-minute play written by SchuhKoehler in 2009 and asked her if she was interested in writing anything longer with BGT in mind. “She very quickly came up with Class Act and I thought the whole conceit of the piece was wonderful,” says Kingston.

Director and writer subsequently held discussions which led to some re-writes.

“I didn’t suggest specific changes, but talked about areas where I thought there could be changes, either because of the practicality of

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Charles Caratini

For the first time ever, Luxembourg's two main English language theatre companies are teaming up to present a night of one-act plays.

three for one douBle-Bill: directors Tony Kingston and Tim Lone with playwright Celeste Schuh-Koehler

staging it or because I wasn’t sure what the intention exactly was. But the re-writes all came from her. The biggest change from the original text was the introduction of the grandmother figure, which has added a lot of depth to the whole piece.”

Following discussions with NWTC’s chairman Steve Anderson, the two theatre groups decided to stage Class Act together with another one-act play.

That one-act performance is, in fact, three short plays from All In The Timing by award-winning American playwright David Ives. They are directed

by Tim Lone. In the mid-nineties Ives was the most produced playwright after Shakespeare and All In The Timing is one of his most popular and successful collections of plays. All three pieces --

Sure Thing and Universal Language (both from the original collection of six plays) and English Made Simple -deal with people surmounting the obstacles of language to find romance. Writing in the New York Times in 1993, Ben Brantley said there was “real heart beneath Mr. Ives’s intellectual tomfoolery” and that “there is sustenance as well as pure entertainment here.”

This is the first time the two Englishlanguage theatre groups have produced a show together, and the first time either has played in the relatively new Tramsschapp cultural, sports and events venue.

Reservations can be made on tel. 356339 or via email: tickets@nwtc.lu DR February 8 – 11, Tramsschapp, LuxembourgLimpertsberg, www.nwtc.lu, www.bgt.lu

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16 MARCH 2012 Den Atelier Concert

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Send an email mentioning “den Atelier/EXAMPLE” to contest@delano.lu Deadline for entries is 02 MARCH 2012 Winners will be notified by email

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lifestYle

Discovery Zone

INTRODUCING NEW FILM TO LOCAL AUDIENCES

Last year’s inaugural Discovery Zone film festival gave audiences a flavour for finding new films and new aspects of cinema. This year’s festival continues to develop that concept.

Text: Duncan Roberts — Photo: Magic Hour Films

Discovery Zone proved to be a breath of fresh air last year. The festival celebrated everything that was good about cinema--the joy of discovering new international talent in the guise of directors or actors, of watching films that have not yet made it on to the radar of all but the most avid film buff, of meeting industry professionals and talking to creators about their art.

It was especially pleasing to enjoy the new concept after two years in which the very Francophone and elitist DirActor’s Festival was the City of Luxembourg’s contribution to the local cinema scene. Discovery Zone was inclusive, welcoming audiences of all ages, screening films from around the world and showcasing young talent. It also made a real effort to connect with the local film industry--something neglected by the DirActor’s Festival. Indeed, the festival’s executive committee comprises representatives from all of the local film industry associations and institutions.

The programmers are currently fine tuning the final details of the schedule, but are determined to continue their policy of selecting films that have garnered critical acclaim at preceding festivals, such as Sundance, Toronto, Berlin and Cannes, but that have not yet been shown in Luxembourg or the Greater Region. Over 50 films will be screened during the festival and considering last year’s programme ran from Iranian divorce drama A Seperation (now up for an Oscar) to Takashi Miike’s samurai

62 - delano - February 2012

into eternitY: hushed, existential festival highlight

epic 13 Warriors via surreal Hungarian film Bibliothèque Pascale and Norwegian horror fantasy Troll Hunter, this year’s choice promises to have something for everyone.

Discovery Zone organisers Alexis Juncosa and Gladys Lazareff say they want to make this year’s festival even more inclusive. “We want to improve proximity with the audience,” says Juncosa. To this end, the festival will set up its headquarters in the Ratskeller of the Cercle Cité right in the centre of the city so that visitors can gather all the latest news and information and keep up to date with events throughout the festival’s nine-day run. Emphasis is also placed on a programme of screenings, events and proj-

ects for youngsters aged between 6 and 18. Highlights include another series of special Crazy Cinématographe for kids, screenings and workshops with film critic Boyd van Hoeij and professional film-makers, and screenwriting and film-making competitions (deadline February 24). And a selection of films for youngsters includes Danish coming of age comedy The Liverpool Goalie and an avant premier of Belgian film Allez Eddy! But an undoubted highlight programme is a screening of Into Eternity, actor Michael Madsen’s shocking documentary about stocking nuclear waste in Finland. It is a beautiful film that Louis Godfrey in Sight on Sound calls a “ hushed, existential documentary.”

granduchy

lifestYle

Four films to watch

ON SCREEN

YOUNG ADULT

GROWING PAINS

Hot on the heels of Alexander Payne’s brilliantly observed The Descendants; here comes another bitter-sweet comedy drama that is almost impossible to pigeonhole. Young Adult may just be Jason Reitman’s darkest film to date, and has been garnering some rave reviews despite only modest box office receipts.

Reitman has once again teamed up with writer Diablo Cody, but Young Adult eschews the sentimental cuteness of their previous collaboration, Juno. Indeed, Young Adult is a defiantly un-pretty film, despite the presence of Charlize Theron.

She plays a thoroughly unlikeable, freshly divorced, thirty-something who returns to her hometown to win back a former boyfriend, played by Patrick Wilson.

She doesn’t see any problem with the fact that he is married and has just become a father. Theron and co-star Patton Oswalt, as her reluctant ally, have won acclaim and nominations for their performances.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

MOLE HUNT

Gary Oldman, John Hurt and Colin Firth lead a great cast in this big screen version of John Le Carré’s intelligent Cold War spy thriller, which was made into a memorable TV series by the BBC in the 1970s.

Oldman takes on the Alec Guinness role as George Smiley, who comes out of retirement to find a mole in MI6. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (who made the original Let The Right One In), the film has garnered 11 BAFTA nominations.

Released February 10

Released February 24 WAR HORSE

EQUINE HERO

Already a popular stage play in the West End, Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse now gets the Steve Spielberg treatment on the big screen. The story of a horse named Joey who is sent to the Western front in WWI, the film is a gloriously photographed epic that portrays the horrors and waste of war through the eyes of the noble animal. Peter Mullan, Emily Watson and David Thewlis star.

Released February 17

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MAN ON A LEDGE

TREAD CAREFULLY

Asgar Leth’s debut is a delightfully implausible heist movie that provides its audience with thrills, dramatic tension and comedy. Avatar’s Sam Worthington is the titular character, a cop falsely accused of a crime and trying to prove his innocence. The great Ed Harris plays a sinister real estate tycoon, Elizabeth Banks is the police negotiator trying to talk Worthington down from the ledge and Jamie Bell plays his brother.

Released February 17

Program is subject to change

Carnival at Utopolis & Ciné Utopia Bring your friends & family and enjoy the Carnival Holidays with great movies: The Muppets, Fünf Freunde, Zarafa, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island…

See them all and much more during the month of February.

Dont’t miss Kifika who will be handing out candies to the children.

Fun is guaranteed with our face painting workshop.

For more information www.utopolis.lu Special family price: 6€/ family member*

•

Children (<12 years) 5,50€/ child

* At least 4 family members with a minimum of one and a maximum of two adults can benefit from this price.

Coyote Café, Club 5, Subway, Meneghino, McDonald’s, Nemo’s, Tie Break Café, Q45, Paul Eischen www.utopolis.lu

www.utopolis.lu

my other life: DAVID JOHN PIKE

Opera singer

METICULOUS PREPARATION

David John Pike strikes a successful balance between his passion for opera and his work as a business consultant.

Text: Tonya Stoneman — Photo: Sébastien Grébille

David John Pike

REPERTOIRE

David Pike’s repertoire is extensive, ranging from JS Bach to Wagner via Mozart, Puccini and Verdi. This year he is already booked to perform in his native Canada--in Toronto (with the Larkin Singers) and Kingston (taking on the role of Schaunard in La Bohème)--and his adopted country of residence Luxembourg, where he will be appearing in Carmina Burana in June and July. www.davidjohnpike.com

66 - Delano - February 2012

Sometimes David Pike will hear a bit of harmony on the sound system in a restaurant or an elevator and the lines from Don Giovanni will flood his mind.

Those simple notes are his cue and they are ingrained in his memory like math tables or nursery rhymes. Before he performs an opera, he will have rehearsed it hundreds of times until it is sealed in his mind like cement.

Singing is Pike’s first great love, but he came to this vocation late in life and took a circuitous route to get here. He did not start performing seriously until after he graduated university and moved from his native Canada to London.

There, he worked as an accountant and began singing part-time at the Guildhall School. In time, he found a voice teacher and performed with renowned ensembles and choirs.

But, despite the praise and opportunities that came his way, Pike couldn’t bring himself to let go of a steady job in pursuit of the opera. “I didn’t have the guts to go for it,” he recalls. Eight years later, he moved to Luxembourg and began studying with Daniel Lewis Williams, one of the world’s most sought after interpreters of the German and Italian repertories. “He was the latest voice in a line of them who told me, ‘you have to do this,’” says Pike. “Based on his advice, I decided to set up my own company.”

Pike created The Professionals Network, an independent management consultant company that would afford him the flexibility necessary to become a professional musician. When he isn’t helping clients manage risk, implement IT solutions, or develop new processes, he is rehearsing and performing. He dedicates his mornings, when his voice is cold anyway, to business and reserves the afternoons for singing.

Pike made his debut in Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. Other notable roles followed including Marcello in Puccini’s La Boheme, Curio in Handel’s Giulio Ceasare, and the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He has worked with leading ensembles including Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the London Philharmonic.

The investment required to perform opera is considerable and, for Pike, the selection process is a business decision.

Memorising music requires blood, sweat and tears, and right now he’s learning three different roles simultaneously. “At the outset you think you’ll never be able to do it,” he says. “Then you get closer to production and muscle memory kicks in. The key to the whole thing is to be 120 percent prepared.” Pike’s musical career is gaining traction, he has heard his cue, and when the curtain goes up, he will be ready.

� 14.250

(1)

ou � 119 / mois(2)

� 14.250 ou � 119 / mois

(1) (1)

NISSAN JUKE

(2)

ou � 119 / mois(2)

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Découvrez Découvrez le le JUKE, JUKE, le le Crossover Crossover 5 5 portes portes très très compact compact au au design design atypique atypique et et racé. racé.

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(1) Juke Visia 1.6 (117 cv), toutes remises déduites, valable sur véhicule de stock commandé entre le 28 janvier et le 29 février 2012. (2) Offre de prêt à tempérament réservée aux (1) Juke Visia 1.6 (117 cv), toutes remises déduites, valable sur véhicule de stock commandé entre le 28 janvier et le 29 février 2012. (2) Offre de prêt à tempérament réservée aux particuliers, valable du 28/01/2012 au 29/02/2012 sur Juke. Taux débiteur fixe 4,40 % et taux annuel effectif global 4,49 % pour une durée maximale de 47 mois sans acompte particuliers, valable du 28/01/2012 au 29/02/2012 sur Juke. Taux débiteur fixe 4,40 % et taux annuel effectif global 4,49 % pour une durée maximale de 47 mois sans acompte obligatoire. Exemple Juke Visia 1.6 (117 ch) BM : prix au comptant (toutes remises et primes déduites) : € 14.250 TVAC, acompte de € 4.230, 47 mensualités de € 119, dernière obligatoire. Exemple Juke Visia 1.6 (117 ch) BM : prix au comptant (toutes remises et primes déduites) : € 14.250 TVAC, acompte de € 4.230, 47 mensualités de € 119, dernière mensualité de € 5.819. Montant total dû : € 15.652. Prêteur : Nissan Finance Belgium s.a., rue Ravenstein 60 / 26, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique. Annonceur : Nissan Belux, Bist 12, 2630 mensualité de € 5.819. Montant total dû : € 15.652. Prêteur : Nissan Finance Belgium s.a., rue Ravenstein 60 / 26, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique. Annonceur : Nissan Belux, Bist 12, 2630 Aartselaar, Belgique.

Aartselaar, cv), toutesBelgique. remises déduites, valable sur véhicule de stock commandé entre le 28 janvier et le 29 février 2012. (2) Offre de prêt à tempérament

(1) Juke Visia 1.6 (117 réservée aux particuliers, valable du 28/01/2012 au 29/02/2012 sur Juke. Taux débiteur fixe 4,40 % et taux annuel effectif global 4,49 % pour une durée maximale de 47 mois sans acompte obligatoire. Exemple Juke Visia 1.6 (117 ch) BM : prix au comptant (toutes remises et primes déduites) : € 14.250 TVAC, acompte de € 4.230, 47 mensualités de € 119, dernière mensualité de € 5.819. Montant total dû : € 15.652. Prêteur : Nissan Finance Belgium s.a., rue Ravenstein 60 / 26, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique. Annonceur : Nissan Belux, Bist 12, 2630 Nissan_Lentz_Delano.indd 23.01.2012 13:56:55 Uhr Aartselaar, Belgique.1

JUKE JUKE

129 129 -- 176 176 G/KM G/KM

8NIS0165_Dealer_Ad_BMS_Juke_297x210.indd 1

4,9 4,9 -- 7,6 7,6 L/100 L/100 KM KM

30/12/11 09:49

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