Delano April 2015

LUXEMBOURG IN ENGLISH

WWW.DELANO.LU

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BEST LOCAL JOINTS

CURRENT AFFAIRS Road noise wars

BUSINESS Investment fund boost

BURGERS AND COFFEE FROM INDEPENDENTS

04/2015

ISSUE 34

5 453000 010015

D A N S L’ Œ I L D U F L  N E U R

13, rue Philippe II Luxembourg Tél. (352) 220 981 Hermes.com

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Write to PO Box 728 L-2017 Luxembourg Offices 10 rue des Gaulois, Luxembourg-Bonnevoie ISSN 2220-5535 Web www.maisonmoderne.lu Founder and CEO Mike Koedinger Administrative and financial director Étienne Velasti Innovation, quality and operations director Rudy Lafontaine

EDITORIAL

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

Photography by JAN HANRION

DEATH ON THE STREET

PUBLISHER Phone (+352) 29 66 18-1 Fax (+352) 29 66 19 E-mail publishing@maisonmoderne.lu Publisher Mike Koedinger Editor in chief Duncan Roberts (duncan.roberts@maisonmoderne.lu) Desk editor Aaron Grunwald (aaron.grunwald@maisonmoderne.lu) Contributors Alice Verberne-Benamara, Wendy Casey, Neel Chrillesen, Stephen Evans, Tonya Stoneman, James Walker, Wendy Winn Photography Julien Becker, Sven Becker, Benjamin Champenois, Annabelle Denham, Steve Eastwood, Lala La Photo, Gaël Lesure, Mike Zenari Proofreading Pauline Berg, Muriel Dietsch, Cynthia Schreiber DESIGN Phone (+352) 27 62 12 62-1 Fax (+352) 27 62 12 62-84 E-mail studio@maisonmoderne.lu Director, Maison Moderne Studio Guido Kröger Creative director Jeremy Leslie Art director Cassandre Bourtembourg Studio manager Stéphanie Poras Layout Sophie Melai (coordination), Sara Giubelli, Jan Hanrion ADVERTISING Phone (+352) 27 17 27 27 Fax (+352) 26 29 66 20 E-mail mediasales@maisonmoderne.lu Director, Maison Moderne Media Sales Francis Gasparotto (francis.gasparotto@maisonmoderne.lu) Sales director Luciana Restivo (luciana.restivo@maisonmoderne.lu) SUBSCRIPTIONS For subscriptions, please visit www.delano.lu Luxembourg (shipping included) 1 year / 8 issues / 25 euros 2 years / 16 issues / 50 euros Europe (shipping included) 1 year / 8 issues / 31 euros 2 years / 16 issues / 68 euros Printed by Imprimerie Faber Distribution by Valora Services Luxembourg

In accordance with article 66 of the law of 08.06.2004 on the freedom of expression in the media: the company that publishes Delano is indirectly held, by a stake exceeding 25%,

by Mike Koedinger, an independent editor registered in Luxembourg. Mike Koedinger is chartered with daily management.

Delano™ and Maison Moderne™ are trademarks used under licence

by MM Publishing S.A.© MM Publishing S.A. (Luxembourg) COVER PHOTO

Julien Becker shot Ray Hickey at Mama Loves You. CLARIFICATIONS

Due to production errors in the February edition, we neglected to say that Marc Angel’s photo was taken by Steve Eastwood. We also misspelled the name of the Swedish children’s choir; look for “Svenska barnkören i Luxemburg” on Facebook. And we mistakenly said the “Going abroad” app was available via the Amazon Appstore. It is not, but you can download it from the Windows app store. Apologies.

NOTE TO OUR READERS

The next print edition of Delano will be published on 22 April.

For news updates, commentary and our weekly what’s on guide, visit www.delano.lu.

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he death of 58-year old Daniel Marinelli has shaken Luxembourg like few others in recent years. The homeless man, a familiar figure on the streets of Bonnevoie, was found dead on a cold February morning after spending yet another night out on the street.

Questions have been asked about how a homeless man could die of exposure in a rich country like Luxembourg. For experts in the field, however, the death of someone like Daniel--though a tragedy--was hardly surprising. Alexandra Oxacelay, head of the Stëmm vun der Strooss association that helps the homeless, has explained that there are others out on the street whom social services have an eye on, wondering whether they will survive the winter without adequate shelter.

The homeless who simply don’t allow themselves be helped, despite the best efforts of social services, face a tough time when temperatures drop.

Such was the case with the long-term homeless like Daniel, according to Oxacelay and others who knew him on the street. The longer someone is on the street the more difficult it is for social workers to make a connection. However, just because someone refuses assistance does not mean they have chosen their lifestyle.

Some help is at hand. Social workers know the field well and where possible patrol the streets during winter nights, encouraging those they find to take a bus to the temporary winter shelter in Findel. But some simply refuse to head there for various reasons--because they don’t want to be tied down to the shelter’s opening hours or because there is a risk of violence.

One solution would be the introduction of a sort of social emergency service of the type that works abroad. “We are a rich country and we invest a lot in social structures, but we don’t have an emergency social service,” says an exasperated Oxacelay.

But as with so many social problems, reactive solutions fail to tackle the real cause and are little more than a patch job. Politicians need to recognise the urgent need to intervene more quickly before people find themselves in the vicious cycle of having no home address and thus no chance of finding work or access to regular medical services.

HEARTFELT TRIBUTE Flowers and messages at the spot where Daniel Marinelli’s body was found in Bonnevoie April 2015

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CONTENTS

DELANO APRIL 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS 10

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BUSINESS 24

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DELANO DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTS LIFESTYLE 48

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UPFRONT Carte blanche

UPFRONT Catching up with…

UPFRONT Perfect weekend

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SNAPSHOTS Everything but the child

SNAPSHOTS Good goat greetings

GETTING INVOLVED Good listeners

Luxembourg restaurants should offer more options for vegetarian and vegan diners, says activist and writer Alix Rassel.

Nancy Thomas of IMS Luxembourg wants local companies and institutions to enter the first Diversity Awards.

48 hours for outdoor shoppers.

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This kids second-hand sale offered up more than clothes and games.

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ENVIRONMENT

China’s ambassador and Luxembourg’s finance minister, among others, rang in the year of the goat in Kirchberg.

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LEGAL

Anglophone families can finally get confidential advice by phone and online with the launch of Kanner Jugend Telefon in English.

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DIVERSITY DAY

Businesses are gearing up for the 12 May talent showcase. www.delano.lu/Diversity15

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FASHION

GENDER BALANCE

The Grand Duchy’s capital has been blasted in a recent EU report as the big city with the loudest road noise in Europe.

But has something gotten lost in the bustle?

Looking for lawyers

Gifted local designers

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COVER STORY

INTEGRATION Makeover time

FUNDS Playing the long game

The number of legal jobs in Luxembourg continues to grow. How are employers meeting that demand?

Check out these Luxembourg-created styles for children, teens and adults.

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The new chief at OLAI is in the midst of revamping the foreigner integration bureau and how asylum seeker claims are handled.

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NEWSMAKERS

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Brussels wants to help revive Europe’s economy with an infrastructure development programme and a capital markets union.

Is that good news for Luxembourg’s investment funds sector?

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INSURANCE

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ECONOMIC HISTORY 2,000 years in 1 chart

What is today the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has long been at the economic and political crossroads of Europe.

Best local joints

Many expats may love Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks, but these Luxembourg burger and coffee joints are winning an international clientele with their locally crafted fare… and they aren’t afraid of multinational competition.

CAN WE TEACH INTELLIGENCE?

PISA results show need to teach problem solving skills. www.delano.lu/news/ can-we-teach-intelligence

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Taking the reins

Tom Leick-Burns talks about filling his mentor’s shoes and his plans for the City of Luxembourg’s theatres.

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No cross-border deal

Thinking about buying a cheaper car insurance plan from a German firm or protecting your home with a less expensive French policy? Think again.

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MY OTHER LIFE Perfect pitch

ING staffer and Rugby Club Luxembourg captain Paul Remedi wants to make big gains on the field and in the clubhouse.

KIDS Igor the Cat

Meet authors during the Migration Festival.

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MY FAVOURITES Let’s do brunch

Three members of the American Women’s Club of Luxembourg dish on the best brunch spots in the Grand Duchy.

MONORAIL IDEA REBUKED

Thionville mayor’s suggestion is “not an option”. www.delano.lu/news/ monorail-idea-rebuked HAVE A COMMENT? Delano is always looking for reader feedback and for new contributors: news@delano.lu

April 2015

Christian Lambert Photography/Creative Commons Juan Carlos Mejía/Creative Commons KPMG Luxembourg Lala La Photo

Say again?

Promoting women is not just PR, says Alison Macleod. www.delano.lu/category/ keywords/carte-blanche

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SNAPSHOTS

Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO AND LUC DEFLORENNE

SKÅL! VIKING INVASION PARTY

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hor, Sif and hundreds of Vikings were recently sighted in Clausen.

The saga unfolded at Melusina during Delano’s Nordic-themed “Skål” party to mark the magazine’s 4th birthday and the release of its February print edition, which had shone a special spotlight on the Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes living in the Grand Duchy.

Like many in Luxembourg’s international community, “Nordics like to party,” Timo Ranta, Finland’s ambassador to the Grand Duchy, told the crowd before drawing the names of four lucky prize winners for Delano’s editor-in-chief, Duncan Roberts, and sponsors Nordea, Prolingua and Luxair.

The evening was organised by the Paperjam Club (Delano’s sister outfit) and featured Nordic culinary treats from Njörd, music from up north curated

by DJ Paloma Summer, and icy cool décor by Noon Design.

Authorities reported no injuries resulted from the invasion; the Vikings said they would simply join one of Luxembourg’s Nordic community groups (listed on www.delano.lu), whose members attended the fête in force.

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DELANO TURNS 4 1. Fouad Rathle 2. Marion Noviel and Cécile Odorico 3. Anthony and Justyna 4. Cecile Somers 5. Explorator’s France Clarinval 6. Simon Beot and Paperjam Club’s Magali Larese-Capo 7. Tony and Jacky Hegarty 8. Delano snappers Keven Erickson and Krystyna Dul of Lala La Photo... wait, how did this picture get taken then?

9. Nathalie Barthelo, Olivia Gondon, Joe Colling and Marika Mariucci 10. Jerry Weyer and Sven Clement 11. Jukka Vuori, Saga Sundman and Challa Sravanti 12. Flydoscope’s Deborah Lambolez and Delano’s Sophie Melai

FUNKY NORDIC MOVES: WWW.DELANO.LU/ SUPERSKALVIDEO

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April 2015

MORE NORTHERN INVADERS: WWW.DELANO.LU/ VIKINGINVASION

VIKINGS IN CLAUSEN 13. Helen Clarke and Sam O’Dea 14. Jean-Paul and Amy Sinner 15. Barbara Almeider, David Rosner and Maanin Qureshi 16. Quentin Giroux, Anna Silero and Kevin André 17. Arila Bochet and Judith Schilling 18. Eugen Taso and Thanos Ktenas 19. Carlotta Benedetti and Grazia Beffi 20. Delano’s Luciana Restivo, Aysel Boschian, Aaron Grunwald and Duncan Roberts

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SNAPSHOTS

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NORDICS LIKE TO PARTY 21. Anne-Kathrin Hasdorf (third from left) won a pair of free return flights to Copenhagen or Stockholm from Luxair; seen here with Delano’s Duncan Roberts (left) and Luxair’s Eric Anselin and Christian 22. Denise Ryan, who won one of two language training courses from Prolingua, and the school’s Anne Schroeder (the other winner was Björn Höglund)

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23. Irish ambassador Peadar Carpenter, Finnish ambassador Timo Ranta and British ambassador Alice Walpole 24. Patrizia Luchetta (left), Marc Angel MP (third from left) 25. David Goldrake, Viola LaLa Mia and Duncan Roberts 26. Patrik Österblad (third from left) won a €500 Ikea voucher courtesy of Nordea; pictured here with Nordea’s Björn Höglund, Maaret Vahatalo and Aida May

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27. Atle Refsdal, Tone Dambakken, Jean-Marc Cornut, Supaporn and Rune Wangsmo, and Tim Engebretsen 28. Thorunn Egilsdottir really got behind the February edition of Delano 29. Roughly 1,000 raiders descended from the north during Delano’s Nordicthemed birthday bash at Melusina in Clausen

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April 2015

MORE SKÅL PARTY PICS:

WWW.DELANO.LU/ SKALPARTY

03.03 CarrérOTOndes riFF workshoP austria 05.03 musée d’hisTOire de La ViLLe de LuxembOurg, audiT. konFerenz «luxemburg unter österreichischer herrschaFt. eine ProVinz im zeitalter der reFormen (1715-1795)» 06.03 CarrérOTOndes «trains oF thoughts» (Film & liVe PerFormance) 07.03-18.04 gaLerie CLairefOnTaine-esPaCe 2 Vernissage am 7. märz 2015 Von 11h00-17h00 alFred seiland, masterPieces 1979-2013 08.03 LCTO geFührter rundgang «la Ville de luxembourg à l’heure autrichienne» (lu/de) 09.03 ÖsTerreiChisChe bOTsChafT Luxemburg Vernissage kunst in der botschaFt, ausstellung der österreichischen künstlerin eVa Paulin 10.03 + 11.03 grand ThéâTre «geschichten aus dem wiener wald», Von ödön Von horVáth (de) 14.03-15.04 CerCLe CiTé - raTskeLLer ausstellung «salzburg-luxemburg» 14.03 CerCLe CiTé - grande saLLe «wiener ball»

15.03 LCTO Visite guidée «la Ville de luxembourg à l’heure autrichienne» (lu/Fr) 18.03 PhiLharmOnie concert - ensemble à Vent mnozil brass «Yes, Yes, Yes!» 19.03 CinémaThèque de La ViLLe de LuxembOurg cinema + liVe music: «caFé elektrik» 22.03 LCTO geFührter rundgang «la Ville de luxembourg à l’heure autrichienne» (lu/de) 24.03 den aTeLier (Org. LCTO) PrintemPs musical Juan garcia-herreros / snow owl – normas 25.03 CerCLe CiTé - raTskeLLer cecil’s aFterwork aVec Judith lecuit / bob morhard 27.03 egLise PrOTesTanTe (Org. LCTO) concert de midi - récital Quatuor henri Pensis 29.03 COnserVaTOire de La ViLLe de LuxembOurg concert de clôture du mois autrichien duo raskin & Fleischmann

www.at-in.lu

rosedeclaire

31.03 CarrérOTOndes alPhabet – angst oder liebe Film (de) + discussion (lu)

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UPFRONT

CURRENT AFFAIRS 18,000 IN BRIEF

TRAM DEPOT PLANS

Luxtram has unveiled plans for its tram depot near the terminus for the city tramline in Kirchberg. Two tram sheds and the headquarters of Luxtram will be built in the Grünewald, across from LuxExpo. The sheds will have capacity to house 32 tram units. Construction is due to begin in January 2016.

H6 ABANDONED Den Atelier has abandoned its plans for H6, the new venue it planned at LuxExpo on Kirchberg, citing rising costs.

SHORTER WEEK The Déi Gréng youth branch has called for a reduction in the working week from 40 to 21 hours, hoping to create jobs and reduce stress.

JO KOX

www.luxtram.lu

Swiss businessman Yves Bouvier, whose Natural Le Coultre company is one of the main investors in the Luxembourg Freeport, has been arrested in Monaco on charges relating to art fraud.

"THEY COLLABORATED… AND OFTEN FULFILLED THEIR TASK WITH DILIGENCE, ZEAL EVEN…"

The director of the CasinoLuxembourg has announced he will retire in March next year, at the 20th anniversary of the ­contemporary art forum.

April 2015

BOUVIER DETAINED

THE REPORT ON COLLABORATION OF LUXEMBOURG AUTHORITIES IN THE PERSECUTION OF JEWS

GILLES MÜLLER

Luxembourg’s number 1 tennis ­player rose to a career-best no. 34 in the world rankings.

Müller recently linked up with ­British coach Jamie Delgado.

ALISON SHORTERLAWRENCE The US diplomat has assumed duty as the chargé d’affaires, a.i. at the US embassy in Luxembourg.

Olivier Minaire Luxtram David Laurent

WARNING SIGNS A French-language police sign warning thieves that a parked vehicle contains no ­valuables has come ­under fire for two ­orthographical errors.

Fewer hectolitres of beer brewed in the Grand Duchy in 2014 compared to 2013, a fall of 6.5%. Some breweries blame the smoking ban, while a wet August also contributed to less consumption.

PRESS FREEDOM DECLINE

Luxembourg dropped 15 places to rank 19th in the annual World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders in February.

The Grand Duchy had ranked 4th in the world for the previous three years, and in 2008 had reached the dizzy height of 2nd most free press in the world (tough it has also fallen as low as 20th). Finland continues to top the chart, while Luxembourg was overhauled by the likes of Namibia, Jamaica and Estonia.

According to the report’s authors, many Luxembourg journalists have strong ties with business and politics, which hampers their ability to carry out investigative journalism. Luxembourg lags behind countries such as Ireland, Canada and Denmark, but still outranks the UK, France and United States.

LAR Annabelle Denham

EBOLA EVACUATION UNIT

Luxembourg Air Rescue has unveiled its mobile evacuation units for transporting highly infectious patients.

The units, developed by Austrian company Air Ambulance Technology and the UK’s Professional Protection Systems, have been adapted to fit two of LAR’s fleet of LearJet 45XR air ambulances. They were paid for by the Luxembourg government with support from the European Commission. www.lar.lu

CARTE BLANCHE

MORE VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN OPTIONS FOR LUXEMBOURG The Grand Duchy’s more than 1,200 restaurants should serve more non-animal fare, argues Alix Rassel.

Before I went vegan, I never had a huge problem when eating out at restaurants with my family.

Sure there were some places we just couldn’t go to because there were no vegetarian options on the menu, but in general I could usually find something (albeit smothered in cheese).Then I became a vegan and the list of restaurants got way shorter, so much so that you could count them on one hand. Every time my family would invite my husband and I out for a meal I felt really guilty because I knew it was going to be either difficult for me to find something to eat, or it would limit their choices massively. It wasn’t a pretty picture.

So to avoid any awkward situations, I started “declining” their invitations to dine out just so there would be no awkward situations.

Then one day I suddenly said to myself, “Why should I be deprived of spending time with my family because I choose not to harm animals!?”

Now don’t get me wrong, there are some places in Luxembourg that are happy to cater for us herbivores and carnivores alike--Independent Cafe is one such place. However, if you ever fancied trying out one of the Michelin starred restaurants in Luxembourg and you are vegan… forget it!

Then I heard about petition 478 launched on 13 February, asking that vegetarian and vegan choices be available in all Luxembourg restaurants.

Camille Muller of Vegan Society Luxembourg is the brains behind the petition. “A new generation of consumers is on the rise in our society,” notes Camille. “The way we eat affects all aspects of concern to the consumer who seeks a more responsible and sustainable lifestyle.” The petition is really quite simple, asking for restaurants in Luxembourg to offer at least one option for

non-meat eating folk. It’s not a massive request and, as I personally see it, in no way a “hassle” for restaurant owners who already have vegetables, beans, legumes and grains somewhere on the menu!

More importantly, scientific study after scientific study has manifested the benefits of eating a plant based diet as it firstly, significantly reduces your likelihood to contract some cancers, heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. It also: benefits the planet; is the most compassionate diet, saving millions of animals each year; and could help to end world hunger. The petition requires 4,500 signatures to be heard by the Chamber of Deputies. At press time, there were around 23% of signatures needed and the petition closes on 27 March 2015.

If you would like to participate, you need to be a Luxembourg resident and over the age of 15. You can sign the petition, anonymously if you wish, on the chamber’s website (www.chd.lu, click on “Travail à la Chambre”, then “Pétitions”, “Rôle des pétitions” and “Pétition publique n°478”). You will be sent a confirmation email which you must respond to in order for your signature to be noted.

If the required 4,500 signatures are received, the petition will then be formally heard by the Chamber of Deputies, with many Green and Liberal party members already voicing their support.

To quote Albert Einstein: “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” It would be testament to his brilliance, if tiny Luxembourg could lead by example.

Alix Rassel is an animal activist and environmentalist; she writes for www.orlacollective.com.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

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SNAPSHOTS

Text by WENDY WINN

Photography by STEVE EASTWOOD

EVERYTHING BUT THE CHILD

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ormally when you go to a children’s second-hand sale, you’re hoping to come out with some inexpensive outfits and maybe a high chair or tricycle. But at the recent “Everything but the child” sale, visitors came out with a sense of community.

It served, for starters, as a welcome showcase for a handful of local business owners committed to offering excellent products for the tiniest of customers.

“I wanted to create a platform for people who are offering different products and services for children,” says the organiser, Sarah Homer-Hutton of Moo and Roo’s Parties.

The sale also helped Luxembourg families in need. A collection was made for Make a Wish, which works to grant wishes to seriously ill children, and a bake sale and clothes collection benefitted the residents of the Foyer St. Antoine, a shelter.

Somehow, the whole atmosphere at this sale seemed to be less about selling and buying than about nurturing and caring. There’s another chance to catch this event on Sunday 7 June at the City Youth Hostel in Pfaffenthal. www.facebook.com/mooandrooevents

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DIFFERENT KIND OF SALE A. Alicia and Matthew Long at the “Everything but the child” sale held in February at the City Youth Hostel in Pfaffenthal B. Irene, Sofia and Iris Manatou C. Sarah HomerHutton and Becky Dixon D. Antonio and Hadieh Sartorelli E. Yannick Rouby and Yang Liu with Maylis F. Filipa Felner and Katrine Olsen G. Beatriz Rosas and Alejandra De Guzmán H. Boyka Bayarsaikhan, Angélique Supka, Matisse Supka, Danuta Zawistowska, Joanna JaroszukRozycka and Matthias Supka

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April 2015

MORE HIGHLIGHTS:

WWW.DELANO.LU/SECOND HANDHOSTELSALE2015

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

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ENVIRONMENT

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April 2015

Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Photography by GAËL LESURE

SAY AGAIN? The European Environmental Agency said that every single Luxembourg City resident was exposed to road noise over EU limits, making it the worst offender in Europe. The Grand Duchy’s government said the EEA report is flawed and wants it corrected. Residents of the capital that Delano spoke to couldn’t hear the hubbub.

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BY THE NOISE A. René Meyer: Compared to London, Luxembourg is surely quieter B. Fiona Lynne Koefoed-Jespersen: Traffic acts as “white noise” for her infant daughter

y one measure, the Grand Duchy’s capital is the noisiest city in Europe.

A report published by the European Environment Agency in December said that Luxembourg had the highest percentage of the population living in urban areas exposed to road traffic noise: 100%. (The runner-up nations, at roughly 77%, were Bulgaria and Belgium.)

The study covered cities with at least 100,000 residents, which in the Grand Duchy means only Luxembourg City.

(The second loudest city in the survey was the Spanish city of Móstoles, southwest of Madrid, with 97% of the population exposed, and third was Ruda Śląska, in southern Poland, with 88%.)

The benchmark was the EU directive limit of 55 decibels on a scale called LDEN (Day Evening Night Level), a weighted average of noise measurements taken over 24 hour periods that penalises night time noise. The readings were recorded on major roads: those with 3m vehicle trips per year or more.

According to the World Health Organisation sleep becomes disturbed beginning at 50dB and according to the European Commission, “above 55dB long term average exposure, similar to the din of a normal conversation, noise can get to trigger elevated blood pressure and heart attacks.” At the same time, the California Department of Transportation has said 55dB is the equivalent of dishwasher running in the next room and a Purdue University safety document said 60dB is still “fairly quiet”.

The EEA report--which covered noise pollution from everything from airports to industrial sites--said that “environmental noise causes at least 10,000 cases

of premature death in Europe each year” and that “almost 20 million adults are annoyed and a further 8 million suffer sleep disturbance due to environmental noise.”

So how exactly can 100% of Luxembourg City residents be exposed to excessive traffic noise?

“There must have been some mistake” in handling or interpreting the data, an official with the Luxembourg environment administration’s air and noise division told Delano. “There are errors in the report, which in our opinion must be wrong; is wrong. You can see it yourself if you look at Luxembourg City” on the noise maps published on the government’s geoportal (see box). The official said this was the exact same data that was provided to the EEA. “Not 100% of the population can be exposed to 55dB, which the figures [in the EEA report] would tell you.” Luxembourg government maps indeed indicate heavy noise, well over 55dB, in areas along motorways and major routes like the rocade de Bonnevoie, boulevard Royal and route d’Arlon. But there are also “white areas”--meaning readings below 55dB--in parts of Belair, Bonnevoie and Limpertsberg, for example.

The Luxembourg official said that “the noise department has already informed the EEA that there has been some error in their publication” but they have not heard back.

A spokesman for the EU agency told Delano that: “We are not aware of any request for EEA to correct the report.”

He suggested that, “there are some differences in data collection, which will be harmonised in coming years.” The spokesman, citing an EEA noise expert, speculated that Luxembourg could have submitted more types of roads than other countries or could have submitted the wrong year’s numbers.

The Grand Duchy official said it submitted the same sort of data as other EU member states, based on 2011 readings, as required.

The EEA spokesman also suggested that Delano was confusing results for the capital alone with the entire Luxembourg City agglomeration area (the EEA report found only 35% of people in the agglomeration were exposed to noise levels higher than 55dB).

However the government noise map clearly indicates white areas inside Luxembourg City municipal boundaries, and the noise department official said that Delano had read the charts correctly.The official added that his division had been taking new readings, in more streets, and will launch a new national action plan against road noise later this year (the last one was released in May 2010).

"WE LIVE IN A CITY!" So what do capital residents think of the ruckus? Fiona Lynne KoefoedJespersen, a freelance writer and mother of an 8 month old has been unphased: “We actually live right on a ‘main’ road, route de Longwy, but it has never really bothered me. Yes, I guess it would be nicer to be on a side road, but we have good windows so don’t hear the traffic too much. And we live in a city! My expectations were always that it would be busier and therefore noisier than if we’d chosen to live out in a village somewhere.”

“Actually, my baby daughter loves it!

It is one of her favourite things to come out on the balcony with us and watch the traffic go by. And she takes her naps in the pram on the balcony twice a day--Scandinavian style--and I think the traffic noise acts as white noise for her.

She certainly always sleeps very well out there,” stated Koefoed-Jespersen.

When expats move to Luxembourg, “in general the problem is not really [road] noise,” said René Meyer of Active Relocation Luxembourg. “I very often see people coming here and even living on big crossing streets they find it quiet compared to the middle of April 2015

CURRENT AFFAIRS

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SHHHHHHHH!

DATABANK European Environment Agency The full report on noise pollution in the EU can be found on its website. Type “Noise in Europe 2014” into the search box on: www.eea.europa.eu Luxembourg geoportal The Grand Duchy government’s geographical data site includes everything from the national land registry and flood hazard maps to biking trails and hunting lots. Find the road, railroad and airport noise maps by clicking on “Noise” at: emwelt.geoportail.lu

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London or Chicago or Japan. They’re never alone there.”

When it comes to traffic nuisances, “they are more likely to complain about the distance” commuting to work or their children’s school. A bigger problem in Meyer’s view is noise in Findel airport flight lines. “If you’re sitting in Bonnevoie a metre away from me when a jumbo jet passes overhead, you will see my mouth working but you won’t hear what I want to say.” He and his wife previously lived in the area and during warm summer nights “if you had left the window open, when the first jumbo got going at 6 a.m. you had to close it quick!”

“I never really noticed traffic noise”, until being asked by Delano, because April 2015

“I live in a quiet area,” said Chris Farrugia, a freelance photographer who moved to Luxembourg in December. “My wife and I chose to live in Kirchberg because in Malta it was a real hassle to drive to work every day for both of us.

My wife works in Kirchberg and is now within a pleasant walking distance every day to work.” He joked that if Delano kept asking questions about road noise, “I shall never sleep again at night!”

“For sure I hear trucks in the morning, probably cleaning the streets or collecting garbage and, yes, if I stop a while and stay listening to the traffic, I manage to hear the cars driving up the main roads of Kirchberg or an ambulance heading to the hospital. But thankfully

here they are not Mediterranean drivers.

The use of horns in our country, in Italy and in France was very irritating.

Here you do not hear it that often, only in rare cases,” he stated.

“I must say that I am disappointed by the road conditions here, though,” Farrugia said. “They are much better than in Malta but I expected smoother surfaces in such a rich EU country. The bridge named after [Grand] Duchess [Charlotte] is in a terrible condition. She would surely be offended, in fact, considering how they do not care for the road condition of the bridge they named after her. Now that surely adds unnecessary road noise.

The buses clatter when they pass over the bridge heading to the city centre.”

QUIET TRADEOFF For those bothered by road noise, living far outside the capital could be an option.

“I hear almost no traffic sounds.

Sometimes a tractor and of course the cars of the locals,” said Inge Gerd Mormino, a Nordic Women’s Club of Luxembourg board member who lives in a rural area outside Remich.

“It has several drawbacks, though.

Transportation time, no busses nearby, and the few we have do not run very often.” Added to the mix is the lack of shops, “so you have to go everywhere by car.” Granted it is quiet. “At this very moment, there is absolute no traffic sound. I can see the snow falling,” she told Delano in late February. Of course winter weather is another factor that adds to travel time.

Mormino said: “Secondary roads are not the first to be cleared in winter, but they are.”

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INTEGRATION

Text by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Photography by GAËL LESURE

MAKEOVER TIME FOR OLAI

OLAI INFO:

WWW.OLAI.PUBLIC.LU

Yves Piron, newly appointed director of the Grand Duchy’s foreigner integration bureau, has his hands full with a muchneeded restructuring.

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very morning, there’s a crowd of people outside the offices of Luxembourg’s Reception and Integration Agency (OLAI), waiting for it to open.

The majority are applicants for international protection who come to collect vouchers so they can buy essentials.

Since 2012, cash help for asylum seekers has been limited to €25 per month.

Inside, surrounded by mountains of files, is Yves Piron. He was called upon last September to head a steering committee in charge of restructuring the agency after a report showed flaws in organisation and administration.

On 27 January this year he was appointed new director of OLAI, finally allowing him to become “fully operational”.

REFUGEE APPLICATIONS There is a lot do to. One of the key problems Piron has to address is the management of asylum seekers. “In 2011 and 2012, Luxembourg had a huge influx of applicants for international protection,” he explains. “It’s not the case anymore; we’re down to around 1,000 asylum seekers a year compared to double then. However, our housing facilities, which have 2,000 beds, are still filled to the brim and our teams have never been increased. We have only six social workers and two educators--and to make matters worse, they have to spend half their time counting and controlling vouchers instead of doing their job in the field!”

Even though OLAI “only” houses 1,400 of the asylum seekers--half of which are children or young adults-and the Red Cross and Caritas take care of the rest, the situation does indeed seem ludicrous. A few days into office April 2015

YVES PIRON Wants to revamp asylum seekers support system

Piron consequently proposed two draft laws to comply with new European directives, accelerate procedures for asylum seekers and give them a larger autonomy after six months, in order to become more responsible for their life and money (not vouchers). Also included in the bills is a proposal to increase OLAI staff by 19.

“One of the reasons for our strained housing situation is that some procedures can take years. Another is that half of the 2,000 people housed are, in fact, no longer applicants for international protection,” explains Piron. “They have been rejected, but they are still here, living in our structures. Their return, voluntary or forced, is complicated and above all, not OLAI’s mission. This has been a problem for years.” Several hundred rejected asylum seekers do leave the Grand Duchy voluntarily each year, but simultaneously many also arrive already knowing they will be rejected.

“A lot of time has been wasted and OLAI hasn’t been adequately responsive to the situation,” he says. “We must also prepare to take care of a larger number of very vulnerable newcomers, who have suffered immensely through war, torture, rape… This requires another type of treatment. There is no doctor in Luxembourg, for example, who is specialised in dealing with torture victims.”

In addition Piron wants OLAI to improve communication with the communes who welcome asylum seekers.

“The only link with the communes are the children,” he says. “We are adamant that the children attend Luxembourgish schools locally, where they live.” Successful integration--and not only that of asylum seekers--is another of OLAI’s major missions, and for this too Piron has a lot planned. Luckily, on top of being a resourceful man, he is also a patient one.

He knows reforms take time.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

NEWSMAKERS

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

TAKING THE REINS Tom Leick-Burns talks about succeeding his mentor Frank Feitler as the head of the City of Luxembourg’s theatres and his ambition for the future of the two venues.

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alk about a hard act to follow. Tom Leick-Burns is the first to acknowledge the achievements of the man he is going to succeed this summer as the director of the Luxembourg City theatres.

Frank Feitler is acclaimed for having turned around the fortunes of the Grand Théâtre (which together with the Théâtre des Capucins is owned by the Ville de Luxembourg) and Leick wants to carry on that good work. He has, after all, worked with the outgoing director for over ten years. “I see Frank as a mentor.

When you have someone who changes your trajectory in life like he has mine, that’s very special,” he explains.

It was Leick’s English connections--he trained as an actor in London--that gave him his first break on the administration team at the theatre. In 2004 Feitler roped him in to help with a production directed by Robert Wilson and that collaboration continued when Leick worked as production assistant for the Barbican’s visiting performance of Julius Caesar starring Ralph Fiennes. By 2008 he was given a permanent contract.

From Feitler, Leick says he learned that the job is all about spending time with artists, giving support and help, which could be financial or simply in the form of providing a rehearsal space.

“That is the way to develop relationships that last,” says Leick. “Showing an interest and a love for people in the field we are in, whether it’s an actor, director, choreographer. That ability to get into someone’s mind and detect the spirit and quality of a project and than being able to say, ‘yes, let’s go for it!’.”

Leick says his first approach will be to maintain the level of international April 2015

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LUXEMBOURG CITY THEATRES:

co-productions the theatre has managed to attract over the past decade or so. He is speaking exactly one week before the world premier at the Grand Théâtre of Ivo van Hove’s Antigone--a co-production with the Barbican in London--starring Juliette Binoche. “Even by Frank’s standards, that was quite a coup to pull off,” says Leick admiringly.

WWW.THEATRES.LU

MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMMING

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DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS A. Tom Leick-Burns is keen to build on Frank Feitler’s legacy

chose an MBA and not a degree tailored to the arts or the theatre. I applied it to my environment, which is a very useful exercise in itself.”

INTERNATIONAL QUALITY B. Acclaimed artists such as Juliette Binoche (here in Antigone) are regular visitors to the Grand Théâtre

ENCOURAGING YOUTH While much of the focus is on the Grand Théâtre, since recently deceased former director Marc Olinger retired as head of the Capucins theatre in 2010, Feitler has been in charge of both city theatres. For Leick the Capucins remains a special place, where he started as an actor, and it represents an opportunity.

"I WANT TO CARRY ON THE VISION THAT FRANK FEITLER HAD." TOM LEICK-BURNS

“I would love the Capucins to be the theatre that speaks for Luxembourg creation, a platform for emerging talent to try out things without pressure to deliver a product--where it can mature under the guidelines of established and

older artists.” For instance, he would love to see visiting artists at the Grand Théâtre give workshops or master classes for local talent at the Capucins. “If we have the ability to continue financing international co-productions, I think one of the criteria I will use is that I want something to happen in Luxembourg to justify that.”

As for the longer-term future, Leick is optimistic about the prospects for Luxembourg theatre. “The fact that we are now building sets for international productions that go on tour is amazing, showcasing local talent. It says a lot about the level of professional theatre in Luxembourg.” He would love youngsters to enjoy the experience of studying abroad as he did, but he would also like to give them an opportunity to find work when they return to Luxembourg. “As the biggest employer in the field, we have to play an active role while maintaining a quality programme. I want young people to realize they can have a career in theatre.”

April 2015

Jan Versweyveld

The continuity that the appointment of Leick gives to the theatres is important. “I want to carry on the vision that Frank had. Because to have someone come in from the outside and start from scratch with their vision, it would have broken my heart. I would have found it difficult to stay, knowing the love and time and sweat that has been invested.”

He may have an innate love of British theatre, which he says is the best in the world, but Leick is fully aware of his responsibility to the audience. “Luxembourg being the complex, multinational, multilingual place that it is. That is who we are programming for.” Nevertheless, he says he will cherish and develop relationships with partners in the UK. “There are some very interesting projects in the pipeline for the 2015-16 season, which I cannot go into yet.” But with no support for tours from the Arts Council in the UK, companies have to pay for their own tour, which makes it expensive and difficult to sustain financially. “I think the Arts Council is starting to realise that the work done abroad by companies like Cheek By Jowl feeds back into the work they do at home. I am constantly working to bring new companies over. That’s the fun part of the job, if I’m completely honest.”

Now armed with an MBA in management, which he says gave him a new sets of skills and confidence, Leick will be in charge of a team of 70 and also has ideas for encouraging and developing local talent. “I specifically

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

HISTORY

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

A PLAYER FOR OVER 2,000 YEARS What is today the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has long been at the economic and political crossroads of Europe.

WORLD’S RICHEST COUNTRIES 1 AD - 2014

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3rd

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Italy 180 Egypt 125 Greece 110

1000

Iraq 145 Iran 140 Turkey 130

1500

Italy 195 Belgium 155 Netherlands 130

1600

1500

Netherlands 225 Italy 180 Belgium 165

1700

1200

Netherlands 340 Britain 200 Belgium 190

1820

900

Netherlands 280 Britain 270 Belgium 195

1870

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Australia 375 Britain 365 Belgium 355

1900

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Britain 355 New Zealand 345 USA 320

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Qatar 1450 Kuwait 1350 UAE 750

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USA 475 Norway 410 Hong Kong 390

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uxembourg has been part of the great sweeps of history that have affected this continent since Roman times. A quirky graph compiled by The Economist magazine illustrates this by listing the countries with the highest national income (GDP) per head over the last couple of millenniums.

Thanks to Luxembourg’s open, international financial sector, it often ranks in recent years as one of the richest countries in the world. If you add up total economic output and divide it by the number of residents, we’re better off here, on average, than pretty much anywhere else. The Economist did these sums going back to 1 AD using the boundaries of modern countries.

The 999 square miles we now know as Luxembourg has been a prize coveted by empires and states since civilization came to northwestern Europe. It was an easy to defend fortress literally at the crossroads from important towns such as Trier, Arlon and Reims. This enabled rulers to levy taxes and tolls, making it a prized asset for local, regional and European dynasties.

Romans (“Italy” in the graph) completed occupation of these lands in 53 BC under Caesar before they were abandoned in 406 AD. Then, about a thousand years later, the then Duchy of Luxembourg was grouped in states together with important towns such as Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp (currently Belgium), and Amsterdam (now The Netherlands). For several centuries these “Netherlands” formed a hugely lucrative trading hub that were passed from dynasty to dynasty: the Burgundians, the Habsburgs, the Spanish and back to the Habsburgs. The French also held Luxembourg for 13 years until 1697.

GDP per person* as % of world average

Luxembourg 510 Singapore 460 Brunei 450

After Napoleon, the great powers sought to rebuild the state-system he had destroyed, but there was confusion about what to do with Luxembourg.

By 1820 the now Grand Duchy had achieved a degree of independence, albeit under the rule of the Dutch king and garrisoned with Prussian troops.

Although the country had been a part of wealthy empires for much of this time, the population did not see much benefit. Poor quality soil kept the peasant population near destitution.

Their misery was added to by the arbitrary rule of absent dynastic rulers.

Life was harsh even until the late 19th century, as can be seen by the exodus of up to 70,000 to the US.

Yet the seeds of future wealth had been planted. The increasingly independent Grand Duchy joined the Germanic customs union (Zollverein) in 1842, leading to substantial Prussian investment into the steel industry. By 1870 the country was about to start growing strongly, especially thanks to the advent of the railways and new steelmaking technology.

Steel made the country very wealthy for 100 years, but then finance stepped it up further, pushing Luxembourg (back?) to the very top of the rankings.

Luxembourg’s statics agency, Statec, will release 2014 GDP figures on 1 April.

Sources: Angus Maddison; IMF; The Economist *Historical output and population within the boundaries of modern countries at purchasing-power parity

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UPFRONT

BUSINESS

GRAMEGNA AWARDED HONORARY DEGREE

James Morley, Sacred Heart University board chair (pictured on the left), travelled from Connecticut to present a “doctor of laws, honoris causa” to Luxembourg’s finance minister, Pierre Gramegna, in February.

TICKER

Luxembourg’s infrastructure minister said train travel time to Strasbourg will be cut in half and, potentially, to Marseille by a fifth in the spring of 2016 when new service on French railway SNCF launches. >>> Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel hit the American west coast, visiting several tech startups; contrary to an earlier US newspaper report, he did not pitch Starbucks on opening a location in the Grand Duchy. >>> A US federal judge ruled that American victims of a 1983 terrorist attack in Beirut could not collect $1.6bn in the Iranian central bank’s account with Luxembourg’s Clearstream Banking, saying the court had no jurisdiction.

April 2015

"MAYBE SOME DIDN’T BELIEVE ME AT THE TIME. BUT YOU’RE HERE." ÉTIENNE SCHNEIDER

The deputy prime minister at the opening of Sodrugestvo’s new corporate HQ; he said bringing the hub to Luxembourg was his “first success story” as a minister.

More: www.delano.lu/news/sodrugestvo-opens-new-hq

NO HARDSHIP ALLOWANCE

Luxembourg City tied with Geneva as 4th “most liveable location” for European expats out of 450 places in ECA International’s annual “Location Ratings System”, which is used to set pay for international postings. The capital placed between The Hague and fifth-ranked Basel. Rankings were partly determined by origin. “Our location allowance system also takes into account where someone is moving from, since some of the factors we analyse will be affected by this,” says the firm’s Neil Ashman. “So, on a North American base, i.e., someone coming from North America to Luxembourg, Luxembourg City ranks 14th globally and on an Asia base the city come 15th globally.”

Outside of Europe the best locations for European expats included Singapore, Tel Aviv and Toronto.

UNCLE SAM OWES LUXEMBOURG

The Grand Duchy replaced Russia as the 11th largest foreign holder of US government debt. Luxembourg investors held $171.8bn in US bonds and bills at the end of December 2014, about 2.7% of the total held outside America, up from $134.6bn the year before.

Much of the growth likely came from Chinese investors buying bonds via Luxembourg.

Olivier Minaire (archives) Eli Christman/Creative Commons

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NANCY THOMAS

WILL VAT CHANGE HURT?

New EU tax rules could have an upside for Luxembourg’s logistics sector, the British chamber heard on 27 February.

Full report: www.delano.lu/VAT15

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TAX TALK A. Karine Bellony & Christina Leomy-Voigt B. Dennis Robertson & Robert Deed C. Georges Simon & Annick Falco D. Andrea Talotta, Thibaut Boulangé & Mauro Monteiro Morim

CATCHING UP WITH…

The director of IMS Luxembourg is urging local companies and institutions to enter the first Diversity Awards.

Companies and organisations have until 30 March to apply for the inaugural Diversity Awards.

Organised by IMS Luxembourg, the awards will be handed out in four categories: recruitment, welcome and integration; career management; work environment and well-being; and communication and organisation values.

“The awards are open to all organisations; signatories of the charter or not, small or big firms, public institutions, private companies, NGOs, etc.,” says Nancy Thomas, the director of IMS Luxembourg, the country’s leading corporate social responsibility network. Thomas explains that IMS provides support to signatories of the Diversity Charter Lëtzebuerg in their commitment to implement diversity beyond the mere legal obligations.

The charter has 116 signatories, representing 12% of the workforce in the Grand Duchy. A further 20 signatories have committed to the next signing session on 24 March. “We have achieved this without any sort of communication,” she says, illustrating the growing awareness of CSR among local companies.

Applicants for the Diversity Awards are required to detail the objective of their diversity practice, its application within the organisation and also show what results have been achieved. A pre-jury of 12 experts--“from all stakeholders”--will make a short list selection of three nominees in each category before the jury itself, headed by minister for equal opportunities Corinne Cahen, chooses the four winners. Short videos featuring each nominee will be screened at the awards, which are the climax of the first Luxembourg Diversity Day on 12 May. “We want to discover innovative practices and their impact on an organisation.

It is an opportunity to find out what companies are doing concretely in terms of diversity.”

Nominees will also benefit from the high profile of the inaugural Diversity Awards, highlighting their profile and enhancing their reputation and credibility. “We see that companies who involve employees in diversity actions also increase staff motivation and strengthen team-building. And it helps attract talent. Studies show that companies that have diversity are better performers.” www.imslux.lu Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS Photography by ANNABELLE DENHAM April 2015

BUSINESS

26

SNAPSHOTS

Text by ALICE VERBERNE-BENAMARA

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

GOOD GOAT GREETINGS

MORE TIDINGS:

WWW.DELANO.LU/ GOAT2015

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uxembourg and China celebrated wealth and good fortune for the Chinese new year that started in February with a reception in Kirchberg.

China’s ambassador to the Grand Duchy, Zeng Xianqi, invited guests to view an exhibit from the Imperial Palace in Beijing featuring reproductions of calligraphy and painting from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, which was displayed at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.

Luxembourg’s finance minister, Pierre Gramegna, encouraged participants to consider travelling to Hong Kong for events such as the Asia Financial Forum.

Linda Lai noted the Hong Kong trade office marks its 50th anniversary in Europe this year. Then Mikkel Strørup addressed the crowd in Luxembourgish, Chinese and English to say that Chinalux had just reached its 100th member.

Attendees Simone Martin and Wendy Feng told Delano the event was a smashing success with opportunities to meet international residents, many of whom are fluent in both Chinese and Luxembourgish.

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YEAR OF THE GOAT A. Luxembourg finance minister Pierre Gramegna B. Nima Ahmadzadeh, Michel Haas and Nicolas Mackel C. Sun Ting Jun, Ding Bei, Jié FangRossi and Zou Hao-Jiang D. Chinese ambassador Zeng Xianqi E. Shih-yu Lin and Christian Lecomte F. Luigi Giannotte and Laurence Schehr G. David Laine and Johan Huurman H. Georges Yucesoy, Max Fischbach, Clarissa Yhong and Simone Martin I. The reception was sponsored

by China’s embassy to the Grand Duchy, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels and the China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce

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BUSINESS

LEGAL

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

MORE LAW, MORE LAWYERS The number of legal jobs in Luxembourg continues to grow.

How are employers meeting that demand?

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awyers have never been in such demand in Luxembourg. New laws, regulations and scrutiny resulted from the 2008 crisis, meaning that international businesses need to be sure about what they are doing in case they ever have to face the law courts or the court of public opinion.

“Companies that might have had a few people in their corporate services department have had to recruit substantial teams because of new compliance and substance requirements,” explained Christopher Purdy, director of the recruitment firm Greenfield Luxembourg.

They have a specialist section dealing with legal matters. Demand is as strong as it has ever been, and for some profiles the number of requests has rocketed.

“Legal administration, corporate administration, legal assistants, company secretaries; these are the profiles for which demand is greatest,” Purdy noted. “Before 2008, we would get the occasional request, but now we have over 10 requests at any one time,” Purdy said.

REAL DRIVE FOR SUBSTANCE The jump is due to a radical change in attitudes to corporate structuring by multinationals. “Whereas before companies were happy just to have a basic presence, now there is a real drive to show they have substance here. More meetings are being held backed up with robust corporate and legal administration taking place here,” he commented. This is a contributory factor to the airport reporting record numbers of passengers and the Kirchberg being dotted with new construction sites.

LuxLeaks has had what Purdy calls a “significant” effect. “People were scared and uncertain at first but it has broadcast to the world that international corporate April 2015

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LEGAL

CONTINUED

structures have to be rock solid,” he said.

The knock-on effect is greater demand for employing people in Luxembourg doing meaningful corporate work.

NOT JUST ABOUT TAX There’s more to it than tax. “Taxes are not as low as you would think from the press reports,” he observed. Unlike the Caribbean, the Channel Islands, etc., Luxembourg is an onshore, well-regulated, “white-listed” place with tough rules.

This makes it attractive to companies seeking reassurance that their corporate structures are well run and are seen to be well run. In fact it is the tough legal requirements demanded by the supervisory authorities that make the jobs market for legal minds so tough.

Luxembourg has the capacity to deal with these demands. There are numerous service providers and a critical mass of skilled staff here who can carry out the complicated, cross-border legal work that is required. “It looks like 2015 will be a strong year for everyone in this business,” Purdy commented.

SALARIES UNDER CONTROL Generally candidates need experience and qualifications (ICSA and STEP in particular on top of a legal degree) to earn between €40,000 and €90,000 per annum.

Somewhat strangely, though, Purdy reckons salaries have not increased much recently despite this high demand.

“These hires have to be made but there is not so much urgency,” he explained. “They are a cost to the business, so our clients are asking us to find people within a budget.” This is an important issue if Luxembourg is not to price itself out of this growing market.

PROFILES SOUGHT FOR PRACTICES In legal practice, the challenges are different. The volume of people required is lower but the skills required are hard to come by. “There is a war for talent April 2015

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HUNTING FOR LEGAL BEAGLES A. Magali Maillot: recruitment drives business strategy B. Christopher Purdy: 2015 will see strong demand

for certain profiles,” noted Magali Maillot, human resources director at the law firm Allen & Overy. Such is the difficulty finding exactly the right people that it has an influence on company strategy. “Our focus is on quality in the practice areas we serve,” she explained.

The firm is growing, but it does so organically and in a controlled fashion.

“We are really looking for specific profiles,” she explained. “Candidates need to be trained to the level of the Luxembourg bar, either as their principal qualification with a CCDL [cours complémentaire en droit luxembourgeois] or through foreign legal qualifications. Ideally they would also have an LLM [master of laws] degree.” Such is the desire to impress and attract potential new recruits that the firm’s partners regularly visit legal employment fairs around the world.

It is hard enough to find candidates straight out of college, but the extreme difficulty comes with finding qualified people with at least two or three years experience. Most lawyers working here will know the market and what options are available and will make their choices accordingly. Allen & Overy does not seek

to over-compete on salaries but candidates are attracted by the career prospects with this major international firm.

LACK OF LEGAL TEMPING OPPORTUNITIES The difficulties are similar when seeking good lawyers for the financial sector. The situation is not helped by tough rules on who can establish a temporary employment agency.

“We know of a lot of people looking for a lawyer for three to six months, but we can’t help them because we are not a temp agency,” Purdy pointed out. “The big agencies don’t have the specialist expertise, so clients are obliged to either go without or use a consulting company who charge significant amounts.”

Purdy said he has tried to set up a specialist legal temping agency but was rebuffed. The rules state that one needs three years’ experience working in an existing agency here before a business licence can be granted. His ten years experience in the UK in this lineof-work counts for nothing. This is a blot on an otherwise attractive market for recruiters.

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INNOVATION

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

E-COMMERCE FROM LUXEMBOURG? “ONLY IF…” Financial services are the biggest e-commerce opportunity for startups in the Grand Duchy, says one of the country’s leading venture capitalists.

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his country remains a great place from which to sell over the internet, but maybe this only applies to “virtual” goods. “When entrepreneurs ask my advice about starting an e-commerce business from Luxembourg, generally I say ‘don’t’,” remarked Hans-Jürgen Schmitz, a man who has been involved with investment into online startups since 2000. And maybe online financial services could be the next big thing.

Amazon, iTunes, eBay, Skype and a constellation of large and small e-commerce firms continue to love it here.

The state invests to maintain the capacity of data centres and high speed internet links, the legal and regulatory framework remains advantageous, as well as all the other good reasons to base a cross-­ border operation here.

The proof is that there is no sign of businesses having left this country following the change in EU VAT rules.

A handful made public their displeasure about the post-1 January 2015 arrangements: VAT on electronic goods being charged at the point of sale rather than the point of distribution. Hence the tax charged on a music download, for example, went up from 15% in Luxembourg to 20% for the UK, France or Austria, and to 25% in Sweden or Denmark.

FROM SKYPE TO OUTFITTERY Schmitz founded Mangrove Capital Partners along with Gerard Lopez and Mark Tluszcz in 2000, and their greatest deals to-date were their early investments in Skype and Wix.com. They have also backed dozens of other bright ideas, including Germany’s leading fashion and lifestyle products shopping club Brands4friends and the blossoming men’s clothing retailer Outfittery. He is also the co-founder of Luxembourg Private Equity and Venture Capital April 2015

Association and remains its honorary chairman to this day.

Most e-commerce is about shifting physical goods, and here the old rules of building from a large home market still apply. Consumers behave in very different ways in each European country. “Take, for instance, the attitude to returning goods to online retailers: German shoppers generally return twice as many goods they are unhappy with as French customers,” Schmitz explained.

This one trait has huge implications for distribution and pricing, and there are many other major and more nuanced quirks to understand about each market. Only by operating from one of these markets will you understand this fully. For example, Outfittery is Berlin-based and made sure it gained a firm hold in the German market before it embarked on international expansion. Availability of experienced yet affordable human resources, cross-border postal costs and the price of warehouse space also militate against Luxembourg.

VIRTUAL HUB SEEKER Hans-Jürgen Schmitz

“Fintech is an area of greater potential for the Grand Duchy,” noted Schmitz.

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April 2015

FUNDS

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

PLAYING THE LONG GAME Brussels wants to help revive Europe’s economy with an infrastructure development programme under the so-called “Juncker plan”, proposed by the Grand Duchy’s former prime minister, and a “capital markets union”. Luxembourg investment funds--in both the public and private sector--are preparing for action.

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EXISTING RESOURCES A. Nathalie Dogniez Funds could be marketed to either retail or professional investors B. Marc-André Bechet and Silke Bernard Difficult to gauge demand but Luxembourg has the cross-border experience for handling EU investment funds

urope’s reliance on bank lending has been exposed since the crisis.

With banks less willing to lend, ambitious, promising firms and projects have lacked funding. The EU has come up with some ideas to try to increase nonbank investment, with some potential benefits for Luxembourg, particularly the fund sector.

This country will feel the effects of two major policy efforts by the new European Commission that are designed to give a short, medium and long term boost to the economy. The “capital markets union” announced on 18 February has the long-term aim of further integrating the EU’s 28 national capital markets, with a view to increase cross-border investment flows. Parts of this should give a direct boost to this country’s fund industry. As well, the “Investment Plan for Europe” promises the mobilisation of €315bn to fund infrastructure projects and small and medium sized enterprises.

This will have major implications for the Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank.

These plans and the related wider picture will be debated in a roundtable at the Spring Conference of the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry on 24 and 25 March. The commission reckons €1.5-€2trn needs to be spent on EU infrastructure by 2020 and that this can be achieved by encouraging private investment. These projects tend to be long term, unspectacular and offer steady returns. Just the kind of thing to suit pension funds. Luxembourg already hosts several infrastructure funds (there are no official figures) but this could grow.

The European Long Term Investment Fund is the first concrete manifestation of the capital markets union plan, with other ideas being worked on. It seeks to open long-term opportunities to moderately wealthy retail clients, as well as institutions such as pension funds and insurance companies. The investment would be locked-in for at least 10 years, mainly supporting infrastructure projects such as airports, energy grids, social housing and hospitals. Eligible assets would also include equity stakes in SMEs. BASED ON EXISTING RULES “ELTIFs will be based on existing AIFMD [Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive] rules, but will open up the relevant long term assets to a broader investor public,” explained Silke Bernard, co-chair of ALFI’s ELTIF working group and an expert in infrastructure and other alternative investment funds. “ELTIF managers will need to be a regulated alternative investment fund manager and [unlike under AIFMD] the AIF will need to receive an ELTIF label from the CSSF,” Luxembourg’s financial regulator, she added. With certain safeguards in place, an ELTIF will then be eligible for the highly valued “European passport”, allowing it to be sold across the EU. The fund will only be able to accept investment from those with the means to tie up their money for ten years or more. Individuals with no more than €500,000 of disposable wealth (i.e., cash and financial instruments) cannot commit more than 10% of this to ELTIFs. Minimum investment is likely to be €10,000. There is the potential for funds to be designed to allow redemptions and a secondary market could develop.

WORKING ON THE DETAIL “If ELTIFs are sold to retail investors, additional requirements will be needed,” noted Nathalie Dogniez, regulatory

compliance partner at the consultancy PwC in Luxembourg. “In this case, the depositary bank will be subject to UCITS rules. However, if only institutions are being targeted then AIFMD depositary bank rules will apply,” she added. At least 70% of the fund will have to be invested in eligible assets. Projects supported would not have to be based in Europe, but investment will have to be located in countries subject to the OECD tax convention and anti-moneylaundering requirements.

“Unregulated funds could become ELTIFs, provided that they comply with the product requirements and are managed by an authorised AIFM. This will give them a marketing passport and thus greater distribution access, including possible access to a retail passport,” she said.

After first being discussed officially in mid-2012, the ELTIF directive is due to be approved in mid-March, making it ready for implementation for this autumn. In the meantime, the commission, regulatory bodies and industry representatives will continue working on the fine detail in the “level 2 and 3” process. Luxembourg has a tradition of being an early adopter of EU fund law, so legislators and the CSSF don’t have much time left to get things in place.

There has been a lot of talk of working to define very long-term infrastructure investment projects as a clearly understood asset class. The ELTIF could help.

“It’s hard to gauge demand before we go live,” noted Marc-André Bechet, ALFI’s director of legal and tax. “We have mentioned it briefly in our recent roadshows, but we don’t like to be too specific before the legislation is in place,” he remarked. “It is likely to attract interest from long-term investors such as pension funds and insurance companies.”

If this innovation catches on, Luxembourg should have the tools to make the ELTIF a success. “Complex vehicles such as ELTIFs need a lot of tax, legal April 2015

BUSINESS

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CONTINUED

ALFI SPRING CONFERENCE: WWW.ALFI.LU

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and structuring advice, then they must be distributed cross-border,” commented Bechet. “Luxembourg has this expertise.”

The commission has also launched discussions on ideas that could be of interest to Luxembourg. One idea is a personal pension plan, which can be taken across EU borders. Bernard characterised this as “ambitious”, “challenging” and “very interesting”.

Ways will also be sought to revive securitisation activity, which has dropped by two-thirds since 2008 in Europe.

There is also to be discussion on how to reduce costs for fund managers working across Europe. Regulations for crowdfunding will be considered too.

WHERE DID JUNCKER FIND €315BN? One of the early announcements by the new European Commission president (and ex-Luxembourg prime minister) April 2015

Jean-Claude Juncker was the Investment Plan for Europe. Dubbed the “Juncker plan” by the press, it was trailed as a way to generate €315bn in new investment over the next three years. The reality is that this is based on a reuse of just €21bn of EU funds.

The European Commission will provide the EIB with new financial guarantees, the bank will use some of its own reserves and other public and private investors have been invited to come forward.

These funds will enable the AAA rated EIB to borrow about five times the €21bn on the global bond markets, so resulting in about €105bn for investment.

These funds would be used to support lending from the public and private sectors. Generally the EIB covers about one-third of the total project cost.

Multiply €105bn by three and you have the promised €315bn of new investment by the end of 2017. Emphasis will be

put on projects deemed to be strategically important such as broadband and cross-border energy links.

The EIB generally supports projects that are too long for most private investors. With the bank providing a backbone of investment over 15, 20 or 30 years, others are more likely to come forward. Mostly they back spending on things like bridges, trams, wind farms and university buildings, but there is also substantial equity and loan support to SMEs (with much of this via its European Investment Fund).

This is a big deal for the EIB as it will increase total annual lending by over 40% to around €110bn. Headcount at their Kirchberg offices is set to rise by 10% to approaching 2,500. But with trillions, not billions required to get European infrastructure into shape, private investment will need to do the heavy lifting.

CAPITAL MARKETS UNION IN BRIEF A discussion paper was launched on 18 February about how to improve the flow of investment across EU borders.

The aim is the unlocking of private funding for businesses and long-term infrastructure projects. Specifically, the following will be up for debate: The Prospectus Directive review will seek to streamline the administrative burden for businesses seeking to raise capital across the EU. Improving SME access to capital through standar­ disation of reporting and credit information.

Securitisation has fallen out of favour in the EU. Ways will be sought to boost the creation of “high quality” financial instruments by the pooling of assets.

Developing private placement markets by supporting private sector initiatives, if relevant.

Discussions will also centre on the liquidity of bond markets, socially responsible investment, crowdfunding, SME accounting standards, how to reduce costs to fund managers, cross-border private pensions, etc.

And there will be more immediate action: Investment Plan for Europe and European Long-Term Investment Funds will aim to attract private capital into long-term projects.

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ECONOMY

UNASHAMED COUNTRIES Do the tax policies of Ireland and Luxembourg harm developing countries? here was a lot of fellow-feeling during a panel discussion on “The fiscal sovereignty challenges facing small countries” organised by the Ireland Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on 23 February. There was near consensus that larger countries appear to feel that there must be some kind of trick for the likes of Ireland or Luxembourg to become rich.

“Tax planning in a globalised world will always exist,” said Ruairi Quinn, a former Irish finance minister. “Our tax system is open, clear and legal with no favours to anyone.”

Kevin Cardiff, the current Irish member of the European Court of Auditors, said: “Many tax adjustments that can have a major impact for a specific company just involve the removal of obstacles, a change that does no one any harm,” and that “there is no country that does not have an agenda when it sets a tax.”

This did not satisfy Jim Clarken, CEO of the development aid charity Oxfam, who sees “developing countries losing out on tax revenue which could otherwise go to providing vital social

and economic infrastructure.” Before the panel Delano asked him whether this was more a question of governance than tax, as can be seen by the recent progress made by certain Asian and African countries. “That may be so but it is not our decision to make,” he insisted, saying that rules need to be devised “to prevent tax disappearing from countries in need.”

Moreover, is tax really lost when it is avoided, or is it just delayed? Tax will be paid at some stage when the profits either generate a dividend, or new investment is made, or the company shares that will increase in value are sold. While conceding this point, Clarken pointed out that: “The benefit is often not felt in the country where the wealth is generated.”

Text by STEPHEN EVANS Photography by LALA LA PHOTO RUAIRI QUINN TD The Irish MP prior to the Irish chamber event, held at the Banque de Luxembourg

8TH MOST EXPENSIVE COUNTRY

Luxembourg is the eighth most expensive place in the OECD, the 34 member rich-country organisation. Average, underlying price levels in December 2014 were 30% higher in Switzerland than here, while Denmark and Norway were both 16% more pricey. Otherwise the Grand Duchy was broadly on a level with other smaller northern European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand. However, the cost of living is quite a bit lower for our immediate neighbours. Netherlands, France and Belgium were all 8-9% cheaper on average with Germans able to buy the same stuff as us for 15% less.

Nevertheless, Luxembourg benefits from some of the highest purchasing power in the world thanks to the above average incomes here.

WATCH PANEL VIDEO: WWW.ILCC.LU

"THIS IS A RECURRENT OBSERVATION--EUROPE’S ­ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE IS NOT DYNAMIC ENOUGH, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE US AND ASIA." Werner Hoyer, president of the European Investment Bank, in an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal arguing for increased education and research investment and regulatory reform in the EU. He also wrote: “It’s time to stop running our economy in crisis mode.”

April 2015

Benjamin Champenois > European Commission (archives)

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BUSINESS

INSURANCE

Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

CROSS-BORDER DEALS HARD TO FIND Car and home insurance offered in other EU countries may be cheaper, and thanks to the European single market it can technically be sold in other European markets, but actually buying it is another story. Why is that?

PERSONAL BUSINESS

I

n theory, insurance firms based in one EU country are perfectly free to write policies in other member states. In practice, aside from life insurance, such cross-border business is rare, at least in Luxembourg. Which is slightly surprising since the Grand Duchy is synonymous with another type of EU-wide financial product: investment funds. But the insurance sector falls under a different set of rules, which makes auto, home and travel policies less “European” and more “national”.

Under European directives, an insurer only needs approval from the regulator in its home country, explains Gaby Wagener of the Commissariat aux assurances (Luxembourg’s insurance commission): “Such authorisation enables an undertaking to carry on business from its home member state throughout the European Community,” which also includes some non-EU countries like Iceland and Norway.

However, local regulators must be formally informed that the insurance company is entering its market.

At the same time, notes Marc Hengen of ACA (Luxembourg’s insurance companies association), underwriters must still follow national rules. That means, for example, that “a French insurer can’t use its policy conditions to insure a Luxembourg risk; it must adapt its conditions to correspond to Luxembourg law.”

Another requirement is to have local knowledge, says Karin Basenach of the CEC (European Consumers Centre) in Luxembourg, a not-for-profit outfit April 2015

A

CONSUMERS BE WARNED A. Franck Marchand: Luxembourg has a different level of coverage

financed by the European Commission, Luxembourg’s economy ministry and Luxembourg Consumers Union. “If your house, for example, is here in Luxembourg and you ask an insurance company in Germany to cover it for fire, the German insurer has to have a legal expert knowing Luxembourg law.”

Less than 3% of consumers who contacted the CEC Luxembourg last year complained about insurance, says the organisation’s Julie Jasson. About a third of those queries concerned travel insurance policies (and half of those were

about the same German firm, which Jasson, a lawyer, would not name).

Basenach says a more frequent complaint is that consumers have been turned down. “They notice that, for example, car insurance in Germany is less expensive than in Luxembourg. When they ask a German insurance company to insure their car in Luxembourg then the answer as far as we can see is ‘no’.”

Indeed, only three car insurance firms operate in the Grand Duchy from outside the country, according to the SNCA (Luxembourg’s national automobile traffic company).

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BUSINESS

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One of them, TVM Belgium (a subsidiary of a Dutch insurer), specialises in the transport sector, insuring trucks and the goods they carry, says the firm’s Jan van Waterschoot, who is based near Antwerp. Luxembourg is a good market for his firm as it is a growing regional logistics hub. But because it focuses on a specific industry very used to working across borders, “we offer the same products” in Benelux and several eastern European countries.

However all of its sales and service in the Grand Duchy is handled via insurance brokers. In late February it April 2015

started insuring company-owned cars in Belgium and Luxembourg, but has no plans to serve consumers.

(The other two “foreign” firms are the Belgian branch of AIG Europe, whose representative said, “we will not be able to help you with this at this time”, and Probus Insurance in Ireland, which did not return Delano’s messages requesting an interview).

DIFFERENT RULES One Luxembourg insurer that operates outside the Grand Duchy is Foyer Assurances. The firm’s Franck

Marchand says it sells “motor and home insurance in the southern part of Belgium and life insurance in several countries in Europe.” Operating abroad “is really complicated; first of all the insurance company could make a mistake,” he explains. In Belgium insurers pay four different taxes on auto policies, for instance. In France there are different laws for catastrophe and terrorism insurance; and the taxes firms pay on home insurance contracts seem to “change every day,” he says with a laugh.

“The customer could also make a mistake,” Marchand continues. German car insurance seems cheaper but typically excludes reimbursement when the driver is at “gross fault.” “If you didn’t stop at a red light, nobody is going to pay for your car.” He also argues that Luxembourg insurers simply offer better coverage. Auto policies are tied to the car, not the driver as in Belgium and France; typically there is no or a low deductible; and Foyer, for example, will pay for repairs itself while chasing down the other driver’s Spanish or Portuguese insurer for compensation, which does not happen in other countries.

Marchand says life insurance is another story because it is essentially a financial product, like investment funds, that travels well across borders: in 2013, the Grand Duchy was one of the ten biggest European markets for life insurance “and not because of Luxembourg residents.”

While Foyer is happy to keep going in southern Belgium--part of which Marchand notes is called “the Belgian province of Luxembourg”--the company has no plans to expand its non-life insurance sales further afield. It is already “very difficult” keeping track of changes in rules and regulations in two countries.

“If we would have to follow the evolution also in France and Germany,” Marchand pauses, “it’s a lot of work.”

NEED HELP? European Consumer Centre Luxembourg The EU- and Luxembourg-backed centre helps consumers resolve problems with firms located in other EU countries. www.cecluxembourg.lu Association des Compagnies d’Assurances and Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs Luxembourg’s insurance industry association and consumer advocacy group offer a free mediation service.

Click on “Activités” and then “Médiateur”: www.aca.lu Click on “Organes de médiation” and then “Médiateur en assurances”: www.ulc.lu Commissariat aux Assurances The CAA is the regulatory body for all insurance activity in Luxembourg. It handles formal complaints and appeals against insurer claim decisions. It also lists authorised firms, in the “Opérateurs” box on its home page. www.commassu.lu

STILL NATIONAL MARKETS B. Karin Basenach: difficult to find a foreign insurer to say “yes”

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BUSINESS

AGENDA

TEN EVENTS

Delano presents a selection of upcoming business and networking events for Luxembourg’s international community. Advance registration or fees may be required, so consult the website indicated for full details. All events are held in English unless otherwise noted.

ALL ABOUT HTML

Mon 16 March Girls In Tech Luxembourg

www.luxembourg.girlsintech.org

Learn some of the main skills and techniques for designing and building a website. Bring a computer or tablet to the workshop.

Free but registration required.

Amazon, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:15-20:00

CHANGING CITIES

Wed 19 March LIST

www.list.lu

Rob Hopkins of Transition Network talks on urban planning and the construction of tomorrow during a workshop organised by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology and trade group OAI. LIST, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 08:30-12:30

BUSINESS DOCTORATE LUNCHEON

EURO TALK

WE’RE ALL THE HOST

Mon 30 March - Fri 3 April

IHMC

www.ihmc2015.org

Wed 25 March The Bridge Forum Dialogue www.forum-dialogue.lu

Finance minister Pierre Gramegna (photo) speaks on Luxembourg and EU economic and monetary union, followed by Q&A moderated

by Luxembourg central bank chief Gaston Reinesch.

In French and English.

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:00

Fri 20 March British chamber www.bcc.lu

Michel Kalika, a professor at the Business Science Institute, talks about the school’s new executive doctorate in business administration offered at its Wiltz campus.

Hotel Meliá, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 12:00

NETWORKING LUNCH

LOCAL NORDIC BUSINESS Sun 29 March

Nordic Women’s Club

“Nordic Women’s Club i Luxembourg” on Facebook

Expo highlights Nordic female entrepreneurs based in Luxembourg and their products and services, because “not all Nordics are working in banking sector”, notes the club’s Kristel Weinreich.

Schwaartzhaus, Luxembourg-Cents, 14:00-18:00

Tue 24 March

Wed 8 + Wed 22 April

Toastmasters

www.district59.eu

Public speaking groups Bossuet Gaveliers, Casemates, Greenheart, State Street Luxembourg and Tip Top Toastmasters Club each meet two evenings per month. No need to be a native Anglophone.

Click on “Go to…” on website for venues and times

LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS

Startup Grind

www.startupgrind.com

Founder of the corporate coaching consultancy CoachDynamix Monica Jonsson (pictured) and David Micallef, a business investor and former banking executive, present at this entrepreneurship luncheon.

Location to be announced, 12:00-13:45

Mon 30 March

Thu 23 April

JSLuxembourg

club.paperjam.lu

www.meetup.com/JSLuxembourg

Monthly meeting of Luxembourg’s JavaScript user group, which “is aimed at people that have an interest in JavaScript, either professionally or simply just for fun.”

Presentation plus “lightning talks”.

Location to be announced, 19:00

Sharon March of March Senior Consult (photo) presents on ethical business practices; David James and Pascale Schuman of Fast Training on managing culturally and geographically diverse teams virtually.

Neimënster, Luxembourg-Grund, ethical decision making 09:00-12:15, virtual teams 14:00-17:15

HAVE A SUGGESTION? If your organisation is holding a business or networking event of interest to the international community, send details to: news@delano.lu

sales · rentals · commercial · residential www.FARE.LU · t. 26 897 897

April 2015

SPEECH SKILLS

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FA_AD_Delano_136x27,5_A2.indd 1

Speeches, workshops and exhibitions for health specialists during the 5th International Human Microbiome Congress.

The microbiome refers to organisms such as bacteria and fungi that inhabit the body.

LuxExpo, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day

3/3/15 3:42 PM

Richard Masoner/Creative Commons Nils Aguilar/Creative Commons

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50 FREE TICKETS for international asset managers

ALFI SPRING CONFERENCE

Asset management moves centre stage Nouveau Centre de ConfĂŠrences Kirchberg, Luxembourg March 24th & 25th, 2015

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BUSINESS

Text by TONYA STONEMAN

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

PLAYING IN PERFECT PITCH

Rugby Club Luxembourg’s culturally diverse team is ready for its rivals.

MY OTHER LIFE

W

hen he’s not sitting behind a desk at ING, Paul Remedi pushes his body to its limits on the rugby pitch.

As captain of Rugby Club Luxembourg, he has to maintain his physical conditioning throughout the year. Remedi began playing rugby as a 10-year-old youth in France and progressed steadily for 15 years, eventually earning a spot on a Paris club in France’s third division.

He also played briefly in London before moving to Luxembourg three years ago. Although the rugby here has not reached the level Remedi is used to, he is proud to wear the colours of RCL. Remedi is fiercely competitive, and considers his challenge in Luxembourg has not diminished, but has actually increased. He now has the dual objective of playing exceptional rugby and guiding his team to the next level.

Although he has personal ambitions, he has decided to remain with RCL for the time being because, for him, its about more than the sport. “It’s not just a team of guys you play rugby with,” he says. “We’re a fraternity. My favourite thing is the camaraderie between all of the members of the team. I like to be involved and understand what each team member thinks about rugby. I give the most of myself for my team.”

For the past two seasons, Remedi’s team has played at a relatively intermediate level. But this year, he hopes that will change. He is serious about reaching the playoffs this year and, if possible, the finals. And his team is ready. “After finishing the 2013/2014 season as champions of the third German division, it’s time to get back to work and prepare for a division April 2015

that will finally suit our level,” he says.

“I cannot wait to play in the Bundesliga 2, and show that not only do we have the skill to play there, but also that we will be the team to beat again!”

Remedi’s goal now is to earn three victories, two home and one away. He is optimistic that RCL will progress to the semifinals and that his team will work hard to make it to the finals.

His players are equally as interested in playing at a high level and spend the winter months working out to improve their skills. “We must be willing to take the hits, play in the mud, in the cold, in the rain,” he says to his team.

“And we must be willing to suffer. But most important, we must take pleasure in playing rugby, all together and for each other.”

As captain, Remedi works hard to earn the loyalty of his team, which is composed of multiple nationalities. Fusing the various cultures together on the pitch is something he enjoys even more than playing the sport. “We have a unique team with guys from all over!” he says.

“This is where our strength as a club comes from.”

UPCOMING FIXTURE Rugby Club Luxembourg hosts Stusta München on 28 March at 2 p.m.

Stade Boy Konen, LuxembourgCessange www.rcl.lu

UPFRONT

LIFESTYLE

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k n i r d d n a d o o F n for Nespresso, launch of new competitioing and the the n see s ha nth mo al din This past hts , a new take on inform on . ati a slew of new sushi delig loc r ilia fam a in d lian foo introduc tion of cool Ita

PURE PILGRIMS

GRAND DUCHY FILES

CAPSULES AT DELHAIZE Good news for coffee drinkers. Delhaize has introduced a line of coffee capsules compatible with Nespresso machines.

The Fairtrade coffee comes from Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia and Indonesia and sells at around 10 cents cheaper than Nespresso capsules.

Where: Delhaize supermarkets Info: www.delhaize.lu

NEW MENU AT SUSHI SHOP Fans of sushi will love the new additions to the menu at Sushi Shop. They include wonderfully fresh-tasting ceviche in salmon, tuna (photo) or sea bass choices, a spicy “volcano” or sweet teriyaki sushi pieces--both with salmon or tuna--and a salad ebi ten with tempura prawn.

Where: Sushi Shop LuxembourgCentre or Kirchberg Info: www.sushishop.lu

BRIGITTE THE RESTAURANT Brigitte was a hit as a pop-up bar in the summer of 2013. Now Brigitte, the restaurant, has opened in a former industrial space in Dommeldange.

The menu favours brasserie fare such as steak tartare, burgers, schnitzel, salads, tarte flambée and soups.

Where: 10 route d’Echternach, Luxembourg-Dommeldange Info: www.brigitte-brasserie.lu

BRASSERIE MONTEFIORESUL PALCO Well known for its coffee, Sul Palco has now expanded into a brasserie serving a range of dishes prepared with fresh, organic produce. Diners can sit on the mezzanine or in the cosy ground floor, while the terrace remains a great place for people watching over an espresso.

Where: 28 rue Philippe II, Luxembourg-Centre Info: www.montefiore.lu

April 2015

hristian pilgrimages conjure up images of hardy souls traversing difficult terrain and covering hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to reach the holy site of their dreams. In Luxembourg the distance required to travel to pay homage to a statue of Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, is usually not so energy sapping. But pilgrims have been walking into the city since at least 1624 and since 1666 Mary has been the patroness of the city.

Since 1921 the pilgrimage has lasted two weeks and involves thousands of pilgrims flooding into the city for special services at the Notre-Dame cathedral.

Even if the majority of visitors to the cathedral no longer walk into the city, all those weary pilgrims need sustenance. So food and drinks tents and stalls are set up on the place Guillaume II--the Knuedler--during the Octave period. The traditional speciality is baked fish in a light batter, served with a generous portion of fries and washed down with a crisp Luxembourg white wine such as an Auxerrois or Riesling.

But being a weary pilgrim clearly affects judgement, and visitors to the Octave market also gladly pay money for the awful tat on sale--and we’re not talking about kitsch religious iconery, but everything from t-shirts bearing the images of rock groups to cheap costume jewellery. One year there was even a stall selling realistic looking air pistols.

It is clear that for many visitors the Octave is no longer a purely religious event, but one that is undertaken out of a sense of peer pressure or duty and rewarded with a day off school or work and a decent fish dinner.

For anyone seeking a more challenging and spiritually rewarding pilgrimage, walking the Camino de Santiago may be a better bet. www.cathol.lu

Delhaize Sushi Shop Olivier Minaire Luc Deflorenne

C

Perfect weekenodpping for outdoor sh

nit y to visit provides a great opportu er ath we er rm wa of are some special The onset Easter weekend there local markets, and overout. events worth checking

.M. SATURDAY 04.04 – 10 A.M.

Diary

BUY FRESH LOCAL PRODUCE… … at the bi-weekly market on the Knuedler. Stallholders sell everything from fruits and vegetables to chicken, cheese, honey and bread, much of it produced locally.

Where: Place Guillaume II, Luxembourg-Centre Info: www.vdl.lu

LUXCON FAN FEST Want to learn Klingon? The second Luxembourg science fiction, fantasy and horror fan convention on 28 & 29 March promises lessons in the Star Trek language, entertainment and debate and a cosplay contest. Guest of honour is fantasy and sci-fi author Aliette de Bodard.

Where: Schungfabrik, Tétange Info: www.luxcon.lu

ONE-EURO BOOK SALE Book lovers will have to clear some space shelf after a visit to the International Bazaar Book Stand’s annual spring sale on 21 March. All books are just one euro, and a selection of homemade food and hot and cold drinks make a visit all the more tempting.

Where: Am Duerf, Weimerskirch Info: allen@vo.lu

DUCK RACE The Roundtable Luxembourg Duck Race, featuring 14,000 plastic yellow ducks hurtling down the Petrusse, is held on Saturday 25 April. Ducks can be purchased online. Prizes include a Citroën car, while funds go to various charities in Rwanda, Ghana and Romania.

Where: Petrusse valley (near the mini golf) Info: www.duckrace.lu

BEN ANDREWS The Luxembourg based director has signed with Crossfire Productions under the auspices of UK company Radar Music’s emerging director development scheme. Crossfire’s David Graham says Andrews’s music videos show his “captivating style and huge potential.”

Info: www.thisisradar.com

M. SUNDAY 05.04 – 12:30 P.M.

PICK UP A BARGAIN… … at the vide-grenier second-hand sales. Held every first Sunday of the month from April to October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the sales are restricted to private vendors rather than professional traders. Shops in the city centre are also open all afternoon.

Where: Place Guillaume II, Luxembourg-Centre Info: www.vdl.lu

MONDAY 06.04 – 11 A.M.

WHISTLE UP A PECKVILLERCHER… … the collectable ceramic bird whistles are a tradition at the Emaischen Easter Monday markets in the old town in the capital and in the village of Nospelt (where the celebrations started on Saturday). Plenty of food and drink and trinkets on sale.

Where: Fishmarket, Luxembourg-Centre & Nospelt Info: www.emaischen.lu April 2015

50

LIFESTYLE

GETTING INVOLVED

Text by JAMES WALKER

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

Good listeners Anglophone families can finally get confidential advice, with the launch of Kanner Jugend Telefon in English.

L

uxembourg’s first English-speaking helpline for families and children, entirely staffed by volunteers, launched on 14 January. Kanner Jugend Telefon started offering confidential telephone help in the Grand Duchy’s official languages in 1992 and added online support 13 years ago; volunteers began working on an English programme in 2012. Callers and web users do not need to specify their name or where they live when they phone or connect to the online portal. KJT says volunteers will listen respectfully and then provide guidance and suggest resources, but the organisation does not directly intervene itself.

The group says on its website: “We don’t have an answer to every question, or a solution to every problem. We are, though, open to every sort of request and type of subject-matter and we are absolutely sure that it is always worth talking things over.”

Whether the problem relates to school, the Luxembourg lifestyle or puberty, the helpline will rise to the challenge, says Joanna GilbrideWest, a psychologist who trained many of the English-speaking volunteers (photo, on right).

If needed, “we bring in professionals” to provide follow-on support.

Just as callers and online users remain completely anonymous, so do the volunteers who listen and provide guidance to the kids,

teens, parents, friends and family members, and concerned neighbours who get in touch.

Such discretion comes at a cost to public visibility. “The struggle is to be recognised,” Joanna says of the group. The free service relies on donations to cover operating costs and the team is in need of funding to update the service, she tells Delano. In addition to private donors, KJT is supported by the family ministry and three main sponsors: Docler Holding, ArcelorMittal and the Luxembourg Hearts Rotary Club.

Before staffing the helpline, volunteers take a formal instruction programme that lasts between 70 and 130 hours over a ten month period, according to Lynn Frank (photo, on left), who also trained English-speaking counsellors. She describes the volunteers as “an international group of men and women.”

A survey of parents and children taken prior to the launch found that 90% of people thought the English helpline would be useful, say Joanna and Lynn, both mothers.

The most important goal for them is to gain more exposure with the public, so that people don’t feel embarrassed or scared to look for help. “We want to stop the idea that it’s for emergencies,” according to Joanna.

“It could be a safety net for people.”

Lynn explains that “having been a parent, it can be hard away from peers, family, language group” when they move abroad.

Currently the English helpline is solely for family problems, however the group aims

KANNER JUGEND TELEFON:

to open a separate helpline dedicated to children in June, as well as develop their website to be more simple and functional.

They envisage a day where a helpline number is available on every child’s phone, as common as the police or emergency services.

Lynn, who earned a degree in psychology and previously worked as a helpline manager in the UK, got involved after seeing an advert asking for volunteers. KJT is not actively seeking new counsellors at the moment, but there will be a new training group organised in the future.

WWW.KJT.LU

For family support in English, check the website in the bubble above or phone: 116 111

k

2ND HAND SALE

GOOD VIBRATIONS GALA

EASTER EGG HUNT

TELSTAR De-clutter or collect treasure--plus drinks, food and chilli--in support of the scouting troop on 21 March, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at FNEL HQ in Cents.

Info: www.telstar.lu

ISL The school’s annual fundraising banquet features dinner, an auction and dancing till 2 a.m. on 21 March at the casino in Mondorf.

Info: www.islux.lu

BRITISH LADIES CLUB Kids can hunt for chocolate treats, make a hoppy bunny to take home, run in races and more on 29 March, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m., at Bambesch Park.

Info: kids@blc.lu

April 2015

AFTERWORK SWIMMING RED CROSS INT’L SECTION Swimmers race to raise money for the Buttek food bank (€12,000 last year) on 9 April at Les Thermes in Strassen.

Info: www.croix-rouge.lu/en

Easter egg hunt: Stephanie Sicore/Creative Commons

Community noteboo

SPECIAL OFFER DURING THE FURNITURE FESTIVAL

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53

LIFESTYLE

FASHION

SOPHIE DEWALQUE AT JAEL CURIEL

April 2015

Text by WENDY CASEY

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

Close-up and personal with Luxembourg’s fashionistas ent and that includes than investing in local tal kilometre terms , but ing ard rew re mo ng thi re in squa There’s no ners. We may be small and then our gif ted fashion desigve flair, Luxembourg has it by the bucket-load it on!” ss ati pa cre , to us s gio me is conta when it co ert Einstein: “Creativity some. In the words of Alb

SOPHI(E)STICATION

Info: www.sophietication.wix.com/ sophiestication Clothing available from Jael Curiel

high standard and is greatly appreciated by her clients, many of whom are “people who come every year and have known me from the beginning.” When I asked whether she has any celebrities among her client-base, she told me that two models have purchased all of the collections--praise indeed.

Berglind Ómarsdóttir by contrast grew up on a small Icelandic island where clothing choices were “limited and uninteresting.”

“I started making clothing for myself,” she explains, “and I was only 13 years old when I bought my first sewing machine.”

She is a qualified tailor and dressmaker specialising in womenswear and now lives and designs in Luxembourg. With her own clothing and accessories label--Berglind Clothing-she creates beautiful scarves, tops, dresses, trousers and jackets for women of all ages.

From her 83 year old grandmother and elderly friends, to a young 9 year old girl who received one of her scarves for Christmas, all are equally delighted by her trendy, colourful and individual pieces.

“Every piece is unique,” says Berglind, who goes on to say that she makes “everything from scratch.” “I like working with silk and leather and am particularly known for my unique leather corsets,” she tells me, although these are not her best-selling pieces.

Her scarves are particularly popular and can be worn in five different ways: as three variations of top and two styles of scarf.

It’s simply a case of draping the scarves to different effect and Berglind is more than happy to demonstrate.

Priced at around €100 each, it certainly seems a great way of incorporating multiple, stylish looks into your wardrobe without taking up space. I’m already poised to order my first scarf, but which shoes shall I wear with it?

For as Christian Dior once said, “The real proof of an elegant woman is what is on her feet.”

Info: www.jaelcuriel.com

POPUP STUDIO Clothing for children and babies

Info: studio@ popupstudio.eu

EZRI KAHN Dressmaker, haute couture

Info: +352 621 314 405 NUVOLA BABY Children’s clothing

Info: +352 691 431 002, www. nuvolababy.com

BERGLIND CLOTHING

Info: www.berglind.lu

UPCOMING EVENTS EUROPEAN ARTISANS DAYS Demonstrations & crafting exhibitions

When: 27-29 March Where: Throughout Luxembourg Info: www.journeesdesmetiersdart.lu NORDIC WOMEN’S CLUB

Luxembourg fashion show When: 29 March Where: Centre sociétaire, 167 rue de Trèves, Luxembourg-Cents Info: www.nwc.lu SOPHIE DEWALQUE Children’s couture workshops

When: through 4 June Where: Kulturhaus Niederanven Info: www.khn.lu

April 2015

Sophi(e)stication > Berglind Clothing > Nuvola Baby > Popup Studio

Y

ou only need to spend a few minutes with Sophie Dewalque to discover her unbridled passion for fashion--it oozes from her pores.

This inherent fervour was passed down from her grandmother who designed and made clothes for Sophie’s mother. It seems that Sophie caught the design bug at a young age and after studying in Paris, she returned to Luxembourg and established her children’s brand “Sophi(e)stication”.

She loves working with children. “It’s more natural,” she told me. “If kids say they like it, I’m really happy since they tell you how they feel and not what you want to hear.” She seeks initial inspiration from fabrics and then further ideas stem from her travels where she photographs some of the local children, embroidery and sparkling gemstones, which are incorporated into her designs.

This year’s spring/summer collection is a particular milestone in her career since it is unisex and requires her to work in a slightly different way: “No more pink and flowers,” she laughs. “There’s lots of navy blue, which is very classic worn with white, some purple and of course mint--which looks really fresh with white for summer.”

Sophie works mainly with natural fabrics such as cotton and silk to achieve a trendy, chic style.

“It’s better for the kids and it’s more comfortable,” she added. Some of the prints are designed by Sophie, “though designing and printing my own fabric is an expensive process,” she explains.

This brings me to the subject of price. You can expect to pay from €35 for a T-shirt and from €65 for a dress depending on the style.

She will make clothing for 12 to 16 year olds on commission. “They want their own style,” she explains. “They are more independent and want to make changes to the colour or cut--to look different to their younger sister.”

All the clothing is made to an exceptionally

DESIGNER DIRECTORY

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DELANO ADVERTORIAL

Spring: Keep it cool, clean and understated

in need of some e a touch fatigued and m, Luxembourg’s ob rdr wa r me um g/s rin ison Bra Is your sp look no fur ther than Ma tender loving care? Then leading fashion retailer.

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pread across more than 11,000 m2, Bram boasts the finest selection of international fashion trends and labels from across the globe. The range of colours, textures and styles is simply breath-taking and must be seen to be believed.

It is a “one-stop” shop for men and women seeking a quality shopping experience backed by excellent client service. “Design by Bram” is an exciting, high-fashion clothing department created by Bram for lifestyle-orientated women.

It offers the highlights of each season’s fashions from the world’s leading labels, taking the hard work out of shopping for fashion. Care is taken to present a range of trends, mixing casual clothing with feminine touches to wonderful effect. A separate accessories department provides all of those critical finishing touches for complete head-to-toe styling.

TRENDS This season, “Design by Bram” is focussing on a palette of delicious multi-pastels, elegant nude tones and the quintessential black and white. You won’t find many intense, powerful colours since the theme is soft, subtle and understated--reminiscent of the Scandinavian Clean Chic vibe that is sweeping Europe.

Key fabrics include supple leather, sweatshirt fleece, luxurious silks and ultra-fine knits which can be mixed and matched to create uniquely individual looks. Leather biker jackets continue to dominate the style stakes in traditional black, soft pastel or elegant nude--while the sleeveless biker is a lusted-after variation of this much-loved classic.

THE JOG PANT For those of you who are tired of the skinny jean, “Design by Bram” is showcasing the jog pant--exceedingly THE INSPIRATION wearable and a key trend for spring OF THE BRAM and summer. It’s easy to understand WOMAN "DESIGN" why this is such a hot item. Not only is DEPARTMENT it incredibly comfortable but it is highly versatile and can be worn in a variety of ways to achieve a multitude of different looks, from sporty and casual to deluxe.

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April 2015

Gone are the functional, baggy, jogging bottoms favoured by off-duty models a few years ago and “in” are beautifully tailored jog pants worn slim at the hip. The key is to shake up fabrics and textures for an uber-cool result. Take a black leather jog pant and wear with a softly layered, “shades of grey” top and high heeled sandals-effortlessly chic, sexy and so much more comfy than super skinny jeans. For the office, opt for a tailored wool-mix jog pant and wear with a fine silk blouse, fitted blazer and classic heels for an elegantly professional look. Alternatively, adopt a casual approach with a grey, sweatshirt fleece jog pant, simple, white T-shirt and edgy black leather jacket. Add flat strappy sandals, push up your sleeves and wear the jog pant low on the hips for a “don’t have to try” effect.

The rules? There are very few hard and fast rules. Jog pants can be worn at any time of the day or night and there are variations to suit every occasion and budget. That said, don’t be tempted to match your black leather jog pant with a black leather T-shirt. Instead, have fun playing with a variety of textures and opt for tops in soft silks, chiffons and fine-knits. Find a great fit, a flattering cut and add high heels for a touch of sophistication and sex appeal. If you choose a very relaxed fit, style-up with feminine accessories--bold, dramatic earrings, cool sunglasses. This is a great new look that has a place in every woman’s wardrobe.

SCANDINAVIAN CLEAN CHIC If you can’t get enough of all things Scandinavian, then you’ll be delighted to hear that “Design by Bram” is showcasing Scandinavian Clean Chic--so you won’t have to travel to enjoy their cool, clean, minimalistic lines. It’s all about the look and the lifestyle.

Scandinavia is known not just for its vibrant bars and cafés, but for its fabulous street style and beautiful people. It is super trendy and houses some truly innovative fashion designers offering great tailoring, understated simplicity, stylish cuts and neutral colour palettes. They love black, so much of the clothing is produced in shades of black through grey and is extremely wearable with a slight urban edge.

PHOTOS LEGENDS A. Leather jog pants “SET” €399,95 B. Grey Sweat jog pants “DRYKORN” €149,95 C. Leather biker jaket “SET”.

Price €349,95 B

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THE KEY IS TO SHAKE UP FABRICS AND TEXTURES FOR AN UBER-COOL RESULT. You’ll find brands such as Filippa K, known for its clean, smart clothing which will take you from the office to the bar. The focus is on the detail--absolutely no fuss. It’s not for nothing that Stockholm is increasingly referred to as the New York of Europe.

Fancy taking a leaf out of Nicole Scherzinger’s book? Then why not try recreating the Scandinavian Clean Chic look for yourself. Select a black or dark grey trouser (or jog pant), add a fresh, white blouse and an oversized, round-shouldered coat. Wear with a pair of leather slip-on shoes or some Nike trainers.

COMPETITION Bram is offering you the chance to win a trip for two to Stockholm so that you can experience the exhilarating Scandinavian fashion vibe in person. Simply go to www.bram.lu/travel to enter. The lucky winner and guest will receive return flights and two night’s hotel accommodation, together with a surprise gift. What’s not to love about Bram?

April 2015

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57

LIFESTYLE

COVER STORY

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

Photography by JULIEN BECKER

s t n i o j l a c Lo take pride y t i l a u q n i A

g to establish that Starbucks is lookin media fandom rs ou rum of e fac the In rg Cit y and amid social an outlet in Luxembou like Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts, s ain restaurants are for international ch ffee shops and burger fiercely independent coity than ever. We ask the owners of these enjoying more popular them, what their customers are looking local joints what drives r competition from the big corporations for and whether they fea and franchises .

CHARLES SANDWICHES When: Daily 8.30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: 19 rue Chimay, Luxembourg-Centre Tel: 27 99 38 38 Check: on Facebook April 2015

sk an expat what is missing from Luxembourg and a significant number will automatically reply “Starbucks”.

The Seattle based coffee chain seems to be the benchmark of what defines an international city, and many expats--and Luxembourgers with experience of travelling abroad--clamour for the chance to savour Starbucks’ skinny lattés or Frappuccinos without having to cross a border.

Rumours have been rife for some time that Starbucks would be following the likes of Dunkin’ Donuts, which opened its first Grand Duchy franchise in the Aire de Capellen last summer, and Burger King in coming to Luxembourg. Excitement among Starbucks fans mounted when prime minister Xavier Bettel visited Seattle as part of a tour of the west coast of the States in February, and former US ambassador to Luxembourg Cynthia Stroum was quoted as saying that Luxembourg was “dying to get into Starbucks.”

But the premier said it was not his job to woo the brand. “Starbucks has Luxembourg on the radar, and if they want to come to us, then they will,” he was quoted as saying.

The clamour for KFC to come to Luxembourg has also been vocal-some Luxembourg-based fans even drive to the nearest outlet in Saarbrücken to get their fix of the fast-food chicken, while fans of Dunkin’ Donuts greeted its first Grand Duchy outlet opening last

summer with the same, almost religious fervour, as fans of Burger King when it launched in Wasserbillig service station in 2011.

EGALITARIAN FOOD Despite the obvious popularity of such international chains, there is a counter movement that seeks out independent outlets serving quality local produce with pride and care. Speciality coffee shops and restaurants serving gourmet burgers have started to make inroads into the market all over the western world, and Luxembourg is no different.

But it is not easy trying to make a success of such a business venture. “People are always ready to have good food, but sometimes they don’t want to pay the price,” says Pierre Adam, owner of Café Bel Air. Many would rather pay “one euro” for what Adam calls a “shitty burger” than the 12-18 euros the café charges for its freshly made fare using local ingredients.

A challenge also faced by Charles Delvaux when he first opened Charles Sandwiches two years ago. “One of the most difficult things was to convince people that a sandwich can cost from 6 to 15 euros, when all they know is a sandwich from the baker that costs between 2 and 4 euros.”

Adam opened the Café Bel Air in 2006 as a more traditional eatery serving a plat du jour, but three years ago, when a customer asked for a hamburger and it

proved to be a success, the restaurant started specialising in the not so humble beef patty sandwich. It has since become renowned for its speciality burgers. The restaurant could hardly be called fast food, but the atmosphere is informal and a quick turnaround is guaranteed at lunchtimes when diners are in a hurry. “Customers want a good time, something relatively quick, good food and atmosphere, good beer and wine. They want nothing special. I treat people like I want to be treated. I think sometimes that is the problem with people who have only been in the restaurant business; they see their own point of view and not the customers’,” says Adam. Burgers are an egalitarian food and this is evidenced when Adam lists as his guests everyone from Bettel to a builder working on a house in the neighbourhood. “Everyone receives the same treatment,” he says. And burgers are also a food that can be easily customised--the blackboard menu at Café Bel Air lists a range of tempting combinations, but customers can also choose their own toppings.

If they come up with something that appeals to Adam and his chefs, the burger will be added to the menu and named after the customer.

MODERN CLASSIC Tim Probyn, co-owner of Oscar’s and Oscar’s Diner says that although places like McDonald’s are immensely popular, more and more TOP JOINTS people are FOR BURGERS looking for a OR COFFEE quality burger.

“It is a modern

classic when it’s made out of 100% beef and seasoned properly. We provide lots of choices, with homemade relishes and sauces, so that people can basically create their own burger.” The refurbished diner, at the front of the popular pool and darts hall, has been open for six months. “In these times you have to be lucky to run a bar that doesn’t serve food,” says Probyn of the decision to upgrade the diner and kitchen. The venue now attracts a healthy lunchtime crowd from the local area, with the burgers continuing to be the most sought after items on the menu.

Pool and darts players form a large part of the evening trade, and they, too, have started to partake of the menu more. The bar has also started serving a selection of speciality guest beers and hosting themed events, such as an upcoming Rockabilly night on 21 March. “What we’re trying to do is provide an environment where people can come in and have a beer, or a bite to eat or play pool or darts without feeling they have to do one or the other.”

TV sports are also popular, which also helps attract new clientele looking to eat while they drink and watch their favourite team--the diner has been adopted by the Barcelona supporters club, for example.

Ingredients are important.

Adam has a number of local suppliers and uses a Luxembourg butcher and also can offer diners gluten free bread. Charles Delvaux at Charles Sandwiches and Ray Hickey at Urban, Mama Loves You and Mamacita also use local butchers as well as other local suppliers and the ubiquitous La Provençale wholesaler. Explaining the rise and rise of the gourmet burger, Hickey, who has been in the restaurant business in Luxembourg

MAMA LOVES YOU Handily placed for Hollerich nightlife and den Atelier, MLY, is the setting for our cover photo of co-owner Ray Hickey. Try the Hot Mama’s burger.

Where: 44-48 rue de Hollerich, Luxembourg-Gare Tel: 48 28 95 Check: www.mamalovesyou.lu

for over 15 years, says that although it has always been associated with the fast and junk type of food--“the hot and convenient cousin to the sandwich”--the burger does not have to be exclusive to typical fast food style outlets. “There has been no attempt to recreate the burgers most famous from the fast food joints, but to produce them on a different level with more freedom and versatility,” he says.

KNOPES The best coffee in Luxembourg, home roasted and brewed with love and care by the Knopes brothers.

Where: Am Garage, 70 route d’Esch, Luxembourg-Merl Tel: 26 97 67 86 Check: www.knopes.com

OSCAR’S DINER When: Daily 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Where: 42 rue de Strasbourg, Luxembourg-Gare Tel: 26 48 38 51 Check: www.oscarsdiner.lu

LOU’S DINER A favourite among burger experts, with some rating the place the best in the Grand Duchy.

Where: 33 rue Buurgkapp, Consdorf Tel: 26 78 41 38 Check: on Facebook

April 2015

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LIFESTYLE

COVER STORY

GOLDEN BEAN When: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sat & Sun 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: 23 rue Chimay, Luxembourg-Centre Check: on Facebook

CONTINUED

Delvaux has a similar mind-set.

He opened Charles Sandwiches upon returning to Luxembourg after attending hotel school in Switzerland. “I always thought Luxembourg’s food scene was very traditional, be it French, Italian, Chinese or the very well known fast food chains. Though that is changing, there is some good home made fast food now.”

He met his business partner, Jack McGahan while studying in

CATHY GOEDERT If you want a posh, local and delicious alternative to Dunkin’ Donuts, try some of Cathy’s individual cakes or macaroons.

Where: 8 rue Chimay, Luxembourg-Centre Tel: 26 20 21 49 Check: www.cathygoedert.lu April 2015

Switzerland and they decided to give the concept of an upmarket sandwich restaurant a go. “There is no cheating, the ingredients we use are the same as in a traditional restaurant, they are just presented differently,” says Delvaux. “It is high quality fast food.” The menu has changed and developed over the years, with the introduction of a range of hamburgers as well as desserts and a brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The restaurant has also shifted away from pre-prepping food and quick take-away service to becoming a more relaxed venue in which diners want to spend some time to enjoy freshly made food.

“People are ready to wait a little longer. We use a couple of really good signature items and use as much home-made produce as possible.” Like Adam, Delvaux and McGahan also listen to their customers--otherwise they wouldn’t necessarily be serving burgers--but also resist some trends and what might be called more traditional items on the menu. “One of the most important things is keeping consistency.”

Delvaux has also invested in a Charles food truck to cater events, such as den Atelier’s New Year’s Eve party and the upcoming Luxcon festival (see page 49).

Unlike Adam, who expressly chose a location away from the tourist drag, Delvaux wanted a central location. He has a loyal customer base as well as passing trade.

“I could have had a cheaper and bigger place somewhere else, but I chose a central location with more visibility. This has developed into a food street,” he says citing a kebab outlet and the Downtown café opposite, Cathy Goedert and À la soupe further up the road towards the place d’Armes on the rue Chimay.

COFFEE LOUNGE Popular with local retailers and high-school students alike, this joint is praised for its creamy coffees and bagels.

Where: 28 rue de la Poste, Luxembourg-Centre Tel: 26 20 21 01 Check: www.coffeelounge.lu

Another place Delvaux mentions is just two doors down from Charles Sandwiches, where Colombian resident Filipe Carrillo has been running Golden Bean since 2013. His family back in Colombia grows coffee, and Filipe’s brother runs a speciality coffee shop in Heidelberg. Golden Bean attracts a variety of customers, ranging from students spending a few hours with their books or researching online to elderly people popping in after church on a Sunday. “It’s what in the US would be called a ‘third place’, after home and work. You can spend some time here without having to spend a lot of money.”

Hickey also likes the idea of his restaurants having “a cosy and efficient regularity. A home-fromhome.” At Konrad, café manager Antoine Lemer says his customers are looking for an environment that is unique and quality products.

“In that, there are lots of things you can encompass. You have to think about the design, about the music and also about the staff-that creates the atmosphere.

People are more and more aware of what they’re eating. We don’t advertise it enough, but most customers know we serve almost 100% organic products.”

SHARED VISION Carrillo emphasises the importance of creating a friendly atmosphere--through music and ambience--as well as finding the right staff. “Customers interact more with staff here than in a restaurant. In a coffee shop customers often come alone, so it is important that staff share some vision and culture with the client, so that they are on the same wavelength.” Carrillo employs seven different nationalities,

URBAN More a bar than a restaurant, the city centre location’s famous Urban and Tower burgers are served with potato wedges.

Where: 2 rue de la Boucherie, Luxembourg-Centre Tel: 26 47 85 78 Check: www.urban.lu

" PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS READY TO HAVE GOOD FOOD, BUT SOMETIMES THEY DON’T WANT TO PAY THE PRICE." PIERRE ADAM, CAFÉ BEL AIR but the menu is in English--a nod to the same passing tourist trade that Delvaux is attracting just up the road. At Konrad, the staff all speak English though French is also important. “I also like to have Luxembourgish staff, because I think it’s important to communicate with the local clientele. It shows that you’re trying,” says Lemer.

Carrillo also stresses the importance of a central location.

“People don’t drive out of their way to go to a coffee place,” he explains.

Hickey says that location can never be underestimated.

“All of our restaurants were chosen with location as a priority.

Passing trade is important though the bread and butter of any restaurant is the returning customer. Word of mouth is the most successful form of advertising, along with having as many bums on seats as often as possible.” Lemer at Konrad, on the other hand, says that being a bit off the beaten track is a bonus.

“People like to feel that they are in a place where not everyone goes.”

Like many coffee shops, including Starbucks, Golden Bean has seasonal speciality drinks on its menu and a limited food menu featuring muffins and snacks,

home-made cookies and a carrot cake. “But they don’t distract from our core activity, which is catering for more and more sophisticated tastes for speciality coffees. I think the whole thing about Starbucks as a lifestyle experience has increased demand for coffee.”

So Carrillo doesn’t feel threatened by the international chain, and indeed is looking to expand his own empire by opening a second Golden Bean outlet in Belval, close to the university.

SHOWCASING COFFEE’S QUALITIES Across the city in Merl, François and Fabien Knopes have opened a second outlet already. Housed in the award-winning Am Garage venue, Knopes’s second location incorporates the coffee makers’ roasting machine where the brothers create their speciality coffees every Monday and Thursday. The fourth generation of the family, they are taking the Luxembourg coffee experience to a new level by hosting free tastings on Saturday mornings and even giving lessons in how to brew coffee using different methods including drip filter, French press and espresso machines.

KATHY’S CUPCAKERY Using fresh and local ingredients offers more than just great homemade cupcakes but also breakfasts and soups.

Where: 9 rue de Strasbourg, Luxembourg-Gare Tel: 26 12 31 86 Check: www.kathys.lu

“Coffee is seen by many as a black, bitter beverage that helps get you through the day. We really want to showcase what coffee can actually be,” says François.

The Knopes brothers work with very small lots of coffee, which is, after all, a seasonal product with different varietals.

“So we don’t have any one coffee all year round.” Their blends range from “crowd pleasers” such as the “1936”

FABRIK This popular restaurant and party venue has good choice of burgers, including hot and veggie options.

Where: 33 rue de la Gare, Mersch Tel: 27 40 33 33 Check: www.fabrik.lu

KONRAD CAFÉ & BAR When: Daily 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Where: 7 rue du Nord, Luxembourg-Centre Tel: 26 20 18 94 Check: on Facebook

INDEPENDENT CAFÉ Spacious place serving good coffee and fresh organic and vegan lunch options, though maybe not the best burger.

Where: 6 boulevard Roosevelt, Luxembourg-Centre Tel: 27 47 87 78, Check: www.indies.lu

April 2015

LIFESTYLE

COVER STORY

CONTINUED

" THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF ANY RESTAURANT IS THE RETURNING CUSTOMER. WORD OF MOUTH IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FORM OF ADVERTISING." RAY HICKEY, MAMA LOVES YOU, URBAN & MAMACITA

CAFÉ BEL AIR When: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Where: 99 Val Sainte Croix, Luxembourg-Belair Tel: 26 38 37 61 Check: www.cafebelair.lu

April 2015

(named after the year their great grandfather started the business) to the more exotic “autour du monde”, which blends African and American beans to create a more fruity coffee. Just like wines, the origin and treatment of the beans are marked on the package along with tasting notes. But unlike wine, coffee is a fresh product that loses its flavour and should be roasted within six to nine months of harvest. “There is always something new to learn about coffee,” says François, who clearly has a passion for his work as he gives a tour of the roasting room, fitted with an original 1960s machine enhanced with modern computer technology that allows the brothers to customise the roasting process to perfection.

The quality of coffee is important, but so is the standard of service. Lemer tells his staff to serve customers as they would like to be served, which can mean portions are not uniform.

“That’s what makes the place, if the staff have high standards for themselves and implement those for the customers.”

The policy is clearly paying off as the café is always busy, with regulars often spending a few hours in the venue during an afternoon. Lemer is adamant he would not feel threatened by Starbucks.

“Most people go there because of the free internet.

I don’t think the quality of their coffee is particularly good.

Customers are discerning enough, and it’s not a unique place.

It’s the fast food of coffee.”

Fast food fans!

PHIL TAYLOR

BURGER KING

The Scottish digital marketing consultant says that Burger King, which he usually eats in the UK, offers value for money. “The burgers and buns are bigger than McDonald’s and Quick and the other fillings are fresher.” He has disdain for local burgers. “Last time I tried one the chef tried to be clever by making them so thick that they were impossible to bite into. Needing a knife and fork to eat a burger in a bun kind of defeats the object.”

GRACE CHOE

STARBUCKS

The American teacher likes Starbucks for its convenience and because she can get a coffee personalised to her liking. “I find it impossible to get an iced-cafe latte to my liking in Luxembourg. The kind you get here is sort of watery and not icy enough.” Free wi-fi and friendly staff are also a plus. Grace says she would drink Starbucks Monday to Friday if one opened in Luxembourg, though she currently frequents places like Knopes, Konrad, Oberweis and Interview for different reasons.

SOPHIE MELAI

DUNKIN’ DONUTS

The French graphic designer (and Delano staffer) is a fit dance fanatic who indulges in Dunkin’ Donuts whenever she travels to New York City. “It’s a sort of reward when on holiday,” she says. “I love being able to eat something fattening and sugary that I don’t usually eat. Plus, it is convenient and open almost 24 hours. I don’t eat this sort of thing normally, and I don’t have the opportunity to do so.”

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63

LIFESTYLE

ON STAGE

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

MORE EVENTS:

14 shows you must see

WWW.DELANO.LU

PASCAL SCHUMACHER Not only big in Japan, where he has just performed a four date pre-release tour, Luxembourg vibraphonist Pascal Schumacher has been busy in the studio over the past year and is preparing to launch a new album and major European tour. He performs Left Tokyo Right at the Philharmonie alongside a number of highly talented guest artists from the world of jazz.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 24 March Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu April 2015

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT Critically acclaimed FrenchAmerican jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant performed with her quartet at last year’s Wiltz Festival, and wowed the local audience with her vocal range and superbly clear diction, as well as her natural stage presence and charm. She is joined on stage by brilliant pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Rodney Green.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 19 March Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

CHŒUR DE CHAMBRE The recently formed Chœur de Chambre de Luxembourg performs two major works by Mozart alongside the Orchestre Résonances from Sarre-Lorraine.

Antonio Grosu conducts a programme featuring the Requiem Mass in D Minor and Symphony No. 25. Soloists for the Requiem are France Edmond, soprano, Manou Walesch, alto, Alexandru Popescu, tenor, and Jean-Marie Kieffer, bass.

Where: Conservatoire, Luxembourg-Merl When: 22 March Tickets: www.ccl.lu

UNDERWORLD A special live performance of debut album dubnobasswithmyheadman sees the pioneering electro duo of Rick Smith and Karl Hyde return to den Atelier some 10 years after their first show in Luxembourg.

The album was hugely influential upon its release in 1994 and remains a landmark record, with many hailing it as the moment that club culture finally came of age.

Where: den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare When: 23 March Tickets: www.atelier.lu

CLOUD GATE DANCE THEATRE Acclaimed Taiwanese company Cloud Gate Dance Theatre brings its latest show to the Grand Théâtre. In Water Stains on the Wall choreographer and founder Lin Hwai-min has created a production with a difference--the stage is titled at an eight-degree inclination.

The music is by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa.

Where: Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg When: 27 & 28 March Tickets: www.theatres.lu

JESSICA PRATT It is easy to see why California singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt has become a darling of music critics.

Her delicate and intimate music seems timeless and authentic.

New album On Your Own Love Again is more expansive than her early work, and features what Sarah Greene of Exclaim calls “somberly playful songs.”

Pratt is on her way to cult stardom; catch her while you can.

Where: Exit07, Luxembourg-Hollerich When: 2 April Tickets: www.rotondes.lu

STANLEY CLARKE Few contemporaries can rival Stanley Clarke as the king of jazz bass. Perhaps only Marcus Miller (who plays Rockhal on 20 April) comes close. Clarke has released a string of classic solo albums and also worked with a slew of great artists. He plays the Printemps Musical festival as part of the tour for latest album UP, a collection of positive, ­ f­­­eel-good and funky songs.

Where: den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare When: 11 April Tickets: www.atelier.lu

Mark Savage > Ilan Weiss > Thomas Ammerpohl > Colby Droscher > Steven Parke

singers, of the year, cool female The first music festival , one of America’s most underrated an album retrospective nce and surreal stand-up are bands, amazing Asian da. all on the bill this month

Flavien Prioreau > Marco Borggreve > Simon Pauly > Chris Strong

IBEYI Already one of the most talkedabout acts of 2015, Ibeyi are twin sisters Lisa and Naomi Díaz.

The daughters of the late Cuban percussionist Angá Díaz (from Buena Vista Social Club), they sing in English and Yoruba. The sisters are only 20 years old, but their haunting, minimalist compositions and fashion model looks have catapulted them to cult status.

Where: Rockhal, Esch-Belval When: 11 April Tickets: www.rockhal.lu

CONCERTGEBOUW The Dutch orchestra is one of the most renowned on the circuit.

Under the baton of Iván Fischer (photo) it plays the entire repertoire of nine Beethoven symphonies in chronological order. Two symphonies will be performed each evening, though the opening night also features the 5th. The Netherlands Radio Choir joins the orchestra to perform the 9th Symphony on the final night.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 13-16 April Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC Grammy award-winning American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato (photo) joins the New York Philharmonic for a performance of Maurice Ravel’s Shéhérazade song cycle. Based on poems

by Tristan Klingsor, the cycle was written in 1903. Also on the programme are Ravel’s Noble and Sentimental Waltzes and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E Minor. Alan Gilbert conducts.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 23 April Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

CALEXICO One of the most underrated bands to emerge from the United States in the last two decades, Calexico has at its core the duo of former Giant Sand members Joey Burns and John Convertino.

The band delves deep into the legacy of music from the borderlands and beyond, while retaining an indie rock element.

New album Edge Of The Sun is out just days before this gig.

Where: den Atelier When: 25 April Tickets: www.atelier.lu

JOEY PAGE Young British stand up comedian Joey Page is the guest performer at Konrad Comedy Club in April.

Page’s “spaced out magical humour” (Three Weeks) is slightly surreal and defiantly irreverent, and is made even more disarming by his natural charm, brilliant imagination and warm connection with the audience. Noel Fielding is a fan, which tells you all you need to know.

Where: Konrad Café, Luxembourg-Centre When: 15 & 16 April Tickets: www.comedy.lu

SHARON VAN ETTEN New Jersey musician Sharon van Etten creates beautifully elegant, classically structured songs about life, love and loss.

Her voice is exquisite, with a dreamy quality that conveys emotional fragility. Pitchfork says last year’s acclaimed Are We There album is an “ode to realizing that we’re never done moving forward.” Expect a show packed with gorgeous melodies.

Where: Rockhal, Esch-Belval When: 18 April Tickets: www.rockhal.lu

OUT OF THE CROWD Luxembourg’s premier indie festival features a promising line-up of established international acts, aspiring newcomers and local bands. Now in its 12th year, the fest is the brainchild of the Schalltot Collective and has the support of Exit07. Among the highlights are UK post-rock performers Nordic Giants, US math rock trio Russian Circles (photo), Irish band All Tvvins, Finnish psychedelic rockers K-X-P and local bands Cyclorama and Un Arbre, Une Rue. The festival also hosts an art exhibition.

Where: Kulturfabrik, Esch-sur-Alzette When: 25 April Tickets: www.ootcfestival.com April 2015

64

LIFESTYLE

KIDS

Text by WENDY WINN

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

e l b a t t e g r o f n u e Meet th … ” t a C e h t r o g I “ ! r o t a e r c s i h d n a MEET PEOPLE OF CHARACTERS You can always meet great characters in a book, but where can you meet the authors? At the Book and Cultural fair! Held as part of the Migration Festival.

Free entry.

When: 13-15 March Where: LuxExpo, Luxembourg-Kirchberg Info: www.clae.lu

A COZY CORNER Le Coin de Lecture is a place to hear and share stories in different languages and to help foster a lifelong love of reading.

Info: www.iletaitunefois.lu

I

n her very first story, local writer Mara Montebrusco-Gaspari wrote about a girl like herself--then age 8-who was whisked away by aliens and returned to planet Earth at the age of 50. Which is kind of fitting.

She continued to write stories and poems and especially songs as a girl and young woman, but was whisked away from her passion by the responsibilities of adulthood for a long time. A couple of decades later, she returned to her natural habitat--that of being the writer she was always meant to be.

It wasn’t a spaceship that returned her; it was stress and insomnia that she ended up putting to a good April 2015

use. “I couldn’t sleep, so I got up in the night and wrote Igor,” she says.

Like in her first story, she wrote about a young girl she knew very well who went on an amazing adventure. But this time the main character wasn’t based on herself, but on her daughter Sarah.

It’s a charming tale packed with evil muskrats, wise cats, low-life thugs, brave children and worried parents, and it all takes place locally, sprinkled with fascinating facts about Luxembourg, Echternach and the mystery of cats’ multiple lives.

It’s also sprinkled with big words--at least big for 10 year olds. “I want children to learn, I don’t want to talk

down to them. By sometimes coming across words they don’t know, they learn them from the context, they grow.” Mara’s books--and there are more now than Igor--have heart as well as large vocabularies. “It was important to me to give them something good, a feeling they could take with them after they put the book down.”

Published in Luxembourgish, French and German, Igor the Cat will soon be available in English and may be made into an animated film.

Come meet Igor, Mara and her other books at the Book and Cultural fair (see box).

Info: sites.google.com/site/igorlechat

HEAR “HORRIBLE HISTORIES” That popular series is just part of the collection of audiobooks you can borrow from the municipal library!

Fancy a Vile Victorian?

Info: www.bimu.lu

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE • Live 22 July, 8 pm at Utopolis Belval

Royal Shakespeare T heat re Auditor iu m . P hotog raph by Peter Cook .

In the melting pot of Venice, trade is God. With its ships plying the globe, the city opens its arms to all, as long as they come prepared to do business and there is profit to be made.

OTHELLO • Live 26 August, 8 pm at Utopolis Belval

Entrance Normal 20€ • Reduced 15€

In collaboration with

Subjec t to c hange

Othello is the greatest general of his age. A fearsome warrior, loving husband and revered defender of Venice against its enemies.

Performed in English For further information, please visit our website www.utopolis.lu

150302_Delano_RSC.indd 1

3/3/15 11:06 AM

MUDAM LU XEMB O URG 07. 03.2015 – 31.05.2015

DAVID ALTMEJD FLUX

View of the exhibition, Mudam Luxembourg © David Altmejd. Photo: Rémi Villaggi Exhibition organised in collaboration with: Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal In partnership with: Embassy of Canada in Luxembourg

2015_03_Altmejd_Delano.indd 1

2/19/15 4:20 PM

66

LIFESTYLE

Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

Let’s do brunch

MY FAVOURITES

import It seems one American the in lar pu po is increasingly Delano Grand Duchy: brunch. SoAmerican the of ers asked three memb ourg Women’s Club of Luxembm) for their co rg. (w ww.awcluxembou ots: Floridian favourite local brunch spmoved from o wh r Katie Nail, a write two years ago; Glasgow to Luxembourgfull time mother a ss, Meredith Davis Mo geles to London who moved from Los Ann to Luxembourg the d eight years ago an sey native a year ago; and New Jertment consultant. rui rec Teresa Shourie, a recommendations They share more brunch ch2015. un /br at ww w.delano .lu

BOUNEWEGER STUFF The funky bar in Bonnevoie, frequented by everyone from hipsters to neighbourhood locals, is top of the list for Katie, who wrote about brunch spots last year for the YourLivingCity website. Several different brunch menus are served, including an “English breakfast” and vegetarian option. Almost everything is made with seasonal organic produce. “The service is not amazing but the food is really good,” she tells Delano. In her article she warns: “Be prepared to wait for your food as the kitchen sometimes finds it hard to keep up. Also book ahead. The restaurant is small and seats are in demand.”

Info: www.bounewegerstuff.lu April 2015

BOOS K’FÉ

“Brunch options, crazy enough, are in my opinion so much better here than in London,” says Meredith. But this Bridel spot stands out because it “doesn’t feel like anything else” in Luxembourg. “It feels almost like a château après ski type place.” In summer it’s converted into a “beach club” with sand. The Sunday buffet is “a little bit pricey, €40 per adult, but you can get anything you want” and it serves “really good food”. Parents should note: “It’s a great place for kids… it is nice when people don’t go ‘oh god’ when you walk in with kids.

It makes you feel a little more comfortable.”

Info: www.facebook.com/boos.kfe.lu

MAHO RIVE DROITE Although the menu is French-fusion and not traditional brunch, Teresa recommends heading to the right bank of the Alzette in Clausen. “The decoration and atmosphere are really beautiful” at Marc and Max Hobscheit’s Maho Rive Droite, which occupies the former Les Jardins du Président hotel site. Overall “the service is fabulous and the food is great.” When the weather gets warmer she strongly suggets getting a table “outside on the patio… they can accommodate a large group and when it gets cold they bring blankets.” Teresa is part of a ladies luncheon group that dines at a new spot each month (search for “Dishing Divas” on Facebook) and says that so far Maho remains the top pick. However, the restaurant is closed on Sundays.

Info: www.maho.lu

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