Delano October 2015

LUXEMBOURG IN ENGLISH

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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.com Founder and CEO Mike Koedinger Administrative and financial director Étienne Velasti Innovation, quality and operations director Rudy Lafontaine

EDITORIAL

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

IT’S BEEN A HELL OF A SUMMER

DESIGN Phone (+352) 20 70 70-200 Fax (+352) 27 62 12 62-84 E-mail studio@maisonmoderne.com Director, Maison Moderne Studio Guido Kröger Creative director Jeremy Leslie Art director Cassandre Bourtembourg Studio manager Stéphanie Poras Layout Sophie Melai (coordination), Bernard Gissinger, Jan Hanrion ADVERTISING Phone (+352) 20 70 70-300 Fax (+352) 26 29 66 20 E-mail regie@maisonmoderne.com Director, Maison Moderne Advertising Sales Francis Gasparotto (francis.gasparotto@maisonmoderne.com) Sales director Luciana Restivo (luciana.restivo@maisonmoderne.com) Account manager Aysel Boschian (aysel.boschian@maisonmoderne.com) 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

Mike Zenari shot Kendra Horsburgh at Rotondes in Bonnevoie.

NOTE TO OUR READERS

The next print edition of Delano will be published on 13 November. For updates, commentary and our weekly what’s on guide, visit www.delano.lu.

G

lancing through the snapshots of social events on pages 10 to 13 of this edition, it is difficult not to feel a sense of nostalgia for what was a beautiful summer. But for the thousands of refugees risking their lives to get to western Europe, it has been a hell of a summer. That those few who have made it to Luxembourg have been welcomed with kindness and generosity by ordinary people, says much about the spirit of the Grand Duchy. And yet, there are those who would not have them here. Those who fear Luxembourg, and western Europe, will be overrun by these “strangers”. Those who believe the refugees are nothing more than economic migrants eager to get easy handouts. These sceptics say that the government has done a U-turn on its austerity policy, and they question where the state funds are coming from to pay for food, clothes and shelter and even, heavens above, education for the refugees and their children.

Well, Luxembourg has a rich tradition of helping those in need. For years it has been among the most generous in giving development aid. So why should it stop now? The cost of welcoming a couple of hundred genuine refugees is a drop in the ocean. Luckily, people like family minister Corinne Cahen and Djuna Bernard of the Refugees Welcome to Luxembourg initiative are not alone in wanting to

help these unfortunates fleeing war in Syria and the increasingly stretched refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan.

But what happens next? What if the refugees end up stuck in a legal and administrative limbo here in Luxembourg--unable to return home until the terrible conflict is ended, however that might happen, yet not granted full refugee status? Well, they better hope they don’t end up begging on the street or they will have the wrath of controversial lawyer Gaston Vogel to deal with. Before the refugee crisis, Vogel hogged the headlines for a couple of weeks--as he is wont to do--by attacking city council policy on dealing with beggars. But his points about organised begging and lewd, if not downright disgusting, drunken behaviour in full public view sparked a healthy debate on the issue that, like the discussion surrounding the refugee crisis, has yet to be resolved. It has been all hands on deck for the government, which is also handling the Greek debt crisis and the build up to the Paris climate change talks as Luxembourg holds the European Council presidency.

Summertime does not necessarily mean the living is easy.

REFUGEES Risk their lives to reach western Europe.

October 2015

Médecins sans frontières

PUBLISHER Phone (+352) 20 70 70 Fax (+352) 29 66 19 E-mail publishing@maisonmoderne.com Publisher Mike Koedinger Editor in chief Duncan Roberts (duncan.roberts@maisonmoderne.com) Desk editor Aaron Grunwald (aaron.grunwald@maisonmoderne.com) Contributors Wendy Casey, Neel Chrillesen, Stephen Evans, Natalie A. Gerhardstein, Andreína Guenni Bravo, Marina Lai, Sarah Pitt, Alix Rassel, Tonya Stoneman, Wendy Winn Photography Julien Becker, Sven Becker, Steve Eastwood, Jan Hanrion, Lala La Photo, Mike Zenari Proofreading Pauline Berg, Muriel Dietsch, Sarah Lambolez, Cynthia Schreiber

Cook with them.

Not for them.

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DELANO ADVERTORIAL

L’ENFANT ROI TO EXPAND TO CLOCHE D’OR L’Enfant Roi plans on opening its new site in June 2016 to meet growing demands in Cloche d’Or. We speak with Dominique Godard about the values of the L’Enfant Roi crèches and the Montessori pedagogy.

Congratulations on the upcoming new site. What prompted the decision to open the new crèche in Cloche d’Or? We opened our first crèche, L’Enfant Roi Am Piesch [in Strassen], in 2004, followed by the L’Enfant Roi Atrium [in Bertrange] in 2010, Findel in 2011 and Kirchberg in 2012. In October 2014, we opened our Europe crèche [located on Avenue John F. Kennedy] which is really our flagship crèche, as it’s the biggest, most luxurious and most accomplished. As our pedagogy demands a very special infrastructure, we do a lot of background work to get there.

The Cloche d’Or zone is growing rapidly, especially among frontaliers. All our other crèches are full; we have been overwhelmed by the demand. We are cofounders of the FELSEA [Fédération Luxembourgeoise des Services d’Éducation et d’Accueil pour Enfants], so we meet often with the ministry and partners to remain current on events. We know, for example, that frontaliers will also have access to the Chèque-Service, anticipated to go into effect by latest 2018.

Some readers may not be familiar with the Montessori pedagogy.

Could you expand on how it is applied at your crèches? And is this part of the idea behind the name “L’Enfant Roi”?

My first private crèche in Luxembourg dates back to 1992, although it wasn’t called L’Enfant Roi. My colleague at the time and I worked together for 12 years but eventually parted ways based on different pedagogical ideologies--I wanted to put in place the Montessori pedagogy.

Since it’s a pedagogy that demands an

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A. Ms. Godard’s vision: “applying a different educational method in line with each personality and rhythm.”

B. & C. The pedagogy at the L’Enfant Roi crèches encourages the use of multiple senses for learning.

D. The new crèche at Cloche d’Or will have spacious and bright rooms.

E. The crèches encourage self-sufficiency suited to each child’s psychological and physical needs

enormous amount of compliance on the part of those involved, you really have to be convinced of this pedagogy--which I am, of course.

So I opened the first francophone Montessori crèche in the Grand Duchy in 2004. At the time, there weren’t others who used the pedagogy except Sunflower Montessori. There are some other crèches that claim to use the Montessori method “a little”--which irritates me greatly: either you apply the pedagogy, or you don’t. Personnel have to be trained in this specialized pedagogy which involves not only the

material--which can be learned--but also the true spirit behind the Montessori pedagogy, meaning the scientific and philosophical dimensions, which aren’t as easy to obtain. There are now 135 people working with us, and my daughter is a Montessori trainer and educator who works closely with our staff to learn how to comply to the Montessori pedagogy.

The name “L’Enfant Roi” implies a certain liberty--children being provided a free space within which they can evolve without constraints--but within a specific framework. Autonomy is a large part of the methodology. We work a lot on the

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topic of respect, and observers remark how calm the children are. The adults around them have to be calm as well.

You have a highly qualified team, including an onsite nutritionist and psychologist. How do these and other services provide added-value at your crèches?

We are highly specialized in nutrition, which is important to me. We recognize that many parents work a lot; some children spend most of the day with us, so it is important they are well-nourished. We only use fresh products, nothing fried or manufactured. We pay close attention

to the use of salt and sugar. Contrary to what many think, children do indeed need some sugar. Their dietary needs are different than those of adults. We use olive oil or fresh butter in moderation because some fat in the diet is also important. We work closely with a nutritionist, who also happens to be a mother.

We have many families who are here without their extended families, and they sometimes need reassurance, especially with their first child. Our staff is there to help answer even the slightest question parents may have. Delphine [Ehrhardt], our staff psychologist, is available if there is ever any problem or to provide parents with feedback. There are also many educational and cultural differences among those coming from northern or southern Europe, and we try to provide a microcosm in which everyone understands and respects each other. Parents need to understand new rhythms. To be honest, there is a period of adaptation--not only for children, but also for parents. If parents don’t adhere to our pedagogy, the relationship simply won’t work. Delphine often helps reassure parents, and the fact that we keep individual files for each child provides an important added-value.

E

In a multilingual country such as Luxembourg, there are often linguistic concerns, especially for children who may not have been born here. How are such differences addressed at your crèches?

At our Kirchberg, Findel and Europe crèches, the main language is French, but there is an introduction to German and English. At the Atrium and Am Piesch, French is also the first language, then German and Luxembourgish. At crèche, literacy occurs in French and German and starting at primary crèche it is also done in English. We don’t give language courses; students have a francophone or German-speaking teacher who speaks in her native tongue. Montessori refers to a sensitive period in early childhood where a child learns a concept naturally, without intellectual difficulty, in the way a sponge absorbs water. Afterwards, it isn’t impossible to learn but it can be more difficult. Children pick up not only correct syntax, grammar and accents, but also what is incorrect. We don’t want this, which is why teachers at our crèches speak in their native languages--and this works very well. By the age of six, our children speak three languages in a vocabulary corresponding to their age.

Italian doctor and teacher Maria Montessori devised the pedagogy based on scientific observation. It acknowledges that children are individuals in their own right; they are encouraged to choose the content and frequency of their activities within a framework.

In Montessori’s words “The great social mission to provide the child with justice, harmony and love remains to be achieved.

This important task comes down to education. This is the only way to build a new world and build peace.”

Maria Montessori How to register As spaces fill quickly, interested parents should set up an informational visit, which generally lasts about an hour, as soon as possible.

Registration can also be done via the website or by calling (+352) 27 32 25-1.

October 2015

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CONTENTS

DELANO OCTOBER 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS 10

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SNAPSHOTS Summer happenings

See what the Bridge Forum, Geek Girls, Make-a-Wish, University of Luxembourg and others got up to during the warmer weather.

BUSINESS 36

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UPFRONT Catching up with…

Fabio Morvilli, the head of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

DELANO DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTS LIFESTYLE 70

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UPFRONT Perfect weekend for…

A good book, an exhibition and a space trip are ideal for darker days.

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UPFRONT Carte blanche

Online learning is here to stay, writes Isabel Page.

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JOURNAL Dispatches from Delano writers

Welcoming refugees, traveling with bitcoins, engraving a royal stamp, not afraid of wolves, “The Rise of Luxembourg” and who’s Corinne Cahen?

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COVER STORY All grown up

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SNAPSHOTS A pure export market

What new PwC chief John Parkhouse told the British Chamber of Commerce about Luxembourg’s financial future.

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SNAPSHOTS Woofers on parade

Delano’s gone to the dogs. But these well bred pups are incredibly well behaved.

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WINE & SPIRITS Cheers for Luxembourg

BANKING The future of bank branches

We may not get much cash from their counters these days but don’t expect your high street bank branch to disappear any time soon.

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Delano’s guide to finding and enjoying the good stuff, be it crémant from the Moselle to the best Italian vintages.

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EDUCATION Gender gap

PATERNITY LEAVE How does Luxembourg stack up? www.delano.lu/news/where-fathersreceive-most-paternity-leave

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GETTING INVOLVED Chase these bankers

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP It’s a family affair

The RBC Race for the Kids will raise money for a Luxembourg Red Cross children’s centre.

The Grand Duchy is famously home to a large international community and plenty of “mixed” couples. So how do their “third culture kids” feel when they become adults?

Do they identify with Luxembourg or their parents’ culture? And who says they have an accent?

STUDY SURPRISE How do expats like their doctors? www.delano.lu/news/expatssatisfied-their-doctor-study

Family owned small and medium sized firms face specific management challenges, but at least financing is become easier to come by in Luxembourg.

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NATURE Invite birds to your place

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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS It’s all about the package

WORLD JAMBOREE Scouts headed to Japan www.delano.lu/news/ luxembourgers-join-worldscout-gathering HAVE A COMMENT? Delano is always looking for reader feedback and guest contributors: news@delano.lu

Turn your outdoor space into a private sanctuary for our fine feathered friends.

Why are boys falling behind in primary and secondary school?

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IN FOCUS Claude Meisch

What perks are popular incentives these days? And what do you need to know to stay on the right side of the tax man?

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MY OTHER LIFE Leaps of faith A candid moment with the education minister.

Policeman Nicolas Wachs talks about his intense sport and the dangers that are never far away.

MY FAVOURITES Get into the spirit

Members of the American Women’s and British Ladies clubs have some hallowed ideas for you.

The print edition of Delano is available at Little Britain in Capellen.

More locations listed at: www.delano.lu/WhereToFindDelano

Dr. Farouk/CC Scott Sherrill-Mix/CC Nicolas Wurth/FNEL Jessica Theis

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

SNAPSHOTS

Photography by STEVE EASTWOOD and LALA LA PHOTO

SUMMER HAPPENINGS

BACK TO SCHOOL: WWW.DELANO.LU/ UNIBELVALFIRSTDAY

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ince our last print edition, Luxembourg’s international community took advantage of the warmer weather to celebrate, network and raise money for worthy causes.

Here are just a few of the highlights.

Check the link listed in each bubble for the full story and lots more photos.

Reported by Andreína Guenni Bravo, Wendy Casey, Marina Lam, Alix Rassel, Tonya Stoneman and Wendy Winn.

versity

BELVAL CAMPUS DEBUT Staff and students started the academic year at the University of Luxembourg’s new site in Belval.

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A. The first day of class B. Jessica Junker, Tom Friederes, Victor Rasqué and Alex Wolter C. Lisa and Kathrin D. Professor Rainer Klump speaking to the student assembly E. Melly and Suzanne F. Jacques Neyens, William Antoine, Luca Gomes and Breeze Van Eck

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NETWORKING MADE EASY Women’s professional group The Network hosted its annual summer get-together.

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A. Cassandra Francis and Lisa Francis-Jennings B. Jane-Anne Frankel and Dot Bekker C. Christine Impens and Genna Elvin

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WWW.DELANO.LU/ THENETWORKSUMMER2015

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MILK CARTONS AND MORE:

WWW.DELANO.LU/ GEEKGIRLS1ST

TECH TALK IT club Geek Girls Carrots Luxembourg marked its first anniversary with a unique presentation.

A. Marina Stephanova, Lyna Boyle and Kliment Gospodinov B. Lukasz Wojtukiewicz and Casha Switalska C. Steve Clement D. Georges Kesseler and Joana Luciu E. Chris Pinchen, Patrick, and Louise Mitchell F . Why is Lucia Mazzucato holding a milk carton?

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DEBATE DETAILS:

WWW.DELANO.LU/ BRIDGEBREXITTALK15 E

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BRITISH EXIT TALK The Bridge Forum Dialogue conference entitled “Brexit: what would this mean for Britain and Europe?”

A. Princess Sibilla speaking with Milan Martin Cvikl B. Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Valter Mavrič C. Mireille Back and Domenico Di Giulio D. Paulina Derylo, Bertalan Gaal and Miora Stroe E. Sir Julian Priestley, Martin Bailey and Tom Cranfield

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SNAPSHOTS

CONTINUED

FUN FAIR FANS:

WWW.DELANO.LU/ SCHUEBERFOUER2015

SCHUEBERFOUER TURNS 675!

The Grand Duchy’s end of summer tradition is stronger than ever.

A. Luxembourg City mayor Lydie Polfer gives ‘er a spin B. Richard, Asha-Lee and Xyon C. Monja and Laurent sampling Gromperekichelcher D. Beverly enjoys a snack E. Yvette

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GET INTO GEAR: WWW.DELANO.LU/ HOTWHEELS15

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CLASSIC RIDES The 3rd “Concours d’élégance” was a key fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Luxembourg.

A. Charles Tartaruga and Anthony Bossone B. Andrew Edmondston-Low and Sarah Haunert C. Noémie, JeanMarc, Diane and Yannick Welter

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GET THE BLUES:

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FEELIN’ DOWN The annual Blues’n Jazz Rallye brings a bit of Mardi Gras atmosphere to the capital.

A. Matthew and Judith Long B. Bettina and Luc Vanetti C. Jo and Terry Farrelly D. Max Murphy, Sanni Yerna, Andrea Murphy, Natasha Liati-Jones and André Gerrard E. Anne Czichowsky Quintett playing on the Ladies of Jazz stage

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BURN, BABY BURN The Luxembourg branch of expat networking club InterNations, which just turned 8, hosted its first ever “Friday Night Fever” party.

A. Catherine, Yana, Agina and Olea B. InterNations Luxembourg organiser Mirco and Caglar C. François and Laurence

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FIND FRIENDS:

WWW.DELANO.LU/ INFRIDAYNIGHTFEVER

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UPFRONT

CURRENT AFFAIRS "NO COUNTRY IN EUROPE CLIMATE CHANGE Francis received Carole Dieschbourg, the environment IS ABLE TO FACE THE CRISIS Pope minister, at the Vatican last month, during preparatory talks autumn’s UN climate change conference in Paris, ALONE AND THE SOLUTION forwherethisDieschbourg will be one of the lead EU representatives.

In June the pope issued an encyclical (a papal memo) saying MUST BE EUROPEAN." humanity risked “serious consequences” if climate change is Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, in response to the visit by MEP Florian Philippot of France’s populist National Front party, to Schengen “to lay a wreath, he claimed, to the memory of free movement and to celebrate the return of national borders within the European Union.” Philippot visited the Luxembourg town, which for many symbolises EU unity, after Germany and Austria, among other countries, imposed emergency border controls in the face of the EU migrant crisis.

not tackled.

WORKING TIME

The European Court of Justice in Kirchberg ruled that the working hours of mobile staff who are permanently based out of their home begins when they leave their home and ends only when they return. The court, ruling against the alarm company Tyco in Spain, also said travelling time between clients was not a “rest period”.

Police psychologist

New recruits

Inspector general

Jennifer Heuschling (pictured being sworn in by the interior minister, Étienne Schneider) was named psychologist for the Police grand-ducale. She joins the service that conducts recruitment screening, ongoing monitoring and provides support following trauma.

Étienne Schneider said the police force would recruit 106 new officers this year instead of the previously planned 80.

If they successfully pass their training, the recruits will be named police inspectors. 240 additional officers will be recruited through 2018.

Monique Stirn, a former judge and investigating magistrate (pictured, second from right, with the justice minister Félix Braz on the far left), was sworn in as the inspector general of the police. She took over from Marc Zovilé, a career police officer.

MECO1 Tilemahos Efthimiadis/CC1 MSI1 European Council Osservatore Romano

POLICE REINFORCEMENTS

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ASYLUM SEEKERS

SIP/Charles Caratini Lala La Photo

A majority of EU countries accepted a plan brokered by Luxembourg’s foreign minister on 22 September for a “reallocation” of 120,000 asylum seekers within the union. Luxembourg will take in 181 refugees currently located in Greece and 56 in Italy.

(Germany will accept more than 14,000 from those two countries.)

Short term beds are available for roughly 1,000 more.

On 8 September Luxembourg received 50 asylum seekers (pictured). The Grand Duchy already recorded 838 applications between January and August.

Around a third of those came from regions enmeshed in civil strife, such as Syria and Iraq. More than half hailed from countries that are currently considered safe by the EU, like Kosovo and Albania.

CARTE BLANCHE

MOOCS MEAN BUSINESS Online learning is here to stay, writes Isabel Page.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s massive open online course (MOOC) “U.Lab: Transforming Business, Society and Self ” kicked off its introductory week on 10 September. With over 25,000 participants from 192 countries, including Luxembourg, U.Lab is the fourth most popular course on the edX platform. U.Lab brings together change makers to co-sense and co-shape the emerging future, transforming 21st century leadership. MOOCs mean business, but are they disruptive?

Distance learning’s roots were grounded in industrial revolution correspondence courses and grew to multimedia notably through the Open University, UK. Our internet century bears the fruit of computer-mediated web based community learning platforms such as edX, founded by MIT and Harvard and used by over thirty world universities.

Heavily criticised for educational elitism, in 2008 MOOCs appeared, developed by these richly endowed universities and offering the finest global teaching and research, for free. Anyone with access to the internet may now develop professional skills as a right. MIT’s U.Lab brings fast intergenerational and intercultural learning to world governments (particularly US, UK, Africa and India), corporations such as Google and Twitter, and entrepreneurs. How is this playing out in Luxembourg?

Since 2012 I have been travelling to MIT to work with the U.Lab developer C. Otto Scharmer from Sloan School of Management, and lecturing on Theory U, the heart of the course, for the Certificate in Sustainability and Social Innovation at the University of Luxembourg. The blueprint for this groundbreaking interdisciplinary course for students and professionals, developed by Ariane König, is being sought by universities around the world. Hosted as an antenna event of the certificate programme, the new MOOC’s online content is

complemented by weekly face-to-face and bi-weekly live sessions from MIT Boston. This hybrid model mitigates the high MOOC dropout rate of over 80%.

Most Luxembourg companies are investing less in people, and changes in employment mean changes in our society. Entrepreneurial activity is increasing through co-working spaces. Many employees and entrepreneurs need development rarely available locally: bite-sized, skip-aheadif-I-know-this, flexible learning. MOOCs are one response, providing innovative high-quality, low-cost or free content. Participants are mainly professionals with university degrees in rapidly changing fields who claim MOOCs increase the rate of innovation in industries, the basis for increasing economic productivity. Indeed, Luxembourg U.Lab participants are highly representative, working in financial investment, virtual currencies, banking, accounting, corporate governance, consulting and executive coaching, the social care and voluntary sector.

According to the US National Center for Education Statistics, the global market for online courses is growing: enrolments increased by 92.5% from 2007 to 2011. Online learning is definitely here to stay. For corporates, organisations and institutions, once issues of monetisation are resolved (the average development cost is over $600,000), it is likely that these high-quality brands will be sought for content, with local university partnerships for delivery. A market disrupter? In terms of content and quality, highly likely, in terms of delivery, my prediction is a steady market steal.

Isabel Page is an organisational transformation consultant, executive coach and associate lecturer at the University of Luxembourg. www.presencing.com October 2015

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The future is one click away Digital disruption is both uniquely exciting and daunting to leaders in every sector and industry. Those that thrive are typically the ones that embrace change to the fullest.

With its global network of specialists, Deloitte advises you on strategies to take advantage of an integrated approach窶馬ow for tomorrow. www.anywealth.lu

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THE JOURNAL

A FACE FOR LUXEMBOURG’S WELCOME TO REFUGEES Over the late summer Djuna Bernard launched a Facebook page welcoming refugees to Luxembourg. It was a huge success.

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t was an operation to have her tonsils removed that was the unlikely catalyst for Djuna Bernard to launch the Refugees Welcome to Luxembourg initiative.

“I was unable to talk for a week, which is difficult for me, and sitting in bed I read an article in [German news weekly]

Der Spiegel about students in Germany helping refugees,” she explains. Although the situation is different in Luxembourg, where institutional services take care of essential needs, Djuna thought that what ordinary people could offer was their time and support to give the refugees back some quality of life.

“I decided that’s something I can commit to, it is one of my strengths. I have always been a volunteer, in scouting, in politics, as vice-president of the national youth council.”

It was the last week of August, and in Luxembourg not many were paying attention to the refugee crisis that had started to make headlines in Germany and Austria. Djuna, who has just started her masters in non-profit management at Heidelberg, contacted a social worker friend at government integration office OLAI, to see how she might help. “She said, if you motivate some other young people it would be great to organise some activities for the children.” Djuna soon October 2015

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created the Refugees Welcome to Luxembourg Facebook page. “The first point was to fill the void and inform people about the situation, get them talking. The second was to motivate young people.” Over the space of just one weekend the page had attracted thousands of “likes” and Djuna’s inbox was flooded with messages. When broadcaster RTL contacted her for an interview, she realised the project had taken on another dimension. “If something is on national news on RTL in the morning even those Luxembourgers on holiday hear about it.”

As Delano went to print the Facebook page had 8,705 “likes”.

Djuna had to redefine the project and, with the help of a friend, she has begun the process of creating a non-profit organisation. She had a long talk with family minister Corinne Cahen, whom she already knew through the scouting network and she also contacted the institutions working with refugees--OLAI, ASTI, Caritas and the Red Cross--to coordinate what volunteers should know about the situation and what training they might require. “You can’t have people just going to refugee shelters without any preparation. Or have people turning up with bags of clothes at my house.”

Indeed, the initial response was so surprisingly successful that the challenge now is to coordinate the structured efforts of the institutions with the uncontrolled wave of enthusiasm of individuals willing to help on the back of the media exposure. “We are still in a position where we can point out very specifically how to prepare for the situation that might arise in the next few months, because in Luxembourg it has actually been quite calm so far.”

The non-profit organisation will not only help coordinate the local relief effort, by informing people where they can take what items for donation or how they can give their time, it will also serve as a communications service. “We want to inform the public about who the refugees are and where they come from. We want to avoid any prejudice.” The other challenge is to keep people interested and ready to act with the same fervour

they displayed in early September, to make them understand that volunteers and donations might be needed in November or January.

Reported by DUNCAN ROBERTS

365 DAYS, ONE BIT AT A TIME Felix Weis is trying to make it around the world paying only with the cryptocurrency bitcoin.

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bungee jump and a scuba diving licence. What most of us would pay with cash or a traditional credit card, Luxembourger Felix Weis has paid with the digital currency bitcoin.

Combining his love for travelling and his interest in bitcoin, the freelance computer programmer has travelled the world paying only with bitcoins.

His idea originated in 2013, after he moved to Berlin and discovered a restaurant that has been accepting bitcoins since 2011. Having used bitcoins to pay for beers and burgers in the restaurant, Weis was sceptical at first about this “currency without borders, secured only by strong cryptography.” But he quickly started to appreciate the digital currency and how “easy and fast transactions over the block chain were.”

This changed his view on the first decentralised digital currency for good and he took on the challenge to only pay in bitcoin while travelling the world.

Ever since converting his savings into bitcoins, Weis has visited much of Europe, Turkey, Israel, Ukraine and has just begun the Asian leg of his adventurous journey. In order to try his best, Weis has laid down some rules. No credit cards, pay as often in bitcoin as possible, and small amounts

of local currency are only allowed by trading bitcoins with the people he meets in that particular country.

Wherever he goes and wants to use the digital currency as payment he has to be very convincing, as many people have never heard of bitcoin.

The 28 year old is aware that many people remain sceptical about the currency. Especially those who are not “very-tech savvy” he says, but “the idea of bitcoin is to have a fair, global currency for everyone, not only computer geeks”. So far his success rate is looking good, he was able to buy one item with bitcoin in each country, he told Delano while traveling in Hong Kong and Macau.

This worked particularly well in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, with many restaurants accepting the digital currency. While some people were startled when Weis asked whether he could pay in bitcoin, the best reaction was from a hostel owner in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It took him 5 seconds to react and “he just said ‘yes’”. “We helped him get set up with a bitcoin wallet app on his iPhone and less than 60 seconds later, the payment was settled.” Weis remembers the man’s surprise in how “easy it was to receive the digital money”.

In terms of practicality, Weis says using the electronic currency has one challenge: the language barrier. He explains that bitcoin wants to be the first non-governmental form of money.

The reference software has been translated collectively by community members into 136 languages, but it

Felix Weis

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can be tricky to explain to someone who can only speak basic English what the advantages of bitcoins are.

The digital currency is also accepted in Luxembourg; five places already accept payment in bitcoin.

To find those spots and learn more about the cryptocurrency, check out the “Bitcoin Luxembourg” group on meetup.com. Or go to Weis’s blog: blog.bitcoin-traveler.com

Reported by FRANCE EWAN

REIGN GETS REGAL STAMP To mark the 15th anniversary of the grand duke and duchess’s reign, Post Luxembourg commissioned Norwegian engraver Martin Mörck. If you have ever used stamps, you’ve probably already seen his work.

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ollecting stamps is one of the world’s most popular hobbies, which even Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Lennon and Freddy Mercury gave in to. Those of us who are not hardcore philatelists, though, rarely think about how a stamp is made or who’s behind it. So meet Martin Mörck, one of the rare master engravers left with the necessary expertise to make a hand-engraved stamp. He has created more than 800 stamps for some 15 countries (and a few banknotes too), including the stamp celebrating Grand Duke Henri’s 60th birthday issued earlier this year and the one marking the royal couple’s 15th anniversary on the throne, which came out 22 September.

“We pay particular attention to the stamps featuring members of the grand ducal family,” explains Emile Espen, head of Post Philately. “The stamps mark important events and must be worthy of them. By choosing an artist and engraver with a worldwide reputation like Martin Mörck we can’t go wrong. He knows how to show the

personality of the person he’s portraying in a subtle way.”

Prior to creating the Luxembourg stamps, Mörck--who has met a few kings and queens during his career--spent time with the royal couple, accompanied by photographer Christian Aschman. “We had some very pleasant sessions. The grand duke and duchess were both easy to talk to and asked a lot of questions about what I do,” he says. “It isn’t always easy to capture feelings and thoughts, but with them it was.”

Few people grow up wanting to engrave stamps and Mörck wasn’t one of them. However, his drawing talent bloomed early and naturally, in his

parent’s graphic studio. The Swedish-born Norwegian left high school at 16 and headed for art school until a growing interest for engraving impelled him to write to Swedish Post and ask if someone there could teach him more about it. The apprenticeship got him hooked and he soon took off to work as a freelancer.

Today, Mörck is just as passionate about his work--and he has to be: he spends up to 15 hours a day hunched over a microscope, engraving minuscule dots and lines on a small steel plate till it forms an image. “I wake up at 5:30 and go into in a very contemplative mode. I don’t feel the time pass. Many would probably find it frustrating but I never get tired of it.”

In between stamps, he also finds time to paint (he currently has a solo exhibition in Beijing), do illustrations for magazines and design things like a new medallion for Absolut Vodka and a book for Louis Vuitton.

Only about 10% of the stamps issued in the world today are hand-engraved.

A free spirit, Mörck divides his time between Copenhagen and the tiny Swedish Island of Grötö, when he isn’t working on his boat(wreck) in Norway, or sailing in Greenland, where he spends several months a year. “When I work I keep completely still, so getting outside in the nature is necessary to balance things out.” www.postphilately.lu Reported by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Jon Nordstrøm

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HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF L

ast December a study published in Science found four “large carnivores” were making a comeback in Europe. “Sustainable populations of ” predators including the brown bear, Eurasian lynx and wolverine “persist in one-third of mainland Europe”, reported the paper’s authors. But it is the fourth species, with its heavy cultural baggage, that has the potential to create the biggest stir in the Grand Duchy.

That would be the wolf. Indeed a suspected case of a sheep killed by a wolf took place last month in Saarland about 80km east of Schengen (at press time the results of a DNA test were pending). The last known wolf in Luxembourg was shot in 1893 near Betzdorf, but wolf packs are now reproducing in the Vosges mountains and a solitary wolf lives about 70km south of the Grand Duchy, “about a night’s walk for a wolf ”, according to Laurent Schley, deputy director of Luxembourg’s nature conservation and forestry department.

When I asked why the wolf population in Europe is recovering, Schley answered: “First you have to know why they went extinct”. A century ago, when “rabid wolves bit people and livestock, [they] died because they had no vaccine”. Also back then the food supply depended more on hunting, so wolves were simply seen as a “dangerous” and a competitor for dinner. And they were essentially wiped out.

Things started changing with the passage of Italy’s 1976 protection act (when that country had a wolf population of around 100), followed by the Bern Convention in 1979 and European Habitats Directive in 1992. In 1992 wolves crossed over from Italy into France, says Schley, who earned a doctorate in biology from the University

of Sussex. Since then the total European population has grown to between 12,000 and 18,000, although none apparently yet have settled in the Benelux region.

That is likely to change and “we could expect wolves to show up in Luxembourg” tomorrow or in 10 years’ time. “We don’t know; we’ll see. But as a country we have to be ready.

[Because] when it happens there can be conflict.”

Conflict mainly arises when sheep, for example, are killed. Biologists can take samples of the wounds and DNA in saliva often can identify the culprit.

“Not every sheep is taken by a wolf; quite a few sheep are taken by dogs.”

Schley’s department is setting up a wolf attack compensation programme based on Luxembourg’s existing system for damage caused by protected species. Sceptical the payments will cover their losses, over the summer Convis, a farmers trade group, called for “effective wolf management in Luxembourg” and questioned the animal’s benefit to biodiversity. But

the hunters group FSHCL said it “welcomes this natural return”.

Partly to bridge this gap and partly to educate the public that there are “no wolves looking for children” out there, Schley is holding a series of open seminars on the animal’s return. One in English takes place Monday 9 November, 7:30 p.m., in the Bâtiment des Sciences at the University of Luxembourg’s Limpertsberg campus.

Reported by AARON GRUNWALD

WHAT 200 YEARS CAN TELL US The past two centuries have primed Luxembourgers for future success, a noted historian argues in a new book.

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uthor, historian and professor Émile Haag is probably one of the most knowledgeable people that you will meet in the Grand Duchy.

His latest book The Rise of Luxembourg from Independence to Success (Éditions Saint-Paul, 2015) is the first of its kind to be written in English.

From fun facts about how the Schueberfouer started to the success of Robert

Schuman, the Luxembourger who became the prime minister of France, the book is an encyclopaedia for expats living here. He explains: “You do not have to begin at the beginning, nor do you have to read the whole book. You can open the book on the chapters that you are interested in. At one point you might want to know what happened during the Santer-Juncker era and at another you might want to understand what happened after World War II.” When asked what his motivation behind writing such a book in English was, he bashfully answers that actually

Silviu Chiriac/WolfLife Project

A predator of lore is rebounding, but a public seminar will explain why you don’t have to hide Little Red Riding Hood.

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he could have simply translated the history book, Une réussite originale (A unique success), he has written from French into English, but he felt it was important to be writing the tome directly in English for Anglophones.

“The growing English-speaking communities as well as the Luxembourgish descendants in the US want to know more [about] Luxembourg”. With a strong desire to defend the reputation that Luxembourg is nothing more than a small tax-evading fiscal centre, Haag--who has been a lecturer at Miami University since 1969--has managed to create a history book that makes the reader proud to have anything to do with Luxembourg.

Like many other history books, The Rise of Luxembourg--which is dedicated to his wife Karin--is written in chronological order, but what gives the book its sentiment is Haag’s theory of history. Professor Haag reckons that it is the personalities in history that lead a country to success. He explains that in Luxembourg politics, the successor never breaks the achievements and ideals of the predecessor.

There is an unspoken open-mindedness and respect for the person who was in power before, he says. Haag--formerly the principal of the Athénée de Luxembourg and president of the civil servants union--believes that principal to be at the core of the success of Luxembourg as a country and Luxembourgers as a nation.

When asked about the future of the Grand Duchy he responds earnestly: “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I believe that if we continue to be alert, adjust quickly and foster innovations, we will continue to be a successful nation. There is a Luxembourgish shoe company which uses the slogan, ‘Be always a step ahead’.

If we team this attitude with our asset of open mindedness and social peace, we will adjust and flourish no matter what obstacles we come to face in the future. As the poets and writers in Luxembourgish history used to say, ‘we are proud that we are what we are, we are Luxembourgers’.”

Reported by MARINA LAI

WHO’S WHO? QUICK BIO Born 1973 in Luxembourg City

CORINNE CAHEN

Education Primary school Bonnevoie, secondary school Lycée Athénée University in Strasbourg (specialist translation), Nice (business and commerce) and the Sorbonne in Paris (journalism) Career Journalist with RTL Lëtzebuerg from 1995 to 2006, and with AFP for six months in 2007 Owner, Chaussures Léon 2000 to 2013

"LET US REMEMBER THE SLOGAN… ‘WE ARE ALL CHILDREN OF REFUGEES. FIRST, SECOND, THIRD GENERATION’."

President, Union commerciale de la Ville de Luxembourg (city retailers’ association) from 2008 to 2012 First elected to parliament October 2013.

Mandate as minister for family, integration and the Greater Region since December 2013

The family minister has shown a human touch while she has been centre stage for much of the late summer as Luxembourg and Europe deal with the refugee crisis.

It has been a tough year for Corinne Cahen.

As the minister for family, integration and the Greater Region she had to bear the brunt of the slap in the face that the Luxembourg electorate dished out to the government in May’s referendum vote. Now, she has had to spend the end of the summer dealing with the pressing refugee crisis.

For a minister who only entered the fray of party politics at the last election, Cahen has done well to retain her cool. Many more experienced politicians might have stumbled.

An active user of social media, Cahen faced a barrage of abuse--some of it shockingly

offensive--on Facebook over her reform of family social policy. Even worse was to come when she was promoting the government’s referendum bill to allow non-nationals to vote in parliamentary elections. And then came the refugees. Cahen was on hand to personally greet families from Syria in April, and she has made sure the following arrivals have all been welcomed and given shelter.

Under her stewardship, more accommodation facilities are being erected. She is leading the way in showing that this government has a human touch when it comes to dealing with refugees. DR October 2015

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Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS and SARAH PITT

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

KENDRA HORSBURGH

er, British mother PARENTS: German fath ool Sch rf SCHOOL: Waldo m RESIDENT: United Kingdoependent choreographer, Ind CURRENT POSITION: ce Company co-founder BirdGang Dan

THIRD , S D I K E R CULTU P U N W L O L A GR n that o ti la u p o p l a n o ti a -n n y has a no Luxembourg famousl percent of 3 4 e m o -s la v ri n a c s few European state cant number ifi n g si A . rs e rg u o b m e residents are not Lux bourg and m e x u L in p u w ro g o n wh of expats have childre ategory c , g in w ro g r e v e t u b e strange, find themselves in th when they l e fe s id k se e th o d How of third culture kids. es more with lv se m e th te ia c o ss a y e become adults? Do th Who are ? ts n re a p ir e th f o y ountr Luxembourg or the c ate with others ic n u m m o c y e th o d w their friends, and ho is home re e h W s? e c n a st m u c ir nal c in social or professio ure kids? lt u c d ir th p u n w ro g for these now October 2015

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LOUIS WRIGHT

NOOMI RAPACES ACTRES

French mother PARENTS: British father, (English section) ool Sch an ope Eur L: OO SCH rg er at Kneip RESIDENT: Luxembou Senior relationship manag CURRENT POSITION:

ish en to a Swed Born in Swed anish father, she Sp d an age of 5. mother eland at the moved to Ic e at 15 to attend THIRD She left hom in Stockholm. ol drama scho S ID K E R U T WRO N G L CU ETHING IS LIKE, ‘SOM S .’ SO, A SE W I , EL Y ER D AG E EVERYBO AS A TEEN K W LI I T E ON , O V EN N O H "W IN. I’M E AN D M DON’T FIT TO EXPLOR PPENED.” ED T A N H A WITH ME . I IT W Y I NEW THAT ED, THE WA K T S EC Y P A EX LW N A I ELY U S COMPLET BUT IT WA LK) TA IE V O M (COLLIDER

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P

hilip Crowther jokes that he is turning into his parents--a not uncommon concern for anyone over the age of 45, but a little unusual for a 34year old who is enjoying a blossoming career as a White House correspondent for France 24. But then Crowther is a so-called third culture kid; so unusual is probably in his nature. The son of a British father and German mother, he grew up in Luxembourg--a place that he says “can come across as a little too cushy for those who grow up there with an international outlook.” Yet when asked whether he feels any nostalgia for the Grand Duchy, what he misses and whether he might one day consider moving back to Luxembourg he also admits that it “seems like a great place to have a family.

I’m turning into my parents…”

A third culture kid is defined by experts as: “a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside their parents’ culture.” What effect does this have on their development later as adults, how does it shape their worldview? Philip made the decision to seek his career abroad because that is where the challenges lay. “Trying something new abroad can often lead to a new career and a whole new life abroad,” he says. Dancer Kendra Horsburgh had a similar experience. Having done her first prize at

the city of Luxembourg’s Conservatoire, she realised she would have to go abroad to hone her craft and further her career. She auditioned in Paris, London and Germany--and ended up in London because the offer featured a whole package of musical theatre, singing acting and dancing, and she thought having those skills might open more doors. Now she is an established dancer in London with her own company--BirdGang Dance Company--and she returns to Luxembourg occasionally to work (she has hosted workshops and also presented a solo choreographed piece, The Aviary, at the Monodrama festival in June.

Next year she is helping promote British hip-hop dance via the Sadlers’ Wells Breakin’ Convention at the Grand Théâtre).

LANGUAGE KEY Even though she was born here, Kendra has only just started the process of applying for Luxembourg nationality. She attended the private Waldorf School, which means her application to obtain nationality with exemption from the language test, which is only applicable to those who attended the public school system, was invalid. To make matters even stranger, Kendra’s parents and her brother all have Luxembourg nationality. But she says that nationality is not that important to her. “My education and family made me feel it didn’t matter. When I was speaking to Luxembourg

friends I was ‘the English one’, but back in England with family I was a Luxembourger.

That confused me sometimes.”

Kendra had lots of Luxembourg friends growing up. “That wasn’t a conscious thing.

I grew up in Septfontaines, which is a very Luxembourgish village.” Her parents, both active members of the international community, encouraged Kendra and her brother to learn as many languages as possible.

“I was speaking Luxembourgish with my friends, French when I went into a shop and English when I was at home. It seemed quite natural to switch like that.”

Louis Wright believes that learning Luxembourgish is key to enjoying life here. “As soon as you speak Luxembourgish it changes everything,” says the 50-year-old son of a British father and French mother. He arrived in 1975, when the United Kingdom joined the European Community and his father landed a job as head of audiovisual at the European Parliament. Louis was thrown into the relatively new English-language section of the European School, which at the time was dominated by the French, Germans and Italians. “It was a mixed class of Eurobrats and the children of people working for Namsa or Icelandair.” In his local village of Schrassig, Louis also met local kids, but it wasn’t until he was 16 or 17 and started going to the Interview café--“just the best place”--that he October 2015

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MARGOT PELS

and mother PARENTS: Dutch father tem sys SCHOOL: Luxembourg rg RESIDENT: Luxembou Communications, events CURRENT POSITION: 17 private club use Ho at ting rke ma and

PHILIP CROWTHER

German mother PARENTS: British father, tem sys rg bou SCHOOL: Luxem RESIDENT: United States ite House correspondent for France 24 Wh CURRENT POSITION:

truly began socialising with Luxembourgers.

After three years at university in the UK-during which time he became totally immersed in British culture again--he returned to Luxembourg to work at KBL. That was when his Luxembourgish really picked up and he began to feel integrated. “It was full of old-school Luxembourgers insulting me and saying houeren auslänner [fucking foreigner],” he says with a laugh. On the other hand, Louis deliberately avoided the typical British expat bars. “I tended to mix with lots of nationalities.”

MIXED FRIENDS Indeed, nightlife socialising seems to have played a significant role in the way many third culture kids grew up and found their home in Luxembourg. Civil servant Gabby Bourgeois, who moved to Luxembourg as a pre-school toddler with her Swiss father and American mother, says that it wasn’t until she was a teenager and started going to popular international hangouts that she was introduced to European School and ISL students, many of whom became good friends. “Most of my closer friends are Anglophone, but I still have good Luxembourgish friends from the past and, since working for the state, I have an increasing number of Luxembourgish people in my life again. This development is a direct result

of my new work environment but I have always found that I am able to flit between cultures with ease.”

PR manager Margot Pels says that her friends are also a healthy 50-50 mix of Luxembourgers and non-nationals. “My Luxembourgish friends were mainly those I met at school, while I met international friends at the Hockey Club, the Dutch Association and was friends with people from the European School. When I was younger, it was hard at times to be friends with people on both sides as there were prejudices and a kind of rivalry between the local and international schools.” Philip says that kids at the international schools often appeared to be having more fun, and getting to hang out with more international friends. “But they also always gave me the impression of living an insular life.”

Like Margot and Gabby, Philip attended Luxembourg school and says that his parents made that decision because they saw it as a way of getting immersed in the local culture, by befriending other children from Luxembourg, and by learning to speak the local Luxembourgish language. “There were around 30 children of the same generation living in our little street in Mamer. Without the use of the Luxembourgish language, I couldn’t even have communicated with them, thereby making for a much more solitary childhood.” While he is happy that he graduated from the Athénée aged 18 and speaking five languages more or

less fluently, Philip has little positive to say about Luxembourg’s school system. “It doesn’t promote either curiosity or confidence. Those are things I had to teach myself,” he says.

Kendra, though, has some positive things to say about her dance teachers in Luxembourg: “They pushed and motivated me and were very supportive, whereas in London you have to get out of the teachers what you need.

I think I got the best of both worlds.”

TRAVEL Margot also travelled abroad as soon as she had finished school in Luxembourg.

“My education here inspired me to leave and to discover life outside of Luxembourg.”

She first went to London, and then studied in Belgium for a year before moving to Amsterdam where she did her bachelor’s and master’s at the University of Amsterdam in pedagogical sciences, which included a fourmonth stint in Namibia. Gabby, however, has never lived outside of Luxembourg. “I have been tempted by other places but life is very good here: I’m well integrated, very settled and have a life and family and a great job here. But who knows where I might end up?

It will be where friends and family are.”

If Gabby does ever leave Luxembourg, it might well be for the United States, as she feels a strong affinity with Americans in terms of humour and attitudes. “There are many

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GABBY BOURGEOIS

American mother PARENTS: Swiss father, tem sys rg SCHOOL: Luxembou rg RESIDENT: Luxembou vice des aides financières, CEDIES Ser : ION SIT PO T EN RR CU

VIGGO SEN MORTEN ACTOR

ish York to a Dan Born in New merican mother, father and A lived in Venezuela, so and then al Argentina before d THIRD Denmark an New York aged 11. g to in rn tu re IDS RN ING TO LEA CULTURE K ONLY HAV T O T N A D H N T A U ASSUME TO T H E U S HOW F HABIT YO ER COMING N G . O UT O A NO MATTER “I REMEMB SL LE E P H T EO P T U H B IT T W EN N O THE ACC G IN COMM ) SOMETHIN GTON POST YOU HAVE .” (WASHIN EM SE EY H T T EN R DIFFE

GLOBAL

cultural differences from your heritage that you can’t just ignore. I would never say I’m from Luxembourg, although I have Luxembourg citizenship through naturalisation. In contrast, my parents didn’t integrate in the same way, and my mom found learning a new language very hard. My daughter will be even more integrated than I am, and may well feel even more Luxembourgish than I do when she grows up.” On the other hand, Louis has kids who feel very English even though they have never lived in the UK and their mother is from the former Yugoslavia.

“They play rugby, and their dream is to go to university in the UK. That is not something I have pushed,” he explains.

Gabby says that the advantage of going to a local school was learning Luxembourgish from a young age, which has given her broader job prospects both in the public and private sector. Like Gabby and Louis, Margot agrees that learning the local language is essential. “It opens you up to the other 50 percent of Luxembourg, which is worth knowing, especially if you want to make Luxembourg your home.”

CUSTOMS Margot, of Dutch parents, still practices customs from the Netherlands. “Things were-and still are--very Dutch at home. We spoke Dutch at home; we celebrate birthdays à la

Dutch, and all the Dutch holidays such as Sinterklaas. Every summer I would go to Holland to sailing camp or to visit relatives and friends. I absolutely feel a part of my native culture to this day, even though five years ago I also obtained Luxembourgish citizenship.” Philip was not so sure of his families’ native customs when growing up.

“I travelled with my parents to Germany and England at least once a year. The customs and traditions of both countries seemed rather alien to me though.” Learning so many languages at school proved to be a hindrance rather than an advantage at that early age.

“Juggling four languages aged 7 or 8 is tough, so I even sounded foreign when I visited the home countries of my parents.”

Although he returns to Luxembourg to visit regularly when in Europe, Philip has said that it is unlikely he will move back permanently. “For someone with no family roots in Luxembourg, the temptation to move back to an admittedly comfortable and usually well-paid job, can diminish over time.” Kendra is not so sure. She has only started calling London home in the last two years, even though she left Luxembourg at the tender age of 18. At the time, she says it was quite scary. “Especially in the arts world, it takes time to work out who you friends are. I had to build a strong personality, but I was dedicated and passionate.” That dedication came

from the fact that Luxembourg, at the time, did not offer easy accessibility to street dance, whereas Kendra’s colleagues in London were immersed in the dance world from a very early age. “Because we didn’t have that showbiz life, it gave me that hunger.” But Kendra says she has seen the dance scene in Luxembourg develop during the years she has been away and that Luxembourg is very lucky to have art houses that are bringing high calibre shows to the Grand Duchy. “I enjoy connecting with people in dance wherever they are. It has been nice to be in Luxembourg and pick up contacts I had before.

Coming back after 10 years and being able to perform has been really good for me. Both places are now home, I feel I have one foot in both countries.”

Margot also feels that she is comfortable in balancing her Dutch and Luxembourg roots.

“One of the reasons I came back is that through living abroad I realised that a big part of me was in Luxembourg and that it is my home. When I was younger I tried to push away from Luxembourgish culture to really show my Dutch identity. Now I’m more at ease with the dual cultural influences in my life and it’s not an issue: for example, I don’t have to say ‘Look at them over there, eating Kachkéis’ but I can taste it and even enjoy it. But it doesn’t have to mean that I stop liking my own cheese!”

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EDUCATION

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

WHY ARE BOYS FALLING BEHIND? University of Luxembourg researchers have some ideas on bridging the gender gap in the classroom.

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here is a worldwide trend towards more boys than girls seriously under-achieving at school. Researchers at the University of Luxembourg may have found out why and have offered a potential solution.

“15-year-old boys are more likely than girls of the same age to be low achievers” said a recent report by the rich-world think tank the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Based on results from their 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment tests, they found that across the 34 countries: “14% of boys and 9% of girls did not attain the PISA baseline level of proficiency in any of the three core subjects measured in PISA--reading, mathematics and science.”

LUXEMBOURG ATYPICAL While this is a generalised trend, it appears to not have been the case in Luxembourg, but not in a good way. In this country, there were as many poor-performing girls as boys, with 14.3% of each gender being identified as “low achievers” in all three subjects (see graph). However, 69% of Luxembourg-educated boys were low achievers in at least one of the three subjects, whereas this was true of only 67% of girls. This contrasts with the findings across the OECD, where 70% of boys and 73% of girls fail in at least one subject.

University of Luxembourg researchers probed this OECD-wide phenomenon.

They used questionnaires, group discussions and video observation of lessons to analyse the behaviour of 872 children, mostly aged 13-14 years, going to school in Berne, Switzerland. This data was compared to examination and class October 2015

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ANDREAS HADJAR Authoritarian style, not method, is the best way to engage boys in the classroom

NUANCED TEACHING STYLES NEEDED There might be a solution to this failing-boys syndrome. By observing behaviour in class, the researchers saw that underachieving boys responded best to authoritative teaching styles that feature a structured and caring but controlling approach. By this they do not mean overly strict, authoritarian methods. “Teachers with an authoritative teaching style are clearly interested in their students, guiding them and being available if problems arise,” noted Dr. Hadjar. While inappropriate

LOW ACHIEVERS

Percentage of underperforming 15 year olds in all three subjects tested in the 2012 PISA exams--reading, mathematics and science--by gender 15

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teaching styles can cause and reinforce feelings of estrangement from school.

“This research demonstrates that that teachers need to be flexible in the way they deal with different personalities.”

There is also a gap when looking at the other end of the scale, with 83% of boys and 85% of girls in Luxembourg being top performers in at least one of the three disciplines. Only 4-5% of pupils of both genders were top performers in all three. All these were similar results to the OECD average.

Nevertheless, overall, boys still seem to outperform girls on average in science subjects, while girls remain focused on the humanities. In Luxembourg, the average PISA reading performance for 15-year-old girls was 488 points, that is 30 points higher than boys. This gap is better than the 38 point difference in the OECD as a whole.

In mathematics and science, boys scored much better than girls in Luxembourg: +25 and +11 points respectively.

These gaps are some of the biggest in in the OECD, with significantly higher gaps than for the 34 country averages

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work results. Thus the researchers could compare what the children said about their attitudes to school with their work and behaviour in class.

They identified two possible major causes of the gender gap. “We saw a strong tendency for failing boys to be alienated from school; feeling distant and thinking it is not useful,” noted Andreas Hadjar, a professor in the sociology of education, who led the research. “There was also a clear link with under-performance and boys having traditional opinions about their gender role, that is, that men should lead women,” he added. Boys with these traits tended to be more disruptive in class and hence underperformed, scoring about 8% less in their year mark than the average male pupil.

As many girls as boys expressed feeling alienated from school and school work, but these attitudes were shown to have a more negative effect on boys.

Also, having traditional views of male/ female roles tended to affect boys and girls equally, but the study showed these opinions are more prevalent amongst boys than girls. Other factors such as peer-group attitudes and socio-economic background also hinder school performance as they influence school alienation and gender role orientations and thus, educational performance.

where the average differences were +11 and +1 respectively.

It appears that, on average, kids here are relatively engaged with their school careers. The percentage of students who skip classes or days at school is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries. Meanwhile, the percentage of students who report feeling confident doing a range of pure and applied mathematical tasks is one of the highest.

So maybe Luxembourg schools have the authoritative style that is necessary to encourage boys, but to the detriment of girls who might prefer a more nurturing, softer approach. The figures also underline what has been known for a while: high achievers tend to do OK in the local system, but those who struggle academically can get left behind.

However, given the amount spent on education, perhaps more should be expected. The OECD estimates that $197,598 is spent on average in Luxembourg per pupil over their career from age 6 to 15. This is more than double the spend in France and Germany.

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IN FOCUS

Photography by SVEN BECKER

READY TO HIT THE BOOKS

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CLAUDE MEISCH The education minister looking relaxed as he entered the Lycée de Garçons Luxembourg 10 minutes before the start of a press conference to mark the rentrée scolaire (beginning of the school year) on 14 September.

He had reason to look relaxed. Over the summer Meisch successfully reached an agreement with teachers, who had threatened to strike over their pay and working hours.

But the education minister also has some outstanding homework to handle, such as cutting down the number of students who repeat grades. That costs €54m a year, he said.

Just after this photo was taken, Meisch stopped to shake hands with press photographers and then headed to the school library for the press conference.

This year 88,300 students (47,200 primary and 41,100 secondary) are enrolled in Luxembourg state schools. AG

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UPFRONT

BUSINESS

ROAD TO THE ASIAN CENTURY

A number of doors opened last month when a trade delegation from Bangladesh visited Luxembourg during a week-long Benelux tour. “Your coming here to promote Bangladesh’s products and services is of utmost importance and there are opportunities in Luxembourg that are good for us,” said Ismat Jahan, the Bangladeshi ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU (pictured second from left; with Roy Suhash, head of the Bangladesh Business Chamber of Commerce Luxembourg, on left, Greig Annie, and Sabrina Sagramola of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, on right). “Since Luxembourg is located at the heart of Europe it can be a strategic location to cater to the European market,” said Monwar Hossain, CEO of CerebralLink, who was part of the delegation. Following recent policy reforms Bangladesh is seen by foreign investors as being an attractive gateway to the so-called Asian Century. Which explains why the Benelux region is getting more and more involved: the Netherlands is already the third largest investor in Bangladesh. NC www.banglachamber.org

2.5% An “indexation” (inflation-linked rise) of salaries and pensions is planned for the end of the year, the economy minister Étienne Schneider said, despite falling oil prices and a contradictory statement from the finance ministry. Separately he said the 0.5% temporary budget balancing income tax would be abolished on 1 January.

"I THINK YOU HAVE AN EXAGGERATED IDEA OF THE POWER..." ... held by prime ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament’s “LuxLeaks” committee, explaining that he did not help arrange sweetheart tax deals for multinationals.

The European Stability Mechanism, the eurozone’s Kirchberg-based bailout agency, discreetly provided €7bn in bridging loans to Athens before the EU’s third refinancing of Greek debt was completed. >>> The ESM also sold at least €11bn in bonds over the summer. It previously had announced plans to raise €2bn during the second and third quarters. >>> The number of tourists hitting the capital between January and July rose nearly 10% compared to the same period last year, the Luxembourg City Tourist Office reported. >>> RBS, a British bank, sold its Luxembourg asset management unit, which employs around 60, to private equity firm BlackFin. RBS still runs a wholesale banking unit here. >>> Banque Havilland, a private bank, said it would acquire Banco Popolare Luxembourg from its Italian parent.

The price was reported to be €31m. >>> German airline Lufthansa said it was in talks with an unnamed party to sell its 13% stake in Luxembourg’s flag carrier, Luxair. >>> Pierre Gramegna, Luxembourg’s finance minister, proposed stripping the escalating cost of refugee funding from EU debt rules. >>> The European Court of Justice ruled that KitKat’s 4 finger chocolate bar was not a distinctive enough design to receive a trademark.

Bodo/CC European Commission Steve Eastwood

TICKER

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FABIO MORVILLI The chairman and founder of the Italian Chamber

FUND OPENINGS

Why were speakers at September’s ALFI summit so bullish on Brazil and China?

Full report: www.delano.lu/ALFIGlobalTalk2015

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GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION A. Mathias Lentz speaking on “Doing business in China” B. Asif Beg and Sébastien Gury C. Fred Trierweiler and Anne-Françoise Goffinet D. Junaed Kabir, Rana Hein-Hartmann and Angus W. Stering

CATCHING UP WITH…

of Commerce has cause for celebration.

2015 marks a landmark for Fabio Morvilli and the Italian Chamber of Commerce with which he is intrinsically connected. Born in Rome, Morvilli arrived in Luxembourg in 1982 as the managing director of an Italian telecoms company and remained with them until 2002. While an Italian chamber covering Benelux had been in existence since the end of the First World War in 1918, it operated from Brussels and was not active in Luxembourg. “So together with the Italian ambassador, we decided to create our own Italian chamber in Luxembourg back in May 1990. We were a little afraid at the beginning, since Luxembourg was considered a small country, but from a commercial point of view it made sense. And I have to say that after 25 years, we have reached a good position and that it was the right choice. We have a great team!”

That Morvilli has remained at the helm of the chamber throughout is noteworthy. “Everyone seems to recognise the fact that I really invest so much of my time in this, and I’ve always been re-elected for another period.” So what is the chamber’s main focus? “It’s both commercial and financial. We have a network of chambers in Italy to support anyone travelling from Luxembourg for business, and our job is to provide the same level of support to Italian companies wishing to reach Luxembourg.”

The chamber also encourages local placement of young Italian graduates in Luxembourg companies and banks. Together with the IFBL and PricewaterhouseCoopers, it offers two educational programmes: a master’s degree in international finance, audit and control and a second in private equity and investment funds. “As a result, more than 400 of the young people completing the programme over the last seven years have remained in Luxembourg. They’re very happy, as are the companies that employed them.”

With reason to celebrate, the chamber held a 25-year anniversary conference at the Cercle Cité on 30 September (after Delano went to press) in the presence of the Grand Duchy’s crown prince. In addition to Morvilli, scheduled speakers included the Italian ambassador and Luxembourg’s prime minister, deputy prime minister and finance minister, and mayor of Luxembourg City. www.ccilux.eu Text by WENDY CASEY Photography by LALA LA PHOTO October 2015

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SNAPSHOTS

Text by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Photography by STEVE EASTWOOD

LUXEMBOURG: A PURE EXPORT MARKET

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lected last April to succeed Didier Mouget at the head of the consultancy PwC Luxembourg, John Parkhouse officially took over as new CEO of the biggest Big Four on 1 July. Talking to a significant crowd during a British Chamber of Commerce luncheon last month, he described the long transition as a very positive one, during which he and his partners have had the time to focus on the firm’s current and future situation.

“When we look at the energy and the diversity that we have, there’s a large amount of potential,” Parkhouse said while pointing out the 57 nationalities currently working at PwC. However, Parkhouse admitted that getting people to come to Luxembourg to work is a challenge. “Which is why the nation branding efforts made by the government are important.”

Parkhouse also said that in large part the country’s financial sector was successful because: “The market here is a pure export market. Pretty much everything we do is designed to go cross the border.

That fixes our mindset and makes sure that we look at things globally, and that explains our past achievements too.” www.bcc.lu

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FINANCE TALK A. Alison Macleod, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce, during the chamber’s luncheon on 14 September B. Eric Osch, Christian Carbonne and Neil Ross C. Claude Feyereisen, Stephanie Villani and Anemone Thomas D. Carole Miltgen and John Parkhouse E. Johan Schreuder and Serene Shtayyeh F. Aldona Budna, Virginie De Landsheer and Lena Pedersen G. Jean Kerschen, David Evans and Neil Underwood H. Charles-Antoine de Theux and Jill Saville I. Arjan Kirthisingha and Sandro Pace-Bonello

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B E C O M E P A R T O F T H E F A M I LY

Independent & Family Owned LUXEMBOURG

Enquiries

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BUSINESS

BANKING

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

THE FUTURE OF BANK BRANCHES Few of us queue up to withdraw cash or pay our phone bill at a bank counter any more, but bank branches remain on high streets around the country.

This looks set to continue in Luxembourg, for now.

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igh street bank branches still occupy many of the prominent, expensive locations in the country’s towns and villages as they did before the arrival of web banking. The overall number has probably fallen in Luxembourg and there are many fewer per head of population than there were.

Internationally, the number of branches is in decline (in 2013 there were 15% fewer across the EU compared to five years previously, according to the European Central Bank), yet here banks still see an important, changed role for these high-visibility service centres.

This is despite the vast majority of basic services having moved online.

STABLE NUMBERS, CHANGED ROLE Banque Internationale à Luxembourg talks about branch numbers remaining stable over the last decade at around 40, but the total number of automated facilities has risen to 105, of which 35 enable real time cash deposits. Banque et Caisse d’Épargne de l’État also points to a stable total number of branches, but with new offices opening to meet new demand in growth areas, as others close in less popular places.

Three types of branch have emerged: full-service finance centres; traditional local branches that also offer alternative savings and investment products; and pure advisory branches with all products, services plus investment advice. Phone and online services also complement the picture, with advisers ready to provide advice and recommendations well beyond normal office hours. Greater competition, low interest rates and more regulation

makes standard banking services less profitable. Banks need to promote a range of products, whether they be loans (housing, cars, consumer goods) or savings options such as pensions, life insurance and investment funds.

NEW TYPE OF BRANCH Increasingly, 24/7 self-service cashin/cash-out technology is becoming more widespread, and branches are being renovated with areas set aside for relaxed, business-like meetings.

Wi-fi and coffee are replacing the traditional banker-behind-bulletproof-glass way of doing things. So branches will be around for some time, not least because they reassure customers, providing a physical manifestation of how their savings are being kept safe. Pure phone and internet banking has been around for a while and remains marginal. Plus a lot of very wealthy, older people are not online and still like to have a nice young woman or man to stamp their virements (electronic transfers).

“We are now offering a new type of branch to make it more welcoming and better suited to customers’ needs,” says Romain Girst, director of retail banking at BGL BNP Paribas. “The service proposal is the same as at a traditional branch, but advisory contact is enhanced: these new branches offer a unique space that balances close relationships and remote banking services to fit customers’ needs.”As for BIL, it

has introduced late opening until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays for client appointments.

They have “rethought the branch format by introducing a ‘cashless’ approach which allows us to focus on advice, whether it be for investment, loans or corporate & wealth management needs,” explains Marc Parage, managing director at the institution.

A lot of these services are available online, including loan simulations and requests, and portfolio management, and this type of functionality continues to be ramped up considerably. But given how important our finances are to us, it can feel unnatural to do such things without talking it over with someone face-to-face.

KEY FOR WEALTH MANAGEMENT For clients with an extra slice of cash, options for tailor-made investment, inheritance and managing finance can also be discussed. Branches are particularly important for this “wealth management” business, as most of these clients are looking for a personalised service that is best discussed face-to-face. “While advice to the most wealthy is exclusively offered in our private banking department at our headquarters, we do have local private banking advisers in 14 regional finance centres who serve all types of clients,” notes BCEE’s Claude Hirtzig.

Online tools are also becoming more sophisticated. “Our customers can do their day-to-day management through a specific investment-oriented, customer

ROMAIN GIRST Branches are becoming more inviting

" THESE

NEW BRANCHES OFFER A UNIQUE SPACE THAT BALANCES CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND REMOTE BANKING SERVICES."

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keep hold of their branches for longer than in other countries.

CLAUDE HIRTZIG Same total number but different locations

friendly web banking platform,” states Girst. “They can also contact a dedicated advisor to receive investment advice by phone,” he adds.

“We can provide tailored solutions, whether that be planning solutions or investment and wealth structuring,” says Parage. Having branches dotted around the country also makes these banks more convenient for clients from neighbouring countries wanting to use the sophisticated services available here.

MORE POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE Video links could give branches new impetus. The second largest mortgage lender in the UK, Nationwide, is expanding its pilot project of remotely located expert advisers communicating with clients in-branch via high quality video links. They say customer satisfaction has been strong, largely because the bank is able to choose and train relatively few experts to give the best, most up-to-date advice. Nationwide has just increased its number of remote advisers from 60 to 400.

Maybe this is another opportunity for Luxembourg, as a location from which investment advice could be given across borders in all of the world’s main languages. Certainly the wealth management industry’s needs should help high streets

MOBILE BANKING REVOLUTION? Making banking personal is one of the drivers for mobile banking, one theory goes. People have very intimate relationships with their smartphones and tablets, so having a whizzy app and location-related functionality could tap into this, it is argued. Banks here and abroad are very confident that clients are keen to bank on the move and that this will be one of the biggest changes in consumer banking for decades.

One idea would see clients opt to have banks offer deals on the move.

For example, you could be walking down the street, stop to gawk at a shiny new 152” hi-def TV in the window, your phone would pick up your location, let your bank know, and they would immediately text you a monthly repayment schedule.

But are we ready for this level of “interactivity”? The potential is there as around three-quarters of western Europeans have a smartphone, and banks here and abroad say many of us have been downloading their apps.

Local banks say up to 20% of customers have downloaded their app.

NEW ONLINE TECHNOLOGY “We launched a new, completely redesigned S-Net mobile banking app this spring and the client response has been overwhelming,” according to Hertzig. “It is attracting younger clients at the moment but it is growing as people like the ability to make payments and transfers on the move,” he said.

At BIL, there are extensive options for all types of client. One can request a loan simulation, open a securities account, modify investment profiles, request a credit card and change a limit, change personal data, buy and sell equities online in real-time on twelve stock exchanges, and there is access to bonds and funds. “A full service is available both on mobile, tablet and PC, and this is exclusive in Luxembourg since 30 June 2015,” says Parage.

The question is have people merely swapped their PC for their tablets when banking at home, or are they really

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* Performance calculated between 31/12/2009 and 31/12/2014. BL is a SICAV (Investment Company with variable share capital) governed by Luxembourg law and managed by Banque de Luxembourg. The information in this document is provided for information purposes only, shall only be valid at the time it is given, and shall not be construed as legal or tax advice, nor shall it be considered an encouragement or recommendation to invest. No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy or exhaustiveness of this information. The Bank shall not be shall not be held liable for the future performance of these securities. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. The Bank shall not be held liable for this information or for any decisions that a person may take on the basis of such information. Potential investors should carefully consider the appropriateness of their investments to their specific situation and ensure that they understand the risks involved in their investment decisions. Subscriptions to funds shall only be accepted on the basis of the fund’s latest prospectus and the most recent semi-annual and annual reports and, in the case of UCITS, on the basis of the Key Investor Information Document (KIID). These documents are available free of charge and at any time on request from the Bank. The KIID document is available on the Bank’s website.

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doing this on the move? How many transactions are so urgent that they need to be made at traffic lights, rather than from home or the office? Or are people just using handy non-transactional tools such as ATM-finders or just checking their balances?

SO-CALLED "WEARABLE BANKING" IS ANOTHER IDEA BEING MOOTED INTERNATIONALLY.

MARC PARAGE Some bank locations have gone cashless

NEW PAYMENT TECHNOLOGIES So-called “wearable banking” is another idea being mooted internationally. Apple Watches and iPhones already support the Apple Pay mobile payments system, and some European banks are experimenting with this idea.

Spain’s CaixaBank is offering wristbands featuring payment technology enabling customers to make “contactless” purchases from multiple debit and credit cards. Customers just have to wave their wristband in front of a sensor in shops. This is a subtle difference from contactless debit cards that are being used in some countries. There appear to be no immediate plans for either technology in this country. PIN codes could also be on the way out with the possible advent of finger-vein and eyeball scanning technology. Cards could be about to get smarter too, allowing functionality such as parents being able to limit kids’ spending to things like food and transport, rather than, say, online entertainment.

However, in this, there is the potential for increased competition. You can bet that the likes of Apple, Google, PayPal and Facebook are better placed to come up with successful, user friendly gizmos than the banks. When it comes to proximity and trusted brands, what about retailers starting to compete?

Shops in some countries also sell basic financial services. In Luxembourg, Cactus has just agreed a deal to offer services in conjunction with Post, which part-owns bank Raiffeisen.

Then there is the “peer to peer” lending revolution: lenders and borrowers coming together online.

As far as the client is concerned new technology and competition will bring a wide range of services that are easier and more convenient to use. The branch network will only survive if it can remain a vital part of this service mix.

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PRIVATE BANKING

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

WHAT EFFECTS FROM THE END OF BANKING SECRECY? The government took a calculated gamble when it decided to end banking secrecy at the start of this year. The hope was that this would point the way to new markets while improving the country’s brand image. Did it work?

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here is no independently verifiable way of measuring the impact since banking secrecy was ended on 1 January, but the industry is upbeat about the move. Late last year, national statistics office Statec had estimated that assets in the wealth management business could fall by about 5% this year, with some industry players privately fearing a drop of one-tenth.

“The Statec study was based on a number of projections and hypotheses that in the meantime have strongly improved,” noted Pierre Etienne, the recently appointed head of the Private Banking Group Luxembourg. He did not put any figures to this, but pointed to a “new kind of business coming into Luxembourg” and improved market performance.

Secrecy was a key factor encouraging non-residents to hide cash in Luxembourg banks, mainly as a way of avoiding taxes in their home countries.

Luxembourg and other EU countries had resisted attempts to change arguing that this would lead to the cash flowing to Switzerland. Yet after the 2007-08 financial crisis the international political pressure become too great, so most financial centres decided to sign up to EU and OECD rules on sharing information about non-residents’ savings with foreign tax offices.

Some banks have been hard hit by this, and were forced to close or be sold. The total in this country fell from 152 in April 2014, to 141 a year later, rising slightly to 143 in August. It is not clear how much of this can be explained by the end of banking secrecy, or just the general falling profitability of banking as a business.

PBGL INFO:

WWW.ABBL.LU

However, most banks involved in wealth management decided to change their focus, offering services that were both legal and but also helped save tax. The problem is that these sophisticated, cross-border solutions come at a cost, so are only appropriate for those with at least half a million to invest.

PIERRE ETIENNE Luxembourg saw a small rise in wealthier private banking clients last year

CHANGE OF FOCUS “Luxembourg attracts more and more fully tax compliant wealthy clients, let’s say with wealth above €5m,” noted Etienne. Whilst he sees this as “a very good sign for the future of that business in our country,” he sees an outflow of “smaller clients which were historically more profitable than the wealthy client.”

Banking profits have been under pressure since the crisis, often due to new regulations and laws, and it is no different for private banking. A PBGL report pointed to private banking assets

under management reaching €318bn at the end of last year, a 4% increase, but employment in the sector fell 4%, twice as quickly as the drop seen across the entire banking industry.

While the picture is mixed for the economic outcome, what about the effect on the country’s image? Criticism of Luxembourg and other small financial centres has increased since the crisis, but ending the easy to understand bank secrecy policy has probably helped Luxembourg’s defenders.

It does not make the country immune from bad press though. Even when engaging in perfectly legal and transparent financial planning, the country can get it in the neck, as was seen during the “LuxLeaks” story that broke in late 2014 about international firms avoiding tax. Although this affair has nothing to do with banking secrecy, it shows that there is probably little small financial centres can do to avoid being attacked from time to time.

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BUSINESS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Text by AARON GRUNWALD and STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

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IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), companies that employ between 10 and 249 employees, represented 12.5% of the total number of non-financial businesses in the Grand Duchy in 2011, according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics bureau. (Those with fewer than 10 staff are labeled “micro enterprises” and constitute 87% of the total.) Across the EU only Germany (17.7%) and Romania (12.6%) had a bigger proportion of SMEs. And these firms punch above their weight. In Luxembourg they employ 48.9% of non-financial private sector staff. Only SMEs in the three Baltic states--Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia--employed a higher proportion and the EU average was only 37.6%. In the Grand Duchy they also represented 59.6% of total company turnover--the highest figure in the EU, where the average was 38.3%.

S

LUCIEN BECHTOLD Banks face stricter regulations and want more developed plans before lending

o it is no wonder that Luxembourg’s economy ministry wants to boost these outfits further. That is one reason why it launched “an online self-assessment tool” (in English, French and German) for SMEs over the summer called “Business Check”, which aims to provide entrepreneurs with a realistic reflection of their management capabilities and firm’s outlook.

“We are now able to offer existing SMEs free access to a self-assessment tool designed to measure their commercial maturity, with a view to adapting, where necessary, the way in which they are organised or their business plan,” Francine Closener, the secretary of state for the economy, said at its launch in July. “Depending on the circumstances, the instrument can also help to identify the first signs of possible insolvency or bankruptcy.”

The site generates an evaluation of the company’s “strategy, organisation, customer management and financial performance”, according to the ministry’s announcement, and in some cases suggests “ways of improving its performance”.

If a business chief then “decides to seek advice from specialist external consultants with a view to improving the way it functions, it may apply for state aid aimed at encouraging investment designed to enhance quality,” the ministry explained. “The aid is granted in the form of capital grants

or interest rate subsidies, and amounts to up to 50% of the eligible investment made by an SME in seeking advice from external consultants” up to €100,000 are potentially available (that is to say, firms can apply for a 50% subsidy up to a total outlay of €200,000 and then they are on their own).

Yves Even, a partner at one of those external consultancies, EY in Luxembourg, said the “Business Check” consisted of 50 questions and should take around two hours to complete.

He also said there is no “digital record” kept by the economy ministry or anyone else, except that the entrepreneur can download a PDF of the results directly to their own computer.

But do SMEs really need advice?

European Family Businesses, a trade group, estimates that 70% of all Luxembourg firms are family affairs.

Such companies face different challenges and are run differently than others.

In a study of listed but family controlled firms published earlier this year, the investment banking research arm of Credit Suisse found they “consistently delivered greater economic profit, measured as a percentage of enterprise value, over the past 20 years.” While they invested notably less in research and development, family run firms in Europe and the US took on less debt and managed mergers and acquisitions better than their fully public peers.

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FRANCINE CLOSENER Wants to boost small and mid sized business

One big risk is when the next generation takes over, potentially resulting in “the employment of overpaid, under-qualified family members” in key positions, the Credit Suisse analysts wrote. Nevertheless “we witness an increasing level of professional education and qualifications amongst later generations taking over from the founding entrepreneur.”

SUCCESSION QUESTION Indeed Pierre Mangers, also a partner at EY in Luxembourg, said that he expected 1,800 successions within family owned businesses in Luxembourg over the next five years.

“One big challenge is that 20 years ago an SME might have one business model for the total life of the entrepreneur,” says Even. “More and more when you inherit a business [from

your family] you cannot continue [running the business] with this business model. The business model needs to change at least once or twice” in order for the firm to remain afloat or at least competitive.

Even also sees entrepreneurs increasingly acknowledge their own limitations.

Younger bosses realise they need “to find a finance director, a marketing director, etc.” and lack the skillset to recruit and manage this type of staff.

In addition they face ever more complex challenges in capital raising, external partnerships, succession planning and tax, for example.

(Even relishes being asked if a Big Four like EY can truly help SMEs. He points out the firm has a long history of working with Mittelstand firms in Germany and the US, and recently the firm “redesigned our approach” in

Mike Zenari (archives)

50

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"THE INSTRUMENT CAN ALSO HELP TO IDENTIFY THE FIRST SIGNS OF POSSIBLE INSOLVENCY OR BANKRUPTCY." serving Luxembourg SMEs to be more cost efficient. Around 150 of its 450 auditors, for example, work in the non-financial SME sector. Plus “our SME group doesn’t speak bank; they speak SME”, argues Mangers.)

TAX TROUBLES The Credit Suisse report additionally concluded: “Survivorship and generational transition is of course not simply a function of successful family ownership and management. We see the role of the state as key in many areas… For example, Japan, France, Germany, Turkey and Switzerland have enabled family businesses to thrive despite the heavy presence of the state in the economy.” The bank analysts particularly praised the German fiscal regime.

Here, Luxembourg posts plusses and minuses. In many cases children need not pay any estate tax when they inherit a family business, says EFB. And, according to the OECD, a think tank for wealthier countries, social insurance contributions here are comparatively low for western Europe.

On the other hand, SMEs in Luxembourg have one of the highest rates of “double taxation” (that is, owners who are subject to both corporate and personal tax on the same revenue) within the OECD, and high income earners can hit top income tax rates relatively quickly.

ACCESS TO FINANCE Traditionally another big challenge for family run business is help in tapping capital for investment or

money management. A report, Survey on the access to finance of enterprises, published by the European Commission and European Central Bank, found 82% of Luxembourg SMEs use debt finance (compared to the European average of 86%, including several non-EU member states) and 32% use equity finance (the European average is 16%). The questions were fielded between April and September 2014, and 16% of Luxembourg SMEs reported an “increased” need for bank loans over previous six months (although 19% said it “decreased”).

Perhaps fueled by the lowest reported interest rate (2%) in the EU last year, “SMEs obtained the largest amounts of external financing in Luxembourg”.

Thirty percent requested loans of more than €1m, and none of the 102 SMEs interviewed for the commission-ECB study said they were rejected by their bank.

BANK LOANS EASIER TO COME BY Indeed, it has been easier for businesses and households to borrow money from Luxembourg banks over the past 12-18 months, for business investment, and more generally. Regular surveys by the Luxembourg Central Bank point to criteria being relaxed, and this more strongly so than in the rest of the eurozone.

Figures in the central bank’s annual Financial Stability Review chart the rise and fall of criteria used to grant loans since the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

These relate to the banks’ assessments of how likely potential clients would be able to repay loans on time.

As regards loans to businesses (which, again, are mainly SMEs in this country), they point to criteria becoming looser every quarter since the start of 2014, with this continuing into the middle of this year. This they put down to increased competition and the banks being in a more secure financial position themselves. Nevertheless, loan conditions are still tougher now than they were pre-crisis, after criteria were tightened consistently from mid-2007 until the end of 2009, and intermittently between 2011-2013.

The figures show that lending to business has become easier more quickly than for mortgages.

In both cases, if businesses and prospective home owners are able to satisfy banks of their ability to repay, then good deals are on offer with interest rates at historic, long term lows. “Some businesses can be frustrated at their inability to receive bank financing for their projects, noted Lucien Bechtold, advisor in the SME services department at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. “However, the banks reply that they have tougher regulations to deal with since the crisis. They also suggest that there is a lack of demand, that the funds are available at the banks but that businesses are not coming forward with strong projects,” he added.

POSITIVE SHIFT? However, change may be afoot as the local and EU economies return to growth. “Business lending is clearly improving after two years of moderate or negative growth and we expect this to continue, especially for small October 2015

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and medium sized businesses,” said Claude Hirtzig, head of personal and professional banking at Banque et Caisse d’Épargne de l’État, a savings bank backed by the Luxembourg state.

“The growing local economy and the stabilisation of the international situation seems to have improved business fixed investment,” he added. “Business lending is clearly increasing after two years of moderate or negative growth and we expect this to continue, especially for SMEs.” Demand for business loans began to increase the fourth quarter of 2014 after five years in the doldrums, an executive with BGL BNP Paribas told Delano. “However, we believe it is too early to speak about a real economic recovery yet. In fact, we observe that companies facing investment considerations remain extremely prudent,

both in the case of replacement or new project financing,” he said.

There are different trends in different sectors. “Up to June 2015, confidence indicators in the manufacturing and construction sectors were generally favourable,” noted Erwin Liebig, a business development manager within Banque Internationale à Luxembourg’s corporate and institutional banking department. “In construction, in particular, confidence levels are at their highest since 2000,” he added. While in the manufacturing sector “momentum is not so strong,” he pointed to “confidence among manufacturers and output in this sector stabilising somewhat over the course of the first half of 2015.” Falling energy prices and a lower euro have helped, but “the pace of growth itself has not been breathtaking,” Liebig explained, with

increased competition putting further pressure on banks’ margins.

Other than financing investment, the BGL BNP Paribas executive sees a trend towards “demand linked to company buyout financing, which we expect to grow even more in the future.”

October 2015

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INNOVATION

Interview by NATALIE A. GERHARDSTEIN

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

BRIDGING BIOMEDICINE AND BUSINESS Fonds National de la Recherche Luxem Luxembourg [national research fund] has funded its first National Centre of Excellence in Research project on Parkinson’s disease, and the data coming out of that pilot project can be analysed and integrated so patients would ultimately profit from the project. This would also increase Luxembourg’s standing on the world map in biomedicine.

Why is the application of big data in healthcare lagging? Is privacy the main concern?

PORTRAIT Big data in healthcare is, indeed, very complex, as it involves privacy and security issues, as well as the challenge of integrating data from Erica Monfardini of the University of Luxembourg’s Luxembourg many sources. Such issues can’t be Centre for Systems Biomedicine addressed only by academic researchers talks about co-hosting a major and academia or industry players. It’s international conference and not simple to organise such an event bringing big data and medicine or get all [the] stakeholders together: together. patients provide data, but data is normally owned by social security Natalie A. Gerhardstein: This systems or hospitals. Therefore, policy year’s 3rd International Systems makers also have to be [one of the] Biomedicine Symposium, jointly stakeholders who really want to work, organised by the University of and need to get involved, together in Luxembourg’s LCSB and the Euro- order to let the appropriate researchers BioForum Foundation, focuses on handle the data and enable doctors “Big data in health care--challenges, to provide better care. Our symposium innovations and implementation”. will approach such issues in a collaborative way.

How did the idea come about?

Erica Monfardini: For this year’s Do you anticipate that this symsymposium, we wanted to include posium will help attract top talent different stakeholders such as investors, to Luxembourg in the biomedical researchers, industry players and policy field?

Yes, we hope to attract new talent. makers. The LCSB has the acquired experience and network to bring In Luxembourg we have a strong ICT high-profile speakers to this event. industry. Systems biomedicine research Luxembourg is the perfect country is [at] the forefront between medicine for talking about big data in healthcare, and ICT. Industry partners and inand this is a unique occasion to prove vestors are important, but we also that the country can serve as a pilot in need the endorsement of policymakers. this domain. We are small, fast and Very specific profiles are needed. For well integrated at the ICT level. The example, someone that has worked

in a lab may have to also manage and finalise contracts with industry partners.

It’s important for us to continue with the very active technology transfer function within the university and the LCSB--and we do our best not to work in silos but to truly promote interdisciplinary research.

Your professional experience combines science and business.

How could these two fields work more seamlessly together?

This idea is something very dear to me, as well as to the LCSB. The collaboration of science and business is quite difficult to achieve because objectives are not always aligned. We need an entrepreneurial spirit not just within the LCSB but also within Luxembourg at large. That mindset relates a lot to education, the willingness to take risks and, with that, learning from mistakes. Of course, we need people who understand what potential customers want and who start the conversation on new technologies. But business acumen also requires a lot of motivation, as well as the understanding that innovation is a complex matter. We need to create an environment in which entrepreneurs can thrive while trying to understand how such endeavours can add value for multiple stakeholders.

ERICA MONFARDINI She is director of operations at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, part of the University of Luxembourg.

One of her main objectives is to develop scientific innovations into biomedical and ICT applications through supporting entrepreneur ship, the creation of spinoff companies and licensing of intellectual property.

Monfardini graduated in veterinary medicine from the University of Milan in Italy and earned a PhD in veterinary medicine at the University of Gent.

EVENT The 3rd International Systems Biomedicine Symposium will take place on 28-29 October. The conference will critically review current scientific knowledge in the field, as well as explore the life cycle and implications of big data in healthcare. bigdata2015.uni.lu

" BUSINESS ACUMEN ALSO

REQUIRES A LOT OF MOTIVATION, AS WELL AS THE UNDERSTANDING THAT INNOVATION IS A COMPLEX MATTER."

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BUSINESS

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Text by WENDY CASEY

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PACKAGE These days, salary isn’t everything. What perks are popular in Luxembourg? And what do you need to know to stay on the right side of the tax man?

A

highly competitive remuneration package is multi-faceted and typically contains far more than the standard gross monthly salary, annual bonus and chèque repas (meal vouchers).

In the current climate, companies need to exercise considerable creativity when designing benefit packages and incentive plans to attract job applicants of exceptional calibre. It’s clearly time well-spent, since offering the perfect mix of carefully selected financial and non-monetary benefits not only attracts talented, high-potential staff, but retains them and motivates them to perform at optimum level. So do job seekers take employee incentive programmes into account when selecting their next employer?

“For sure yes,” states Rémi Fouilloy, managing director of Morgan Philips Luxembourg and Belgium, a recruitment agency. “Some people working in the banking and insurance sector receiving, for example, a private pension plan, find it difficult to move outside the sector, particularly as they move closer to pensionable age.”

Jean-Pierre Mullenders, director of Randstad Luxembourg, another recruitment firm, agrees. He says that the area of staff retention is not always “black and white”. “We see people moving to a competitor for improved or additional benefits such as a more luxurious car. The general economic situation in Luxembourg is quite positive and companies really do compete--by offering a Porsche rather than a BMW, for example.”

WORK-LIFE BALANCE Today’s employees place far more value on health, fitness and out-ofoffice activities than ever before. “The

number of holidays available in Luxembourg’s financial sector has always been an attraction,” reports Anita De Viell, director at Fast Recruitment. “34 days is beyond most people’s dreams. They value their work/life balance so reducing travel times to fit in the children’s school run is really important.” It follows that location plays a role in the decision making process. “If you’ve got people travelling up from France, they want to work in the city centre. Do they want to work at Cloche d’Or, Bertrange or the airport? No.” And while working from home is still a rarity, Fouilloy sees more and more companies letting staff adapt their working hours. “Employees don’t think only of earning more money but of balancing the kids and their personal lives with the constraints of the job. Flexi-time and the ability to work from home at certain points during the week is clearly an advantage which is difficult to turn away from, even if faced with the offer of a better salary elsewhere.”

A survey titled Well-being at work in Luxembourg 2010, carried out by market research firm TNS Ilres, uncovered some worrying data (see box on page 60). More than 1,500 Luxembourg employees, both residents and crossborder staff, were surveyed and while 90% admitted to experiencing some stress at work, 20% admitted to having felt burnt-out.

Many companies are taking proactive steps to combat these issues by offering health and fitness incentives. The fund services firm Alter Domus recently hosted an “Afterwork Cycling Tuesdays” event in which staff and invited guests completed a 50km circuit that encompassed the Moselle valley. “Some companies provide an allowance towards sports facilities--a golf membership for example,” explains De Viell. Nikolas Schmitz-Lau--the head of HR in Luxembourg, Ireland, UK and Asia at

ERIC PAQUES A locally designed, tax friendly employee share programme is not as difficult to set up as companies think

the financial firm Clearstream--was equally enthusiastic. “We provide a variety of healthcare facilities, from ergonomic office chairs and an assortment of healthy food in the canteen, to our fully-equipped company gym offering strength and fitness training as well as physiotherapy sessions. As for

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" THE USE OF THESE PLANS

INCREASES EMPLOYEE LOYALTY AND MAKES THEM FEEL PART OF ITS MANAGEMENT." October 2015

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" COMPANIES REALLY DO COMPETE-BY OFFERING A PORSCHE RATHER THAN A BMW, FOR EXAMPLE."

JEAN-PIERRE MULLENDERS Staff sometimes change jobs just for improved benefits

healthcare, we offer a free medical check-up once every three years, on a purely voluntary basis which takes place during working hours.” Fouilloy adds: “It shows that the company takes care of its employees. It’s very important that people are recognised in terms of how they are managed and the quality of their working environment.”

NO FREE LUNCHES Of course, few things in life are free.

Karl Horsburgh of A&T Consulting,

an accounting and tax advisory firm, sums up the tax implications of a range of benefits and incentives designed to entice and entrap. “As a general rule, if your employer gives you something, then the law requires that you calculate its financial benefit. Deduct any contribution you happen to be making and the difference will be the taxable benefit or benefit-in-kind” or “BIK”.

His advice doesn’t cover the European institutions however, since

they are outside the Luxembourg tax system.

According to Horsburgh, some benefits can be taxed or not taxed, depending on the specifics. For instance, if you can prove that language and education allowances are directly related to your job then it’s a business expense, otherwise it’s a “BIK”. If you’re taking staff to lunch, then it’s a business expense and not a benefit.

If an entertainment allowance covers the cost of client entertainment, you must be able to justify each expense or it’s a BIK. If you can justify corporate use of concierge services during business trips, for example, then they won’t be considered a BIK. Perks that are rarely taxed include mobile phones (strictly speaking, usage should be split between private and business, but since this is difficult to verify it’s rarely considered a BIK)

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CONTINUED

ANITA DE VIELL Office location, if it cuts commute time, can make a big difference to a potential employee

and onsite restaurant facilities (if a company pays a chef to cook in the kitchen, then it’s considered a cost to the business).

But Horsburgh explains that staff are normally taxed on a wide number of benefits. Annual bonuses are subject to normal income tax and are added to your income when completing your tax return. Also officially considered BIK are company cars (taxed at 18% of the new catalogue price per year), meal vouchers (the €2.80 employee contribution is taxable), a company paid parking place (minus any part a worker pays themselves), children’s school fees (the full amount paid by employers needs to be declared on income tax filings), private healthcare and life assurance (if the employer pays the premium, it’s considered a BIK and should be declared as part of your salary in your tax return), home rental reimbursement (it’s a BIK unless the employer rents the house in his name, in which case the benefit is deemed to be 75% of the

rent paid) and subsidised housing loans (amounts above the tax-free allowance of €3,000 for a single or €6,000 for joint tax filers), and sports memberships (strictly speaking it’s a taxable benefit since even if you can prove you were playing golf with a client, it’s very difficult to check).

Any amount paid by an employer into a company pension scheme that has not been approved by the tax authorities is a fully taxable benefit.

Amounts paid into approved schemes are subject to an upfront employer tax of 20%.

EMPLOYEE SHARE PLANS When it comes to motivating performance and enhancing employee retention levels, however, it seems the traditional stock option plan (and diverse forms thereof) takes some beating. “Such plans give employees the right to buy a stock of the company at an agreed price within a certain period or on a specific date,” explains Eric Paques, partner at PwC

Luxembourg, a consultancy. “In other words, the employee will have the possibility to capture the increase in value.” Since the plans contain vesting rules, staff lose their rights to exercise options if they leave prior to a specified date. “Besides,” he says, “the use of these plans increases employee loyalty and makes them feel part of its management.”

The down side is that most plans created by international companies are taxed unfavourably in Luxembourg.

The international versions tend to be global, centralised incentive plans, implemented in the various countries in which the international company has a presence. “Indeed, the pay-out arising from such plans is taxed as employment income at the highest rate, i.e., 45%.” Paques goes on to say that it is possible for Luxembourg companies to set up incentive plans that may be subject to a far more attractive tax regime.

There are now a small but growing number of companies implementing such plans which are taxed upfront on a limited basis, in exchange for full tax exemption on the ultimate payout.

The upfront tax is based upon the option’s highest fair market value or upon 17.5% of the underlying option’s value on the day of the grant. This increased from 7.5% back in 2012, which negatively impacted the attractiveness of unconditional stock option plans. As a result, a number of techniques have since been developed to increase their efficiency and make them more appealing to executives.

Paques notes that many Luxembourg companies are deterred by a belief that the plans are complex to set-up and administer. In addition, they do not appreciate just how very attractive these schemes can be.

On the positive side, a growing number of companies see value in developing more enticing remuneration packages, Paques states. More are asking PwC to design local plans that are both exciting and tax friendly. It seems the time to knuckle down and “significantly exceed” those performance objectives is now.

With reporting by STEPHEN EVANS

WHO’S STRESSED? The report Le bien-être au travail au Luxembourg en 2010 (well-being at work in Luxembourg in 2010) was published by research firm TNS Ilres on behalf of the Luxembourg Chamber of Employees (CSL), Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Luxembourg (OGB-L) and Luxembourg Mental Health League (Ligue luxembourgeoise d’hygiène mentale).

TNS Ilres polled 1,537 workers in the Grand Duchy, nearly 60% of whom were Luxembourg residents.

Staff were employed in a variety of sectors, from banking and insurance (around 19% of respondents) to cleaning and security (less than 3%).

All reported roughly similar levels of stress.

Among those employed by large companies (with more than 500 employees), 50% claimed they experienced “continuous” or “frequent” stress at work; among all Luxembourg residents the figure was 47%. The researchers could not detect any links between stress and gender or age.

The original French report can be downloaded from the TNS Ilres website: Search for “Le bien-être au travail au Luxembourg en 2010” on www.tns-ilres.com An English version can be downloaded via the International Labour Organization, a UN agency: Search for “Workers prone to stress and burn-out at work” on labordoc.ilo.org

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TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Text by STEPHEN EVANS

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

ENABLING GOOD IDEAS TO FLOURISH

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Israel is one of the most innovative and dynamic economies in the world, but is located in a geopolitical hotspot. Luxembourg helps businesses do business from and with this high performance country.

T

he Grand Duchy is the gateway to Europe for many multinationals thanks to the skilled multilingual workforce, the legal and fiscal environment, and the attentive government. This capacity can be particularly relevant for Israeli businesses given the country’s challenges in projecting a positive image globally. Working through Luxembourg gives a helpful neutrality to business transactions.

Such is the growing success of this relationship that an economic mission from the Grand Duchy is planned from 24-28 October this year, just three years after the last such event. This country is particularly interested in working with world-leading Israeli ICT, biotech, logistics, cleantech, fintech and automotive technology firms. As well as having groundbreaking, original technology and a skilled workforce, firms there are backed with an ambitious venture capital industry.

LOTS OF LINKS For example, Israeli automotive technology company Raval established a development and marketing facility in the Grand Duchy in 2002. The previous year, local satellite firm SES participated in a joint venture with Gilat Satellite Networks and Alcatel Alenia Space. They formed Satlynx, a network and communications services firm.

Last year, Luxembourg exported goods worth €16m to Israel, with products valuing €7.6m going in the other direction. This excludes services trade, which is particularly significant in the financial sector.

The formula has worked for Inverto Digital Labs, which has been providing

technology to local and global satellite communications market since 1991.

“Israel is a world leader in technology but it is easier to make international business connections from Luxembourg,” noted Gil Laifer, the firm’s senior director for products. “This is also because in our team of 45 people here we have 15 nationalities, including a Russian, a Moroccan and a Korean.” Originally they thought of Luxembourg as a base to address the local market, “but then we attracted interest from the whole of Europe and now we have added clients in India, Latin America, Africa and beyond,” he added.

Inverto will be participating in the October trade mission to Tel Aviv, freshening up their already good contacts in the country. Practical, targeted business meetings will be at the heart of the mission, which is organised by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the ministry of the economy. Pre-arranged individual business meetings with companies will

GIL LAIFER Luxembourg is a good base for reaching global clients

be organised according to the participant’s requests in close cooperation with local trade associations. The Chamber of Commerce will help with this choice, driven by each visiting companies’ requirements. The trip will also include general networking events, a visit to a business incubator and the option of participating in the Go4Israel Business Conference.

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Over 10,800

students from Miami University have been educated in Luxembourg

Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center is located in the Castle of Differdange, Luxembourg

FOR ST UD ON TI

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IN UN

Each year Miami University makes up to $150,000 available in scholarships for Luxembourgish students to study at Miami

IN THE NA

RADUATE TEA RG C E D

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IDE NW

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MONG PUB LIC GA N HI

Miami University’s European Center in Luxembourg is named after John E. Dolibois (1918–2014) a native of Luxembourg who became U.S. Ambassador to his country of origin

John E. Dolibois European Center in Luxembourg, 1 impasse du Château Differdange +352 58 22 22 1

MiamiOH.edu/Luxembourg

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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.

OCTOBER ABAL Mon 5 Oct

SUPPER CLUB Thu 15 Oct

Amcham

www.amcham.lu

Hélène Michel and Ivaylo Piskov of Private Consulting speak on “the existing business and startup support ecosystem in Luxembourg” and the proposed “Together Strong” startup centre.

DoubleTree by Hilton, Luxembourg-Dommeldange, 12:00

CEO PANEL Thu 8 Oct

Hub Dot

www.hubdot.com

The women’s networking group holds its first “Supper Club” in Luxembourg, promising “an evening of connections, inspiring stories and sensory indulgence”. Space is limited.

Come à la maison, Luxembourg-Merl, 19:00

WINE TASTING

ENTREPRENEUR’S DAY

Wed 21 Oct

Thu 12 Nov

Chamber of Commerce www.journees.lu

The Network

www.thenetwork.lu

The professional women’s group says: “Paul Krier, owner of BioVinis, will guide us through some fine wines that originate from female vintners and wine growers.” Space is limited.

StratAffect, Luxembourg-Centre, 19:00

Wed 21 Oct

British Chamber www.bcc.lu

Chiefs of Axa (photo of MarieHélène Massard), BBH, Cactus and Victor Buck Services will share their leadership experiences, including the changing corporate environment and employee engagement.

Banque de Luxembourg, Luxembourg-Centre, 17:45

Cluster for Logistics

www.clusterforlogistics.lu

This forum on security in the supply chain includes talks on “track & trace” technology, the benefits of temperature tracking and TAPA certification. Followed by a buffet and networking.

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:00

PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY Thu 12 Nov

www.paperjam.club

SHARE EXPERIENCES Tue 27 Oct

Frank M. Ahearn, author of the New York Times bestselling book How to Disappear, talks techniques for maintaining privacy, protecting personal information and preventing identity theft.

Lalux, Leudelange, 18:30

TAX BREAK

Geek Girls Carrots

SECURE TRANSPORT

Thinking about launching a new business? Sign up for a free, personalised advisory meeting, plus see helpful expo stands and network with experienced business people at this startup fair.

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 11:30-21:00

www.geekgirlscarrots.org

At the tech club’s monthly meeting, Lukasz Wojtukiewicz speaks on “mindfulness” plus networking with other women working in Luxembourg’s IT sector.

Level2, Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, 19:00

Fri 20 Nov

British Chamber

DIGITAL LUNCHEON Mon 2 Nov

Amcham

www.amcham.lu

Jean-Claude Frank of telecom gear maker Ericsson talks on: “digital trends over the next 5 years. Where are we going and how will it impact work, relationship and families?” during the November ABAL. Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 12:00

www.bcc.lu

At this luncheon conference Laura Foulds, a personal tax consultant at the advisory firm Analie (on left), speaks about getting your fiscal affairs in order.

DoubleTree by Hilton, Luxembourg-Dommeldange, 12:00

Wine tasting: Myri_bonnie/Creative Commons

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YOUR EVENT MISSING? If your organisation’s upcoming event belongs on this page, send us the details: news@delano.lu

your FARE real estate partner sales · rentals · commercial · residential www.FARE.LU · t. 26 897 897 FA_AD_Delano_136x27,5_A2.indd 1

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October 2015

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The IDEA Foundation is a Luxembourg based Think Tank focusing on socio-economic topics. Supported by the Chamber of Commerce, IDEA endeavours to work as an autonomous, versatile and open entity and strives to lead reflections in terms of sustainable development in Luxembourg by pursuing the general economic interests of the country, and to contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic debate. The objective of IDEA Foundation is to improve the quality of socio-economic policy, notably through fact-based economic analyses and the development of innovative ideas presented and discussed in public with various audiences.

Curious ?

To find out more about the IDEA Foundation please visit our homepage: www.fondation-idea.lu or contact us by email info@fondation-idea.lu

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66

BUSINESS

Text by TONYA STONEMAN

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

LEAPS OF FAITH Policeman and BASE jumper Nicolas Wachs is more alive on the precipice of death.

W

hen Nicolas Wachs, a police officer from Luxembourg, skydived tandem for the first time, he knew immediately that he wanted more. He started jumping locally in 2007 and later moved his dropzone to Spa, Belgium, where he met BASE jumper Rob Heron. “When you skydive, you’re around BASE jumping,” he says. “It’s untouchable. It’s a different league.”

BASE jumping is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects. The acronym stands for four categories of objects from which one can jump: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs). BASE jumping is significantly more dangerous than skydiving and is currently regarded by many as a fringe extreme sport. Wachs watched Heron jump for several months before working up the courage to ask him to teach him the sport. “I didn’t really get an answer,” he recalls. “So I carried on doing ground crew and getaway driver and stuff.” Several months later, he asked again. Heron told him to think it through seriously--to consider the consequences, like dying, and what that could mean to his family.

That’s exactly what Wachs did. Then he asked again.

In 2010, he jumped off an 80-meterhigh bridge in Belgium. It was his first BASE jump and he was scared. “I trusted him 100 percent and did exactly what he told me to do,” he recalls, “and I was safe.” Since then, he has done more than 400 jumps; he averages 80 per year.

Wachs has a hard time articulating exactly why he continues to hurl himself off of unreasonably high buildings, towers and bridges, “I’m not sure I can explain it,” he says. “It’s very special.

It’s a very personal thing actually. You

MY OTHER LIFE

realise every day could be your last, that you have to make every day the best day you can. It’s very intense.”

Shortly after his wedding, Wachs and his close friend Gareth Jones decided to jump from a very low bridge. They climbed over the rails in the middle of the night and stood together on the precipice with their parachutes on, but decided the timing wasn’t right-they would leave it for another time.

But that time never came. Gareth died last December during a scouting trip for an exit point on a 90 metre cliff.

He got too close to the edge and fell.

“Most BASE jumpers are very careful people,” says Wachs. “They plan well and try to stay in their own skill zone. They know their own limits. BASE jumping isn’t about doing stupid things. It’s about doing special things.”

Wachs’ favourite thing about BASE jumping is meeting new people--the community of jumpers is like a big family. They are very tight. “Earlier this year, I went back to the bridge in Belgium with a friend from the UK and we jumped in memory of Gareth,” he says. “It was insane.”

THE SPORT’S PINNACLE Nicolas Wachs was one of only 108 experienced BASE jumpers, from 20 countries, who took the 300m leap from Kuala Lumpur Tower during the International Tower Jump in the Malaysian capital in September 2014. www.kltowerjump.com

October 2015

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ENERGY RATING

SOHO RESIDENTIAL PARK

Projet Résidentiel SoHo

SoHo «Residential Park» situé dans le quartier résidentiel de la gare à Luxembourg, a été conçu autour d’une

AAA

RUE DE STRASBOURG - LUXEMBOURG AU COEUR DU RENOUVEAU

Promoteur : Besix-Soludec Development

Constructeur : Besix-Soludec

DISPONIBLE:

cour semi-fermée, enveloppée de passages et jardins paysagers. Bénéficiant d’une localisation idéale à deux

Façade super isolante

pas des écoles et des lycées, à proximité de la gare et des

Menuiserie extérieure bois

commerces, cet espace vert unique se compose de trois résidences.

Triple vitrage

DETE I MAD ABOUT SOUL

autoroutes, ainsi qu’au carrefour de tous les services et

Terrasses, loggias ou jardin pour tous les appartements

La résidence SoHo - New York comprend 57 logements, du studio au 4 chambres allant de 39m2 à 160m2.

Chaque appartement dispose d’une terrasse, ou d’un jardin, d’une cave privative et d’un emplacement de parking au sous-sol.

1 Résidence NEW YORK, Moreno Architecture 2 Résidence LONDON, M3 Architectes 3 Résidence SOHO, Moreno Architecture

www.soludec.lu

Tél.: 26 59 91

Responsable vente : emmanuel.sprung@soludec.lu Soludec Development S.à r.l. Parc d’activité Gadderscheier

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L-4570 Differdange

LUXEMBOURG

info@soludec.lu

9/23/15 18:33

68

BUSINESS

FOOD & DRINK

Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Photography by JAN HANRION

NO SMALL BEER

GET THE PICTURE

ANNUAL SPEND Each resident is expected to spend an average of €854 this year (4)

MARKET SIZE Total volume sold was 32.9m litres in 2014 (5) AVERAGE PRICE €1.66 for a 33cl beer at a supermarket; €3.20 for a 33cl beer in a bar (1) (2)

Sources: (1) Average of Battin Triple, Diekirch and Heineken bottles purchased at Cactus in Bonnevoie on 17 September; (2) Delano staff research; (3) The Brewers of Europe; (4) GoEuro “Beer Price Index”, June 2015, derived using World Health Organization data; (5) Euromonitor International; (6) EY; (*) Per capita statistics are often skewed in Luxembourg by the large number of cross border commuters

BEER PRODUCTION 28.1m litres brewed in the Grand Duchy (3)

HAVE A PINT Beer is big business in Luxembourg.

The brewery sector employed roughly 1,600 people in the Grand Duchy, including those working in production, supply, hospitality and retail outfits, according to the EY report “The contribution made by beer to the European economy”, published in December 2013.

The consulting firm counted a further 110 or so indirect service jobs, such as those working in transport and marketing. The trade group The Brewers of Europe reported there were seven active breweries in Luxembourg and that beer generated €61.1m for the Grand Duchy’s treasury in 2013.

AVERAGE INTAKE Consumption per capita was 83 litres in 2013 (3) (*)

TOP TASTE Lager represents roughly 90% of total beer consumption (6)

MARKET FORECAST Beer sales are expected to fall by 3.1% to 31.9m litres in 2019 (5) October 2015

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UPFRONT

LIFESTYLE

70

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GRAND DUCHY

DÎNER AMÉRICAIN

Diners with American-style booths are a rarity in Luxembourg--Oscar’s Diner on rue de Strasbourg being an exception. Now French chain Memphis Coffee has opened a franchise in Beggen. The chain’s 50th outlet is also its first outside France.

Its Americans themed décor includes brightly coloured bench seating, the music has a distinctly 50s rock’n’roll theme and the menu features burgers, ribs, hot dogs and, of course, milkshakes.

Where: Memphis coffee, 233 rue de Beggen, Luxembourg-Beggen Info: www.memphis-coffee.com

VEGGIE DELIGHTS Some 25 years ago there was hardly a vegetarian restaurant in the country.

Now the latest eatery to shun meat, Beet, has opened in the city centre.

Its style is quality, vegetarian fast food. The menu features a range of burgers using beetroot, mushrooms and dried vegetables, for example.

There is also choice of falafels, soups and salads and everything is made using only European products, so it’s good for your carbon footprint, too.

Where: Beet, 32 place Guillaume II, Luxembourg-Centre Info: Beet is on Facebook

CREATIVE REBEL Luxembourg gastronomy’s enfant terrible Damien Klein has opened a new restaurant that reflects his maverick approach to fine dining.

IVI is a “creative culinary establishment” for those who like to think they are rebelling against the establishment.

Klein takes pride in doing his own thing and has a reputation for “daring” cooking, such as a deconstructed Bouneschlupp. Klein says he wants to focus on innovation, quality produce and great service.

Where: IVI, 15 rue Louvigny, Luxembourg-Centre Info: www.ivi.lu

FILES THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD nyone who has lived in Luxembourg for more than 20 years will remember the advertising campaign promoting the Nordstrooss, the northern highway that has now finally linked Luxembourg City with the city of Ettelbruck and access to the north of the country. Lobbying against the highway was rife in the early 1990s as environmentalists and countryside interest groups feared the road would destroy the natural habitat for local wildlife.

The government of the time launched a campaign featuring a young boy upset that he wouldn’t see his father before bedtime, because it was taking dad so long to get home in the evening rush hour along the heavily congested road that wound its way from the capital through Walferdange, Heisdorf, the Tolkeinesque sounding Helmdange, Lorentzweiler, Lintgen, Mersch and Colmar-Berg before reaching the metropolis of Ettelbruck.

Well, traumatised as he was, that kid is now probably a father himself. But at least his own children will get to see him before they hit the sack on a school evening.

Work on the highway had begun back in 1979, but completion was delayed several times as planners had to rethink the route because of objections and geological conditions that would have made construction along the original route nigh-on impossible. The plans for the final section of the highway, linking Kirchberg with Mersch, were only finalised in 1995. Now the 31.5km stretch of road is finally open to traffic.

But that doesn’t mean that the objectors have been silenced. Biologist and campaigner Roger Schauls says the Grëngewald has been parcelled off unnaturally by the construction of the road. Schauls also claims the road will hardly reduce travel time between the north and the capital city. “People from the Ösling will just reach the traffic jams at Kirchberg more quickly,” he says. As for the Alzette valley, which was meant to have been relieved of traffic by the new road, it too has seen some of its roads extended rather than closed, claims the forest expert.

A

Benjamin Champenois Mike Zenari IVI Nespresso Creative Commons/Cayambe

MORE POSH COFFEE George Clooney’s favourite coffee brand Nespresso has moved its Luxembourg City centre boutique into larger premises. Nespresso is hugely popular in Luxembourg and the former store was often packed to the rafters. The new flagship outlet in the Grand-Rue still sells Nespresso’s range of 23 varieties of coffee, as well as coffee machines and accessories.

It also features a tasting area.

The larger store, all on a single level, has been designed to minimise waiting times.

Where: Nespresso, 45 Grand-Rue, Luxembourg-Centre Info: www.nespresso.com/lu/en

October 2015

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Per fect quiet weekend

nothing more than some ng ders out there who like We know there are rea od bo ok , visit an ex hib itio n or lea rn so me thi go a d rea to m. e the tim is for down the days draw da rke r, ne w. Th is we eken d, as

Diary DINNER FOR RWANDA Femmes Développement hosts its 10th annual charity gala dinner at the Casino 2000 in Mondorf-lesBains on 15 October.

Entertainment, fashion show and a tombola with luxury prizes.

Proceeds go to help micro-finance projects for women in Rwanda.

The theme is an opera ball.

Paolo Lobo Steve Eastwood Yaph Photography Sven Becker

femmesdeveloppement. org

NEW FOOD GUIDE The 21st edition of the Explorator restaurant guide is due to be released on 22 October. The guide, which launched Maison Moderne (the publisher of Delano) some 21 years ago, features a selection of 250 restaurants from around the country chosen and reviewed by a team of expert journalists.

HUNGARIAN FILM The Hungarian stand of the International Bazaar has made a tradition

FRIDAY 16.10 – 8 P.M.

of screening a recent film to raise money for charities. This year’s pick is uncon– ventional coming of age story For Some Inexplicable Reason.

The film is shown on 5 October at the Tramsschapp, rue Ermesinde, Limpertsberg. Tickets can be reserved via email: hungarian. stand@gmail.com

FETCH YOUR COAT Mantelsonndeg (coat Sunday) has been a tradition for decades. It allows shoppers the time to buy a new coat before they go visit the graves of their loved ones on All Saints’ Day, 1 November. This year, the shops will be open on Sunday 25 October. www.cityshopping.lu

SWING TO QUEEN Serge Schonckert takes on vocal duties backed by the Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra, led by

Ernie Hammes, and the Jazz Ensemble INECC Luxembourg for a night of Queen songs in a big band style.

24 October.

SEE 20TH CENTURY GREATS… …at two fascinating shows of 20th century art. “Beacons” is a selection of monumentally sized masterpieces by the likes of Pablo Picasso and Anish Kapoor.

“Warhol Underground” needs little explanation.

Where: Centre Pompidou, Parvis des Droits de l’Homme, Metz, France Info: www.centrepompidou-metz.fr

www.queenswings.com

NEW SHIRTS, PLEASE! Rugby Club Luxembourg’s U19 team recently received a new set of kit, featuring new sponsor Kneip on its shirts.

Bob Kneip was at Cessange to officially hand over the shirts, which were christened with a 151-0 victory. Meanwhile, RCL has opened a concession selling its clobber at Eirelux in Howald.

SATURDAY 17.10 – 10 A.M.

BROWSE COLLECTABLE BOOKS… …at a special sale of antiquarian books, modern first editions, rare children’s books and more hosted by the Book Stand of the International Bazaar. The twoday open house (also on 16 October) ends at 6 p.m.

Where: 25 rue du Moulin, Bofferdange

www.rcl.lu

BATON HANDOVER The Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg has announced a new artistic director for the 2016-17 season.

Acclaimed pianist Jean Muller will take over from David Reiland. www.ocl.lu

SUNDAY 18.10 – 2 P.M.

HEAD INTO SPACE… …at the European Space Expo, a unique space travelling show that highlights how space activities and applications have a direct impact on EU citizens’ daily lives. Until 25 October.

Where: Place Guillaume II, Luxembourg-Centre

October 2015

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SNAPSHOTS

Text by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

Woofers on parade

MORE CUTE DOGS: WWW.DELANO.LU/ DOGSHOW2015

L

uxembourg’s International Dog Show is a popular event among breeders from near and far. Out of the 3,937 dogs that were shown during the 91st edition, many had made the trip from France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, but quite a lot came from Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK too.

Not forgetting 34 from Russia and one from Mexico! In all, 34 different countries and 263 breeds were represented.

But there was barely a bark to be heard--except some enthusiastic ones from the ring where the Luxembourg agility club did jumping demonstrations. “The dogs are really well behaved”, says Nicolas Schwab of the Luxembourg Canine Federation. “Touching wood, I can even say we’ve never had any bites”.

The dog owners don’t come for the prize money. There is none. They come to compete for the title of best in breed, best in age group, best in class, etc., in order to increase the value of their dog’s offspring.

Danish breeder Henriette participated with one of her Swiss white shepherds, called Baily Cooper. She drove all the way from Denmark the day before and stayed at a hotel with her dog. “It’s the first time I participate in a show abroad. It’s been a nice experience but not a cheap one! And I have to admit that it’s disappointing to drive all this way and then only finish at a second place.” www.uchl.lu October 2015

INTERNATIONAL DOG SHOW A. Anna Deltell with Asia during Luxembourg’s 91st International Dog Show at LuxExpo B. Federico Sanguinetti with Violet (junior world winner) C. Paula Van Sande and Leona Reynaert with Puma D. Russry Assorti’c praise me loud, Darvin White Star of Rainbowland and Honey Moon White Star of Rainbowland E. Chrystel Costanzo with Jaya du domaine de la Combe Noire (Czechoslovakian wolfdog) F. Nicolas Schwab, president of the Fédération Cynologique Luxembourgeoise, who organises the event at LuxExpo twice a year G. 36 judges were shipped in from 18 different countries to decide who got the certificates and the glory

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EXPO_ FROM 10 TO 18 OCTOBER 2015

THE ESSENTIAL ABOUT HOUSING AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES WITH IT!

HOUSING CONSTRUCTION RENOVATION INTERIOR DESIGN DECORATION

OPENING HOURS MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 12PM - 7PM ON BOTH WEEK-ENDS: 10AM - 7PM FREE ENTRY MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 12PM – 2PM

Latest news on facebook.com/luxexpo www.homeandlivingexpo.lu

www.semainenationaledulogement.lu

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74

75

LIFESTYLE

WINE & SPIRITS

Text by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

r Cheers fou g r o b m e x Lu

remains a valued necessity or a luxury, it y, taste it and learn a s irit sp er oth d an e etr win Whether you consider Grand Duchy. Places to buy the bottled po plus. objec t of affec tion in theplentiful and knowing how to get around is a about its subtleties are

I

t’s one of the places Luxembourg residents like to go on a day off or to show visitors. The valley of the Moselle River, with its vineyards stretching 42km from Schengen to Wasserbillig, offers a bucolic outing and tells the story of centuries of winemaking. Celts, Gauls and Romans have all cultivated vines here, and though Luxembourg only supplies 0.05% of the world’s wine production, the contribution--half of which is sold abroad--is noteworthy.

“Exposition and soil is ideal along the Moselle,” explains Jan Holmström, international wine judge and wine writer. “As it’s the case almost everywhere, the quality of the wines from Luxembourg has increased lately.

In the past, problems didn’t come from the Luxembourgish vineyards but from public expectations of low prices and the wrong grapes being grown in the wrong way for the wrong reasons. Fortunately that’s not the trend we see today.”

CRÉMANT DE LUXEMBOURG Luxembourg producers operate within three different “groups” who don’t always see eye-to-eye but share the same love of grapes. Domaines Vinsmoselle brings together six cooperatives covering around 60% of the country’s total wine-producing area. The rest is shared nearly equally between independent winegrowers (around 50 estates) and wineproducing merchants (who also sell other wines besides their own).

Despite being the market leader,

" PEOPLE SHOULDN’T COME

HERE BY ACCIDENT AND THEY RARELY DO." MARC KRIER

Vinsmoselle is not always perceived as such. Newly appointed director Patrick Berg is set on changing that.

“We need to reaffirm our position and put Vinsmoselle back in its place as ambassador for high-quality Luxembourg wine and crémant,” he says.

“Our products continually win medals and receive high ratings in wine guides and yet we don’t put forward our know-how enough.” Vinsmoselle is also behind brands like Edmond de la Fontaine and Sixty Six, and produces a number of Grands Premiers Crus (i.e., from specially delimited vineyards and selected grapes). However the most known product is probably its Poll-Fabaire crémant, also referred to by Berg as “our 25-year long success story”.

Crémant is a big thing in the Grand Duchy and rightly so.

Luxembourg is the only country outside France entitled to use the term and the sparkling wine is made according to the traditional Champagne method. “The pure Crémant wines are of no importance, since they are made mostly out of poor, or imported grapes, while Crémant de Luxembourg is really another matter. They are truly well made,” explains Holmström.

Vinsmoselle was the first producer to market a qualified “Crémant de Luxembourg” when the designation was introduced in 1991, but today most vineyards offer their own certified blends for which they often reap international awards.

October 2015

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LAYOUT D

Like most of the big--and many of the less big--producers in Luxembourg, Vinsmoselle organises tastings and tours of wine cellars (being a cooperative, they have several) and have five vinothèques where you can buy all the good stuff. By subscribing to its newsletter via their website you’ll be sure not to miss any events.

Of course, that’s a tip applicable to a lot of other wine producers and sellers too, including the big supermarkets (both here and across the borders) and which wine festivals are considered by many experts as a perfect place to stock up on quality bottles. Newsletters are one of the easiest solutions to keep up with wine highlights and

good deals and one of the less time-consuming too.

TASTE AROUND If you’re new to tastings or want to plan one with visitors for example, you might want to try the “wine tasting with friends” formula. Log on to the www.winetasting.lu website and you’ll find a list of around 30 Luxembourg winegrowers who organise cellar visits and tastings at very reasonable prices. They are all partners with the transport company Emile Weber, which means you can book a minibus (minimum 8 people) to bring you home if you’ve done too much “tasting”. In case you want to gather a bit of knowledge beforehand, there is a website

dedicated to Luxembourg wine and grapes, which sums up all you need to know (www.vins-cremants.lu) and there’s even a wine museum in Ehnen, definitely worth visiting.

The Grevenmacher estate of Bernard-Massard--somewhat of an institution in Luxembourg because of the well-known sparkling wines that comes to life there--naturally organises tastings and visits too.

You’ll also find a well-endowed vinothèque there, with a fine local and international selection. New this autumn: the Bernard-Massard oenology classes, taught by Niels Toase, who won the title of best sommelier of Luxembourg in 2014.

“Our classes will be announced both on our website and on Facebook, October 2015

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WINE & SPIRITS

CONTINUED

making it possible to join open groups,” he says. “During the courses, we’ll be looking at all the technical aspects, tasting, serving, choosing the best wine to accompany food and so on.

We won’t only be enhancing understanding for Luxembourgish wines, but also for international ones.” Toase is half-Irish, so Anglophone lessons are frequent.

“For me, the most difficult thing to teach people is to trust themselves.

Everyone has what it takes to enjoy wine; you just have to have faith in your own palate. Identify what you want from a wine and find the words to explain what you like, all whilst remembering that there is no right or wrong.”

BRUSH UP There are a number of other places you can take wine courses.

At La Bulle de Vin, Luxembourg’s first “champagne cellar”, you can eat, taste wine, buy champagne and enjoy some after-work tapas and wine, but every second Tuesday of the month, there’s also a wine course. For five or more people, personalised lessons can even be arranged. Asap-Concept, who sells wines from all over the world as well as whiskeys and rare cognacs, offers both wine and whiskey courses in French and English, for which you can easily register online. “We have evening courses for both beginners and more advanced enthusiasts who want to learn more about vineyards, grape varieties, winemaking and tasting analysis, malting and maturation,” explains owner Lucia Hrehorovska.

Whiskey enthusiasts can furthermore meet likewise inclined via the Luxembourg Whiskey Club and the Grand Duchy Whiskey Society. Since 2005, Luxembourg even makes its own whiskey thanks to the Diedenacker Distillery, where a nice range of brandies is also produced. In fact Luxembourg has quite an offer of high-quality brandies (drëpp) and liquors.

A list of “marque nationale” producers is available on www.eaux-de-vie.lu. One may be inclined to think that with all the local production has to offer, Luxembourg residents soak it all

up without looking across the borders. That is not the case. Only about 30% of the wines sold here are Luxembourgish, while 70% are foreign--a quite different situation from what is seen in other wineproducing regions. Luckily, growing international success for Luxembourg wines helps make up for this “betrayal”. Krier Frères, another renowned and award-winning Grand Duchy producer and merchant, exports to countries like Finland, for example, but never at slashed prices. Director Marc Krier, the fourth generation to run this 100 year-old winery in Remich, is adamant about quality and also insists that tastings organised on his estate don’t have a “touristy”

feel. “People shouldn’t come here by accident and they rarely do,” he says. “We often have visitors who arrive after having enjoyed a wine at a restaurant nearby.

They take the etiquette off the bottle and drive around to find us.” Krier Frères was the first to propose red wines made in Luxembourg, and though its wines have a long story of success, Krier crémant is increasingly linked to the name too and regularly receives international medals. “In Luxembourg and the surrounding countries, crémant has not only taken over the aperitif but there are also many who keep drinking it throughout the meal,” notes Krier.

“It’s rare to go out today and not

PATRICK BERG Domaines Vinsmoselle does not market its success enough

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LIFESTYLE

WINE & SPIRITS

CONTINUED

WINE TASTING RESOURCES DOMAINES VINSMOSELLE

www.vinsmoselle.lu EMILE WEBER

Search for “Wine tasting with friends” on www.emile-weber.lu WINE MUSEUM

www.museevin.lu

LUXEMBOURG PRODUCERS

LAYOUT D3

ALICE HARTMANN

www.alice-hartmann.lu BERNARD-MASSARD

www.bernard-massard.lu CEP D’OR

www.cepdor.lu KRIER FRÈRES

www.krierfreres.lu MATHIS BASTIAN

www.mathisbastian.lu

WINE SHOPS ASAP-CONCEPT

www.asap-concept.com LA BULLE DE VIN

www.labulledevin.com PHILIPPE BOURTEMBOURG

www.levinpassionnement.lu IN VINO GILDAS

www.invinogildas.com VINISSIMO

www.vinissimo.lu VINOTECA

see crémant on the table.” Krier is also one of the rare local producers to make a rosé crémant too.

For newcomers, making head or tails of Luxembourg wines isn’t always easy. “In my opinion, the best grapes in the country are riesling, pinot gris and auxerrois, while the big production consists of mediocre elbling and rivaner,” says Holmström. “There is a real trend towards increasingly fine wines, often led by small independent producers like Alice Hartmann, Cep d’Or and Mathis Bastian, among others. What’s worth noting too is that bottles of high quality wine sold for more money per bottle is where everybody in the world of wine is going today.”

October 2015

NIELS TOASE Believe in your own palate

To find the wines that suit your personal taste and habits, asking an unbiased expert in a specialised shop is a good option. At In Vino Gildas, for example, sommelier Gildas Royer has been enchanting palates for seven years. “We select our wines differently today than when we started, taking in a smaller number of ‘fashionable’ wines and more of what we really like. We have a wonderful selection of European and Argentine wines,” he explains.

“We also offer an increasing number of events and tastings, but without ever coming off as trying to be ‘educational’. Wine should be a vector of conviviality and happiness.

In our philosophy, wine should accompany, not dominate, like a soothing background music.”

www.vinoteca.lu

WINE CLUB CACTUS WINE CLUB

www.belle-etoile.lu/club-vin

DISTILLERIES LUXEMBOURG WHISKEY

www.diedenacker.lu

LUXEMBOURG GIN AND VODKA

www.mansfeld-distillery.com

WHISKEY CLUBS LUXEMBOURG WHISKEY CLUB

www.whiskyclublux.com

GRAND DUCHY WHISKEY SOCIETY

www.whiskysociety.lu

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LIFESTYLE

INTERVIEW

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

Photography by JULIEN BECKER

Fairground extraction

th Dugdall has written Luxembourg, author Ru fourth psychological in g ivin arr er aft s nth the Girl is Just 18 mo Grand Duchy. Nowhere her first book set in the n off icer Cate Austin. novel to feature probatio

I

t is rare to discover an English language novel set in Luxembourg, never mind one that delves into the “dark heart” of the country. But that is what Ruth Dugdall’s Nowhere Girl does, and then some. The tale of a teenage girl who goes missing at the Schueberfouer, Nowhere Girl takes the author’s familiar heroine, probation officer Cate Austin, on a journey into dangerous territory involving human traffickers and other unsavoury characters. “I am interested in the gritty places,” Dugdall says. Her own journey to writing novels has been rather roundabout via what seemed to be a lifelong commitment to a career in the British probation service.

But a hobby investigation into a famous historical murder in her native Suffolk eventually led Dugdall to turn her meticulous research into a novel, The James Version. Dugdall’s next novel, The Woman Before Me, won the 2005 Debut Dagger prize awarded by the Crime Writers’ Association and had literary agents chasing her with the promise to change her life.

That was enough for Dugdall to resign from her job to focus on writing. “Which was stupid.

Because you can’t make any money from writing, and why nobody told me that, I don’t know.”

She was repeatedly told that her books were too dark. “I realise now that this is every writer’s story, it takes ages to get the recognition.”

Her perseverance paid off and another Cate Austin novel, Humber Boy B, appeared earlier this year. Meanwhile, husband Andrew had been offered a transfer to Luxembourg with his work and the family moved to the Grand Duchy.

A couple of random incidents got Dugdall thinking about how easy it would be to kidnap someone in Luxembourg and be across the border in the direction of France, Belgium or Germany within minutes. “I thought, which way would you even start looking?”

But her trademark is unearthing the RUTH DUGDALL: psychological underpinnings of why PSYCHOLOGICAL people commit crime, and so she UNDERPINNINGS started to investigate the struggle of illegal immigrants and the problem of human trafficking in Luxembourg. The result, Nowhere Girl, is out on 31 October.

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GETTING INVOLVED

Text by ALIX RASSEL

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

This bank wants you to run 5K This year Mantelsonndeg (“New Coat Sunday”, 25 October) will be a double celebration in Luxembourg City as RBC hold Luxembourg’s first ever Race for the Kids, a 5km family fun run around Kinnekswiss.

R

oyal Bank of Canada’s Race for the Kids is a global initiative first launched in New York City back in 2008. Race for the Kids to date has raised more than $10m to support children’s charities and is currently run in seven locations worldwide, from Hong Kong to Sydney. The children’s charities supported are always local to the community where the run takes place and include Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

In Luxembourg, RBC has chosen to donate the proceeds from the run to Kannerhaus Jean, a youth programme run by the Luxembourg Red Cross. Kannerhaus Jean provides support for children with behavioral and psychological disorders. Support is offered in a number of ways including counseling, psychotherapy, school support and use of therapeutic intermediaries, such as animals, art, music, dance and puppets.

The use of therapeutic intermediaries enables children to express themselves in ways other than words and can be particularly effective with younger children and those who are extremely distressed. Kannerhaus Jean currently provides both outpatient and

part-time residential care. “The Croix-Rouge and RBC have well aligned values,” explained Yves Lahaye, managing director of RBC Investor & Treasury Services Luxembourg, who is one of the run organisers (pictured in the front row, third from left, with RBC runners in front of its Esch-Belval offices). “We wanted to choose a specific and dedicated local project from the Croix-Rouge and the Kannerhaus Jean was a perfect fit. RBC employees feel connected to the centre which is important.” Over the coming months, RBC employees will have the opportunity to attend a “Lunch and Learn” seminar given by one of the Kannerhaus Jean’s therapists as well as visit the Kannerhaus Jean when the children are not present.

But the Race for the Kids is only one of many initiatives to raise money for children’s charities, the bank said. The RBC Kids Pledge launched in 2013 is a five year, $100m pledge to help one million children globally. To date the Kids Pledge has supported more than 2,400 children’s initiatives and raised more than $40m globally. “Our goal for 2015 is to raise €50,000 for Kannerhaus Jean in Luxembourg,” stated Yves. “We are proud to say that we have already reached €25,000 from employee donations alone.”

RBC has established an internal network of 13 team captains who, along with senior management, make up a Kids Pledge working committee. Yves was keen to point out that “99% of the established initiatives have come

from employees directly.” There are currently more than 20 events on the calendar, including golf tournaments, car washes and an internal “Schueberfouer” (fun fair) held in the bank’s large reception area. According to the bank, its Kids Pledge is an important part of RBC’s global employee engagement programme, “RBC and Me”, which is linked to each employee’s annual performance appraisal.

This month’s Race for the Kids will be the highlight of the events planned in 2015 and is open not only to RBC employees, friends and family, but the general public. “All the registration money will go directly to the Kannerhaus Jean,” explained Yves. “So it really is a charity event.”

In addition to the run itself, there will be an “event village” with a variety of entertainment for all the family, as well as a coat donation in keeping with Luxembourg’s “Mantelsonndeg” (a tradition where shops open on Sunday so residents can buy a new winter coat).

All run participants will receive a goodie bag and volunteers throughout the course of the race will provide refreshments.

RBC is the title sponsor and will be funding the race but hopes that many of its third party providers will also be keen to get involved.

In addition RBC will work in close partnership with the Ville de Luxembourg, Club d’athlétisme Luxembourg and Luxembourg Energy Office.

“It will be a great fun family day out for a good cause,” said Yves. “The only thing we cannot guarantee is the weather.”

Community notebook

ALL ABOUT PASTA

BONGERT ALTENHOVEN

NEW2LUXEMBOURG

CHILEAN WINES

BRITISH LADIES CLUB “We will hear about the history of pasta, learn how to make it and then get to eat it!” Plus prosecco and wine.

9 Oct. at 7 p.m.

Info: www.blc.lu

NATUR&ËMWELT Pick apples and help tidy up Luxembourg’s largest orchard (in Bettembourg). Apples can be juiced on the spot. 10 Oct. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Info: www.naturemwelt.lu

AMCHAM A seminar for newly arrived expats covering “personal business” topics from insurance to working with HR. 15 Oct. at 6.30 p.m.

Info: www.amcham.lu

CAFÉ DES LANGUES Try three wines from Chile with an expert presentation in English and French, plus local delicacies and “good vibes”. 19 Oct. at 7.30 p.m.

Info: www.cafe-des-langues.lu

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RUN ESSENTIALS The RBC Race for the Kids will take place on Sunday 25 October at the Kinnekswiss, on the northern edge of the Parc Municipal in Luxembourg City. The race will start at 10 a.m.

The registration fee is €15 for adults, €10 for children between 7 and 16 years old and free for children under 7.

RBC employees do not have to pay a registration fee. Sign up via the link listed in the bubble below.

More information about Kannerhaus Jean can be found on the Luxembourg Red Cross website: www.croix-rouge.lu

RBC RACE FOR THE KIDS:

OKTOBERFEST BEER TOUR

ART FOR LUNCH

DIWALI CELEBRATIONS

COMEDY NIGHT

AWCL Visit to Bofferding brewery in Bascharage where members will enjoy “a private tour, dinner and beer tasting. Cheers!” 23 Oct. at 7 p.m.

Info: www.awcluxembourg.com

LUX MEET GREET A 15-minute guided tour of the Mudam (modern art museum) followed by a group lunch at the Mudam Café. 26 Oct. at 12 noon.

Info: www.luxmeetgreet.com

INDIAN BUSINESS CHAMBER Mark the Festival of Lights with a Bollywood gala, musical dance show, Indian cuisine, DJ dancing and a tombola. 14 Nov. at 6.30 p.m.

Info: www.ibcl.lu

NORDIC WOMEN’S CLUB Swedish stand-up “superstar Magnus Betnér” performs (in Swedish). 15 Nov. at 5 p.m.

Info: “Nordic Women’s Club i Luxembourg” on Facebook

Creative Commons Maison Moderne archives

RBCRACEFORTHEKIDS.LU

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

A touch of class

gner’s Eng Ne w films, Christophe Wa e of new ne ted ipa tic an rly ge ea Two nset Song, lead the charg and Terence Davies’s Su tions this autumn. uc Luxembourg (co)prod

i Zäit

A

Samsa Film/Patrick Muller

L

uxembourg’s film industry has rarely been in ruder health. It is 18 months since the country claimed its first Oscar statuette (the best short animated film for Mr Hublot), and local companies have been forging ahead with productions that have raised the quality of Luxembourg’s film output to new levels.

Early October sees the release in local cinemas of Christophe Wagner’s eagerly anticipated Eng Nei Zäit, written by Viviane Thill and produced

by Samsa Film. The director’s second feature film, his follow up to awardwinning debut Doudege Wénkel, created plenty of buzz on social media throughout last year’s shoot.

Shot in familiar locations such as neimënster and the corniche, Eng Nei Zäit is set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and based on a real event--the murder of five people, including three Germans, at a farm near Ettelbruck. Like Doudege Wénkel the film seems to have a very noir feel, and the stars of that first feature, André Jung and Jules Werner, also appear alongside Luc Schiltz as protagonist Jules.

The other major feature film to watch this autumn is by acclaimed English director Terence Davies, whose trilogy of autobiographical films set in 1940s and 1950s Liverpool won him accolades from the likes of Jean-Luc Godard (who called the first film, Distant Voices, Still Lives, a “masterpiece”). Davies’ latest film is an adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s classic novel Sunset Song, about the trials and tribulations of a rural Scottish family at the start of the 20th century. Co-produced

by Iris Productions, Sunset Song was

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Iris Productions

partially shot in Luxembourg (at the Fondsde-Gras industrial heritage site).

It stars Agyness Deyn and Peter Mullan, while one-time Luxembourg resident Julian Nest also gets an acting credit and local crew include costume designer Uli Simon and production manager Solveig Harper.

The film has already screened to positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and the San Sebastian Film Festival--Henry Barnes in The Guardian said it is “packed with emotional bombast, almost relentless in its lushness” and that Davies had “made a prize of beauty and found peace in the past.” Sunset Song will be in competition at the BFI London Film Festival in mid-October.

Meanwhile, Luxembourg has chosen Donato Rotunno’s Baby(a)lone as its long list entry for the best foreign language film at the 2016 Academy Awards. Each country is allowed to submit one film to the Academy, which then chooses a short list of five nominations for the final prize.

A tough coming of age story, Baby(a)lone has had its share of success since being released earlier this year, screening at numerous festivals around Europe and had critics such as Belgium’s Charles de Clercq comparing Rotunno to Larry Clark, praising the “sublime” actors and the film’s pedagogical ambitions.

But Luxembourg is represented by another film in the same category-Belgium has plumped for Jaco van Dormael’s black comedy Le Tout Nouveau Testament (The Brand New Testament) as its candidate. The film, co-produced by Juliette Films, stars Benoît Poelvoorde as a grumpy God, who lives in a Brussels apartment

B

with his family. It was screened to critical acclaim at the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where Deborah Young in The Hollywood Reporter called it “irresistibly laugh-out-loud and feel-good.” Luxembourg actor Marco Lorenzini has a significant role in the film and other local actors and crew, including Gabriel Boisante and stills photographer Fabrizio Maltese also contributed. The film is currently on general release in Luxembourg.

Whether either of these films makes it on to the final Oscars short list remains to be seen. But one thing is sure; the members of the Luxembourg Film Academy are going to have their work cut out to pick prizes at next March’s Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis.

THREE FILMS TO WATCH: FILM FUND LUXEMBOURG: WWW.FILMFUND.LU

MADE IN LUXEMBOURG A. “Eng Nei Zäit” is Christophe Wagner’s eagerly anticipated follow up to “Doudege Wénkel” B. Acclaimed director Terence Davies has created a lush film in “Sunset Song”

ENG NEI ZÄIT Directed by Christophe Wagner Produced by Samsa Film Released: 14 October Info: www.samsa.lu SUNSET SONG Directed by Terence Davies Co-produced by Iris Productions Released: to be announced (international release 4 December) Info: www.theirisgroup.eu LE TOUT NOUVEAU TESTAMENT Directed by Jaco van Dormael Co-produced by Juliette Films Released: in cinemas since 22 September Info: www.juliettefilms.lu

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SPENDING IT VS. SAVING IT

Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Weekend in Brussels

DELANO COMPARES

to the Belgium capital?

Thinking of a quick trip : Here are two ways to go

SPENDING IT SAVING IT VS.

EAT Lunch at Lola (www.restolola.be) or Brasseries Georges (www.brasseriesgeorges.be).

Dinner at one of the city’s best seafood joints Toucan sur Mer (www.toucanbrasserie.com) or Comme Chez Soi (set menu is €199 for 6 courses, www.commechezsoi.be).

SLEEP Try a “grand hotel” like Steigenberger Wiltcher’s (suites €270-€6,500 a night, www.steigenberger.com) or the Hôtel Métropole (suites €350-€3,000, www.metropolehotel.com).

GETTING THERE The Megabus coach (www.megabus.com) takes 3 hours (similar to the train) and there’s free wifi on board.

We found several return fares for £4.50-£6.50 per person.

Not the most convenient departure times though.

EAT Lunch at Bonsoir Clara (€14 for 2 courses, www.bonsoirclara. com) or Au Vieux Saint Martin (www.auvieuxsaintmartin.be).

Dinner at a Thai or Vietnamese place on rue Van Artevelde or rue Jules Van Praet like Lune de Miel (check www.tripadvisor.com).

SLEEP Try a hotel in the more colourful Saint-Gilles area like the Citadines Toison d’Or or Park Inn by Radisson (both under €100 a night, search on www.tripadvisor.com).

DO DO Take a Laurent Gerbaud chocolate making workshop (www.chocolatsgerbaud.be).

Stop by unique art galleries like Greta Meert (www.galeriegretameert.com) or Galerie d’YS (www.galeriedys.com) and then head to jazz venue The Music Village (www.themusicvillage.com).

SHOP Rue Antoine Dansaert is home to stylish designer shops while top fashion brands can be found along avenue Louise (search those street names on www.visitbrussels.be).

More than 30 museums are always free (www.brusselsmuseums.be) and the city is home to tonnes of green space (search for “parks and gardens” on www.brussels.be).

Have drinks at one of the hip local cafés around place Saint-Géry like the Zebra Bar (on Facebook).

SHOP Check out the antique and book market in place du Grand Sablon and the flea market on place du Jeu de Balle (search for “antiques & flea markets” on www.visitbelgium.com).

Inspirational Food/CC Pux & Jourik/CC VisitFlanders Arcadiuš/CC La Citta Vita/CC Jean-Paul Remy/CC

GETTING THERE Arrive relaxed and in style in a chauffeur driven sedan; you’ll need to splash out €300-€400 each way with an outfit like City Airport Taxis (www.city-airport-taxis.com) or Luxcars-Services (www.luxcars-services.lu).

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The Ultimate Spa The Ultimate Spa

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INTERVIEW

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

Leaving s a g e V s a L for

r embark on a farewell tou akter tainer and about to en bre l e-na ng sio fes alle ch pro xt a ne as his g for ward to Celebrating 15 years David Goldrake is lookin of Luxembourg, magiciannew hometown of Las Vegas. ing into the circuit in his

D

avid Goldrake had huge dreams when he first started out on his career as a professional magician.

He still has those dreams, though he realises they were maybe a little over ambitious 15 years ago. “As I lived here and worked here, a lot of them did not come true.

I am not where I wanted to be when I thought about it 15 years ago. But I am further than I would have imagined if I had been realistic at the time.” Indeed, Goldrake says that back then he was constantly torn between trying to realise his dreams and the inner voices that were telling him he wouldn’t make it-voices fuelled by many of those around him who fed him negative vibes.

He thought he would have already been established in the United States by 2015.

But that dream is about to come true, as Goldrake is going to move to Las Vegas next spring. “I am very excited. It’s a very different market. What happens in Luxembourg, stays in Luxembourg, and slowly dies in Luxembourg,” he says paraphrasing the cliché about his new hometown, but loading it with negative connotation. He cites the spectacular show he did for National Day Eve in 2010--suspended in a box over the Petrusse valley, he escaped before it blew open and appeared seconds later in a window of a building some 100 metres away. “There were 30,000 spectators, who were obviously not there just for that, but nevertheless witnessed it. RTL showed a couple of seconds. David Blaine did a similar stunt in London, and the world talked about it.”

He says that in his business he needs a global network. “Here you need to make 20 more moves than in the United States,” says Goldrake. None of the crew on the current tour comes from Luxembourg, which makes the logistics all the more expensive.

“We don’t really have the facilities here for an artist. I think if you want to survive, you have

to make your choice and take responsibility for your own career and life, which is what I finally decided to do. In the US if you want to be an actor, you go to New York or LA. In magic it’s the same. It’s a logical extension to go to Vegas and give it a shot there.”

In November Goldrake will pick up an award as Best European Illusionist 2014.

“It’s a great hook with which to move to the US,” he says with some pride. So will he be changing his style to suit US audiences?

“That’s a good question. There are differences in culture and in energy. I always compare energy to the heartbeat--you adapt to the audience and slowly both hearts beat together. I have a lot of things that are very continental and European, and amazingly enough they like it--but I don’t know if that will work in the long run.” One great asset Goldrake does have is his linguistic ability.

He speaks seven languages fluently, which allows him to connect immediately with audiences and will help when dealing with tourists in Vegas and could also help break into the lucrative conventions market.

His farewell tour in Luxembourg, which will include some proceeds going to local charity Le chemin de l’école, is one of his most ambitious yet. It explores the darker side of human nature--fear, desire, greed... It will include some spectacular tricks and stunts, including making a member of the audience disappear, stealing one million euros and 3D projection mapping. It also features Goldrake’s own version of Harry Houdini’s water torture cell--he is fascinated with the history and craft of magic and has a library containing several thousand books on the subject.

So as he bids Luxembourg goodbye, how optimistic is Goldrake about the future?

“I am enthusiastic. I don’t know whether it is optimism. I am aware that it is not going to be easy. But the soil is more fertile than it is here.”

TOUR DATES 16 OCTOBER Centre des Arts Pluriels, Ettelbruck 31 OCTOBER Kinneksbond, Mamer 7 NOVEMBER (3 P.M.) Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg 7 NOVEMBER (4 P.M.) Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg 7 NOVEMBER (7 P.M.) Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg 13 NOVEMBER Casino 2000, Mondorf-les-Bains 21 NOVEMBER Artikuss, Soleuvre

" YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR CHOICE AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN CAREER AND LIFE, WHICH IS WHAT I FINALLY DECIDED TO DO." DAVID GOLDRAKE

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ON THE WEB: WWW.DAVIDGOLDRAKE.COM

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HEALTH

Text by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

Energy boost e without caffein HERBAL TONIC

Have the revitalising powers of summer worn off? Here’s how to get a little va-va-voom back.

T

here are probably more resolutions made after the summer break than at New Year’s.

However, once the daily race kicks in again, good intentions made while you were sun-kissed and relaxed quickly wear off. Before you know it, you’re back to caffeine-infused days and I-need-wine evenings. You go to bed shattered and wake up exhausted.

Lack of energy affects life quality in many ways.

Yet, there are simple things to get back on track and you probably already know what they are: get more sleep (early to bed and early to rise is more restorative), cut back on caffeine (makes you more tired in the long term) and alcohol (messes up your sleep), do some kind of exercise (clears head, enhances mood) and spend more time outside (relieves stress, restores mental energy).

If you’re concerned about not getting enough minerals and vitamins, ask your doctor for a blood sample before stocking up on pills. Most of us get what we need through nutrition. However, a magnesium-vitamin B complex supplement is

usually a good place to start, especially if your fatigue is stress-related. Naturally, what you eat has an impact of your energy levels too. Again, you most likely already know to avoid processed and fried foods, soda and heaps of white bread.

For a boost, think morning porridge, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, pulses, eggs, oily fish, lean meats, fresh fruit and more vegetables. Drink lots of water and green tea and always start the day with a cup of warm water with lemon, a well known “miracle booster”.

Acupuncture is another method that will help you regain your drive. “One of the main benefits is that it regulates the flow of energy through the body and releases any blockages in the meridians that prevent the free flow,” explains Luxembourg-based acupuncturist Josie Doyle (pictured). The number of sessions needed depends on your symptoms and age, but you will already feel a difference the first time.

“Different people respond in different ways and of course if you have chronic or adrenal fatigue it will take longer to treat than the aftermaths of some heavy nights out and a tough week at work.

However, you will see immediate benefits on your energy levels after one session.”

It easily beats caffeine as a stimulant and is used by herbalists to replenish energy, restore mood and guarantee sound sleep. Dried common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) can be found online, in health stores and even in supermarkets (you can also pick it and dry it yourself).

It’s incredibly rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and can easily be used to make an energising herbal tonic (capsules and teas contain too little of the herb to work well).

The best way to make it is by boiling 1 litre of water and pouring it onto about 30 grams of the dried nettle in a jar.

Stir and cover with a well-fitted lid.

Let it brew for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Strain, refrigerate and drink (you can add apple juice if you like it sweeter; adding honey will taste strange).

Drink 2 to 3 litres a week and not only will your energy levels rapidly increase, you’ll also lower your cholesterol levels and strengthen your hair, nails and skin, among others.

GINSENG SHOT There are different sorts of ginseng “nationalities”, but all are adaptogenic herbs that improve energy levels by taking a large burden off the adrenal system. Ginseng taken as a supplement will give you a boost, lessen fatigue and help you manage stressful periods better.

All ginsengs are of the Panax family, except Siberian ginseng, called Eleuthero root or E. senticosus, and all have a beneficial stimulating effect.

It is however always a good idea to consult your doctor before taking ginseng as it can interact with certain medications.

Neel Chrillesen

o

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KITCHEN ARGENTINA Fish dishes, homemade pasta and top quality meat guaranteed by careful of small livestock products . A excellent choice in Argentine wines; Think of us for your company events, banquets and family parties.

OPENING HOURS: Monday and Tuesday Lunch (11.30-14.00) Wednesday to Saturday (11.30-14.00/18.30-23.00) 5, passage Roger Manderscheid ( ancienne 18, rue des Capucins) L-1313 Luxembourg Tél: 26203683 — www.cafetin.lu

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NATURE

Text by NEEL CHRILLESEN

Photography by LALA LA PHOTO

s d r i b e t i v n I e c a l p r u o y o t will d birds by feeding them Making life easier for wilments of enter tainment and joy. also give you many mo

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n a world where the quest for happiness and serenity is increasingly linked to yoga, mindfulness and a green or gluten-free diet, it’s nice to know there are also other ways to find solace.

One of the more unexpected ones is feeding wild birds. It puts you in contact with nature, lowers your stress levels and is even said to improve your mental health.

“When I bought a feeding table for the garden two years ago, I had no idea how much pleasure it would bring the whole family,” says Walferdange resident Alan. “The first year we had mainly tits, sparrows, blackbirds and the occasional nuthatch, but this year we’ve had woodpeckers, bullfinches and goldfinches too. We can see them from our kitchen window and spend a lot of time studying their behaviour and looking them up. It’s fun and educational, both for the kids and the adults!”

The shops start displaying feeding tables in the autumn, but many birders put out food all year round. “The guidelines for this vary from country to country. In the UK for example, it’s considered a ‘must’ to feed all year round. In Luxembourg, we just say it’s fine to do it,” explains Mikis Bastian, from the ornithological centre of the natur&ëmwelt association (pictured).

“Actually, the beginning of spring is often a hard period for birds as they don’t yet have access to a lot of insects and berries. Later on, feeding helps out the parents who need energy to tend to their young. And obviously, when the weather gets colder, feeding increases survival rates, especially of the juvenile birds.

Out of 100 birds hatched this summer, only about 30 will be alive next year.”

When choosing a feeding table, opt for one with a roof (wet bird food gets mouldy and poisonous) and keep in mind that the lower the roof, the more difficult it will be for bigger birds to access.

This is especially worth thinking about if you live in an area with greedy wood pigeons, imposing magpies or opportunistic starlings--all of which have a tendency to leave little room or food for others. “Magpies are very intelligent and will always find a way, but they will go more

for suet balls than loose seeds,” says Bastian.

“To keep out pigeons and such you can put mesh around the feeder so only small-sized birds can get in. Blackbirds prefer eating on the ground anyway.” Hanging tube or suet feeders are also a good way to offer different types of food to a larger variety of birds.

While it’s good to place both table and hanging feeders near natural shelters such as trees and scrubs so birds have a place to retreat if necessary, keep possible hiding places for cats at a few meters distance. Not that you need a garden to attract birds: plenty of people have feeders on their balconies and get loads of visitors. As for placing feeders near windows so you can get a perfect view, it is not as bad an idea as one might think. Though thousands of birds are killed each year by window collisions, research has actually shown that placing feeders about one meter from a window leads to fewer deadly incidents, as the impact of startled birds with the glass is lighter and less likely to cause injury.

One of the pleasures of feeding wild birds is learning about the specificities of each one.

Soon, you’ll go from knowing the difference between a great tit and a blue tit to hearing if that noise outside it is a nuthatch terrorising a sparrow or a female blackbird telling off a male.

Next thing you know, you’ll be trying to tell a marsh tit from a willow tit (good luck with that!).

Which birds you attract depends on the area

you live but also upon which food you offer.

Don’t start out with the usual commercial bags of mixed seeds. Birds can be surprisingly picky.

Sunflower hearts will however be a hit with most, as will mealworms and (non-salted and preferably crushed) peanuts--a sure hit with woodpeckers and nuthatches. And of course, fat and suet balls make good winter foods.

“Blackbirds and robins are fond of soft food, like raisins or old apples that you can put on the ground or impale on a branch and goldfinches prefer nyger [thistle seeds],” adds Bastian. Be assured though, when you’re short of delicacies, a little cooked pasta, grated cheese or boiled potatoes will be momentarily accepted too.

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EXPERT SHOP The natur&ëmwelt association has its own shop at the Nature House in Kockelscheuer, where you can buy bird feeders and food, nest boxes and books, all while getting all the expert advice you need.

Info: www.naturemwelt.lu

BIRD ID You’ll have more fun if you get to know your visitors. Best-selling Englishlanguage books for identifying birds include: Collin’s Bird Guide and Birds of Europe. There are also a number of apps available, like the renowned Merlin Bird ID one (which is free).

Apple App Store & Google Play

Neel Chrillesen

NEST BOXES This is the time of year where you should clean out your nest boxes if you have any. Though most people wait till January to put up new ones, you can do it now without any problem.

A lot of birds use nest boxes in the winter to roost.

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ON STAGE

Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS

14 shows you must see

LSO Homage with Bartók The London Symphony Orchestra makes one of its regular visits to Luxembourg under the baton of Valery Gergiev. The concert, part of the Luxembourg Festival and as homage to Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte (after whom the Philharmonie’s concert hall is named), features three works by Bartók. They include the 3rd concerto for piano and orchestra with soloist Yefim Bronfman.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 14 October Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

BATTLES Avant-garde Critically acclaimed and adored by a hardcore fan base, Battles released their third album, La Di Da Di, in mid-September.

They burst onto the scene in 2007 with debut album Mirrored, packed with avantgarde rhythm and pop hooks.

Follow up Gloss Drop, made without Tyondai Braxton’s distinctive vocals, was equally thrilling, so the new album and live shows are keenly anticipated.

Where: Rockhal, Esch-Belval When: 1 October Tickets: www.rockhal.lu

STEREOPHONICS Infectious rock The hugely successful Welsh masters of undeniably infectious rock come to den Atelier for the fourth time. Only one of their albums has failed to enter the top 10 of the UK charts. New record Keep The Village Alive was released in mid-September and features riotous sing-a-long single ‘C’est La Vie’ and the more sentimental ‘I Wanna Get Lost With You’.

Where: den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare When: 8 October Tickets: www.atelier.lu

DIANA KRALL Jazz singer goes pop Diana Krall returns to the Philharmonie with her new album, Wallflower. Veering away from jazz, it is a personal choice of love songs by the likes of The Mamas and The Papas, The Carpenters, 10cc, Crowded House, Elton John and The Eagles. The title song is

by Bob Dylan, and the album also includes a previously unrecorded Paul McCartney song, ‘If I Take You Home Tonight’.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 12 October Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

FIFTY! & HUSBANDS SUPPLIED Double bill Fans of English-language farce are in for a treat. Bjørn Clasen directs a NWTC production of Archie Wilson’s Fifty! about a surprise birthday party thrown for a husband and father who is having a secret affair. Tony Kingston (photo) directs his BGT company in Falkland L. Cary’s Husbands Supplied, set in a marriage bureau.

Where: Forum Geesseknäppchen, Luxembourg-Merl When: 14-17 October Tickets: www.nwtc.lu

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE G&S by Leigh Mike Leigh directs this Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, first created in 1879. This is a co-production with English National Opera, in which Leigh unveils his true love and understanding of Gilbert and Sullivan’s work, eschewing what he once described as some directors’ penchant for the “gratuitously camp” and instead adopting a straightforward reading of the opera.

Where: Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg When: 16 & 18 October Tickets: www.theatres.lu

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Mountain magnificence Franz Welser-Möst conducts the Cleveland Orchestra in a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Chronochromie and Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony.

The Strauss work, which premiered in October 1915, is a symphonic poem that beautifully evokes a day on a mountain. It requires a large orchestra and has been called “cinema music” by a less favourable early critic.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 18 October Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

Grant Cornett Levy Stab Ranald Mackechnie Sebastien Grebille

nues son gets underway at ve The 2015-16 cultural sea top class orchestras, operetta , across the country, withas well as a double bill of local jazz and rock concerts e.

English-language theatr

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JAMIE XX Solo outing The xx band member and producer is famous for working with Gil Scott-Heron and other influential musicians. He has finally released his solo album, In Colour.

Kitty Empire in The Guardian says the album “might be a kaleidoscopic 11-track tribute to raves long past... but it is also about the pleasure of being alone, enveloped in bass, in a sea of many.”

Where: den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare When: 20 October Tickets: www.atelier.lu

RHYE Modern soul A Canadian-Swedish duo out of Los Angeles, Rhye make sweet and soulful music that has been compared to the sound of Sade.

Which is surprising, because the singer Mike Milosh is a man. He teamed up with label stablemate Robin Hannibal in 2010. Pitchfork gave debut album Woman a score of 8.5, saying that some songs come “breathtakingly close to their own kind of perfection.”

Where: Kulturfabrik, Esch-sur-Alzette When: 26 October Tickets: www.atelier.lu

GODFATHER LIVE Cinematic experience The Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders performs Nino Rota’s unforgettable score for Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather.

The score won a Grammy Award, but missed out on the three Academy Awards that the film was honoured with after it was deemed ineligible (though Rota later won for The Godfather II). The film will be shown on a wide screen in HD with French and German subtitles.

Where: Rockhal, Esch-Belval When: 29 October Tickets: www.atelier.lu

ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ Memory dance Created for this year’s Festival d’Avignon, Retour à Berratham was written for Grand Théâtre regular Angelin Preljocaj by Laurent Mauvignier (who’s worked on 2012’s Ce que j’appelle oubli).

This piece deals with “memories and the need to move on, yet does not ignore the pull of the past.” French-Algerian conceptual artist Adel Abdessemed has designed the set.

Where: Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg When: 29 & 30 October Tickets: www.theatres.lu

BEST COAST Dreamy yearning Best Coast make music that is full of “dreamy, sun-streaked yearning”--or so says New Musical Express of latest album, California Nights. The duo consists of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. The new album has a more bombastic, “90s-style power-pop” production than previous efforts.

Where: den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare When: 28 October Tickets: www.atelier.lu

KATCHÉ & LOCKWOOD Drums please Having worked with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Sting and Joni Mitchell, French drummer Manu Katché has built a reputation as a master of “balletic drumming”, according to The New York Times.

He brings his quintet to the Philharmonie for a special performance with French violin wizard Didier Lockwood. This is part of the Luxembourg Festival.

Where: Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg When: 29 October Tickets: www.philharmonie.lu

SONIC VISIONS Avant-garde The Rockhal’s annual festival features a fine bill of established and upcoming bands. This year a warm up show features Son Lux and Josef Salvat, and Thursday is a metal day. The main bill includes illustrious names such as Death Cab For Cutie, Alabama Shakes as well as lesser known acts like Swedish singer-songwriter José González and a clutch of Luxembourg favourites like Mutiny On The Bounty.

Where: Rockhal, Esch-Belval When: 6 & 12-14 November Tickets: www.rockhal.lu October 2015

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LIFESTYLE

KIDS

Text by WENDY WINN

A har vest of! autumn fun THERE’S FUN IN FUNGUS Glean expert insights from mushroom expert Fernand Schiltz on a free mushroom hike and hunt on 10 October.

And pick mushrooms too!

Info: contact Fernand Schiltz via Facebook BACK TO YOUR ROOTS Carve a beetroot into a lantern to scare the beejeebies out of each other.

It’s Halloween at Munshausen.

Info: www.touristcenter.lu (click on “workshops”) IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE...

It’s a crane! Join guides and pack a picnic on 25 October to see the annual migration of the cranes.

Info: www.eventbrite.com (search for “Cranes at the Lac du Der, France”)

O

ak seed helicopters, crayon rubbings of giant maple leaves, pumpkin carving, apple picking, walks in the forest with a nip in the air and a scarf ‘round your neck-autumn is a great time to be a kid and to rake in plenty of family fun as well as colourful leaves.

Take rosy-cheeked children out to pick rosy apples at the orchard in Steinsel during the last weekend of the apple fest on 10 and 11 October. You can taste the varieties of apples and pears before picking them, or buy the

fruit already boxed up, but kids love pushing the apple cart or getting a ride on it and take pride in plucking the most beautiful apples off the branches (www.steinsel.lu).

Another choice pick of the crop is the Vianden nut festival, which also falls on 11 October this year. It’s as packed as a can of Planters mixed nuts and just as tasty. The picturesque town is lined with carts and stalls selling everything from nut cake and bread to nut liquor. Have a designated driver if you want to sample the famed liqueur and make use of the Park and Ride to save the hassle of trying to park

nearby (www.vianden-info.lu).

And what could be more iconic of autumn than pumpkins? The local pumpkin fest in Mersch took place in September, but there’s a world famous pumpkin festival in Germany that’s worth the long pumpkin carriage drive if you’d like to see huge sculptures of airplanes and eagles made out of pumpkins or go kayaking in a hollowed out gourd. Sound like we’ve gone out of ours?

Check out the website for the Ludwigsburg pumpkin festival (www.kuerbisausstellungludwigsburg.de) and see for yourself. Perhaps there is a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

REV THEIR ENGINES! Leave the matchbox cars at home and see the real deal at LuxExpo 20-22 Nov. Kids love to oogle these mean machines as much as their parents do.

Info: euro-racing-show.com

Martin Fisch (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The air is getting crisper but there’s still plenty of fun outside activities.

A DIFFERENT SORT OF LEAVES Take the kids to the Walfer book fair on 20-21 Nov. and let them leaf through some great reads for the long nights ahead. They can meet authors too.

Info: www.bicherdeeg.lu

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Text by AARON GRUNWALD

Photography by MIKE ZENARI

Getting into the spirit

e for many kids ool year, the first big fêt e. So Delano asked sch the o int g tlin set ter Ev ’ Af countries is All Hallows from English speaking a Eustace, members of the American Women’s Tin ourite HallowJoelle Campbell and xembourg, for their fav her two little Lu of b Clu s die La h tis er of the Bri pic tured with in summer 2014 and is m d Jennifer McCue, memb Club of Luxembourg, an Grand Duchy. As Jennifer- -who moved here to local schools, and it’s great to expose the go the y in the re d 7 and 8 an ” een ac tivities he it: “My children are now ions they were used to. ghouls and goblins--puts important to hang on to some of the tradit to new traditions, but it’s

MY FAVOURITES

THE MAGIC STARTS AT HOME “Last year we decorated the house and I think our neighbours hadn’t a clue what was going on,” says Jennifer. Tina, who similarly moved here a year ago, likewise did up her balcony and carved pumpkins with her kids. “We still like to do things like apple bobbing, which we traditionally did in the UK”, she says. She also likes seeing “all the pumpkins on sale” in rural Luxembourg whereas “normally in the UK you’d buy it in a supermarket”. Joelle enlists family members to send supplies from the US that she can’t find locally. But remember the magic might not be contagious: last 31 October Tina bought “sweets and candies and we didn’t get any trick-or-treaters, so I gave them to the kids next door”.

“TRICK OR TREAT” Joelle has lived in Luxembourg for three years and has gone to the AWCL Halloween parties--which take place in a neighbourhood specially pedestrianised for the event-three times now. “For my children, it’s a fun opportunity to dress up”, she says. “We get to see a lot of people we know and also get to meet people we don’t know.” Looking back to 2012, “it definitely helped us bridge our move from the US to Luxembourg”.

Tina says it is a “nice safe environment for the kids, predominately young children, with food and refreshments afterwards”.

Proceeds go to charity.

When: Saturday 17 October Info: www.awcluxembourg.com

“HORRIBLE HALLOWEEN” “Of course my children love going house to house, but the BLC event in Bambesch was one of the highlights” last year, says Jennifer. There is a treasure hunt and craft activities, and “it’s a good opportunity to let the kids run around” too. In her view: “it’s great value for money. For €7 [ed. note: €10 for non-members] your children are entertained for three hours and then you can stay in the park. For me and my husband it was a great day out,” she adds. “It’s so well organised and [the kids have] so many different things to do” while “we could chat with other adults”.

When: Sunday 25 October Info: kids@blc.lu

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