Delano May 2014

may 2014

understanding Luxembourg

Current affairs • Business • Lifestyle

Theatre

Hosting European festival Funds

Does impact investing matter?

Issue 27 - 4€ www.delano.lu

Reviving Europe Young guns aim to energize EP elections

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EDITORIAL

Student protest 2006 XXXXX Anger at grant cuts could Xxxxxxxxxx lead to similar scenes

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

Publisher

Steve Eastwood

Phone (+352) 29 66 18-1 Fax (+352) 29 66 19 E-mail publishing@maisonmoderne.lu Publishing director Mike Koedinger Editor in chief Duncan Roberts (duncan.roberts@maisonmoderne.lu) Desk editor Aaron Grunwald (aaron.grunwald@maisonmoderne.lu) Contributors Neel Chrillesen, Stephen Evans, Tonya Stoneman, Wendy Winn Photography Julien Becker, Charles Caratini, Luc Deflorenne, Annabelle Denham, Steve Eastwood, Olivier Minaire Proofreading Muriel Dietsch, Sarah Lambolez Intern Alexandra Ward

Student grants

The cost of education

Design

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Cover photo Julien Becker shot MEP candidates François Benoy, Sylvia Camarda, Cátia Goncalves and Christophe Hansen at the Hémicycle in Kirchberg. Thanks to Luxembourg Congrès for its kind assistance.

Note to our readers The next print edition of Delano will be published on June 4. For daily news updates and our weekly what’s on guide, visit www.delano.lu.

Text by Duncan Roberts

L

uxembourg is famous for its consensus politics, the tripartite social dialogue between government, employers and unions that has made the Grand Duchy one of the most stable economies in the world.

The Luxembourg model is lauded by the government as having “resulted in social progress, social justice, and respect for labour.”

If there is a social dispute, it is usually resolved peacefully around the negotiating table--workers taking to the streets in protest are a rare occurrence, and actual strikes to put pressure on employers and government even rarer still.

But students in Luxembourg are preparing to hold a strike to demand a change of heart from the current coalition over its plans to reform the financial aid it provides those entering higher education. The national union of Luxembourg students, UNEL, has launched an online petition and is calling for students from local high schools to join protests throughout the capital city. Their grievances are manifold, but mainly aimed against education minister Claude Meisch’s new proposal, law 6670, to cut direct grants which the UNEL says will make many potential students think twice before applying for university.

The UNEL is also disappointed in the government’s decision to give students studying abroad a “mobility” grant worth €2,000.

It argues that any student paying rent should be given the grant, not just those who study outside of the Grand Duchy. Furthermore, the student body says that Meisch’s plans to provide additional financial aid to students from low income families fails to take into account the number of children in a household, thus penalising students from large families.

The irony is that Luxembourg has just placed second in the share of population aged 30 to 34 who have completed tertiary education (see page 7), more than doubling its score over ten years. To create a policy that threatens that achievement is unhealthy, especially when employers are complaining that the local workforce is often not educated to the standards it expects.

Indeed, the government is playing a risky hand. Students have a reputation for vociferous protest--a demonstration in 2006 against a reform of work placement regulations for school leavers and graduates is particularly memorable--and if their patience is tested again they are likely to dismiss the tradition of consensus. Don’t expect April’s protest to be the end of the matter..

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May 2014

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Jean-Franรงois Zygel

Cristina Branco

Discover a world of music Saison 2014/15

Philharmonie Luxembourg & Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg Ticketing (+352) 26 32 26 32 www.philharmonie.lu

Sir Simon Rattle

Gregory Porter

Riccardo Muti

CONTENTS

current affairs

lifestyle 16

MAY 2014 Theatre doesn’t get tougher than this

Design with a mission

English theatre festival back in Luxembourg

Expect Design City biennial to surprise 08

56

58

10

Telstar jumble EU audit

Watchdog issues warning 20

19 live shows

Dramas, duos, dance & more 64

Kids

Create some memories

Equal encouragement

Breaking gender moulds 22

Great gardens

Transform your plot

Scouts’ sale success 18

50

Regulars

Irish chamber talk

What NGOs can learn from business

Business

28

42 Think Local Reynaldo Vallarino The Uruguayan expat explains how he learned to love Luxembourg through rock climbing

Truth in advertising

Do impact investment funds really matter?

26

ABBL birthday

Banking group turns 75 34

Corner the market

Real estate gathering guide 36

Fund stewardship

66

Morningstar Luxembourg awards

&

40

Know thyself

Public research discoveries

my other life Gerard Kraus An English teacher helped kick off the country’s first science-fiction festival

coverstory

Reviving Europe: Fresh candidates try to make voters care about the EU again

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

FUNICULAR PLANS

Paczowski & Fritsch / Schroeder & Associés

Christophe Olinger

Plans have finally been unveiled for train station below the Red Bridge comprising a funicular link to Place de l’Europe. The project will cost some €98 million and is due to open in 2017. Its aim is to allow commuters to head directly to Kirchberg rather than alight from a train at the main station and then board a bus, or later a tram. The funicular can transport up to 7,200 passengers each hour.

Commuters will save between 6 and 15 minutes travel time.

Bettel’s first State of the nation

RTL RTL

Deborah Valazquez

vehicles near Findel and 1,500 cars at the Cloche d’Or. The abortion law will be revised under the new government to allow women more choice. The student grant system will also be amended and will be more socially selective.

The government will continue to invest in diversification, ­Bettel said, with the logistics sector targeted as a field in which Luxembourg can grow and create jobs.

The prime minister also said he was planning a major reform of the secret services (whose mismanagement under the previous government led to the snap elections last autumn).

Delly Carr / IRONMAN

Xavier Bettel’s first State of the Nation address as prime minister was given a mixed reception by fellow politicians and media commentators. The two-hour speech covered a lot of ground, from the reaffirming of the austerity measures presented in finance minister Pierre Gramegna’s budget to the setting up of a national suicide prevention plan, from measures to tackle youth unemployment to providing free childcare.

Bettel told parliament that the government would invest heavily in public transport and soft mobility infrastructure, but also plans to build new Park & Ride facilities with space for 4,000

Dirk Bockel

Marcel Gilles

Deborah Valazquez

Triathlete Dirk Bockel recorded a significant victory when he won the Ironman Asia-Pacific regional championship in Australia in March, thus securing a slot in the world Ironman championships in Hawaii in October.

RTL Tour de France commentator Marcel Gilles has died at the age of 68.

Gilles was the driving force behind cycling club AC Contern, which organises the Tour de Luxembourg race.

He commentated on the Tour de France 35 times for RTL.

Deborah Valazquez, a young illustrator from Fentange, has won the Fumetto – International Comix-Festival Lucerne competition for comic book creators.

This year’s theme was “indulgence or addiction”.

6

Go for Hellange interchange Thirteen years in the making, construction on the Hellange motorway junction has been given the green light. Infrastructure minister François Bausch says that if parliamentary approval of the finances goes ahead as expected, work to connect the A13 and N13 should begin in late spring. The project was delayed by a conflict with landowners. In May 2013 the Luxembourg district court ordered a forced sale of the land.

The interchange will cost around €34.2 million and will take two years to complete.

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Steve Eastwood

Dublin bound again

CSV Opposition parliamentarian and former minister Claude Wiseler on Xavier Bettel’s first state of the nation address

More work for teachers Education minister Claude Meisch looks set for a confrontation with teaching unions after he announced a planned reform of their working conditions. The plans are the result of budget cuts, which the government will introduce and that will impact the number of new teachers-currently at around 300--hired each year. Meisch wants to revise the current agreement that provides teachers with fewer and fewer teaching hours as they reach the ages of 45, 50 and 55. The minister argues that it makes no sense that teachers over 55 work eight hours less than younger colleagues for the same salary.

Tertiary education boost

A University of Luxembourg exhibition to be hosted at the Dräi Eechelen museum has been cancelled after the Luxembourg government refused funding. Titled La Petite Guerre: le Luxembourg entre 1914 et 1918, the exhibition was one of a number of events and exhibitions that were set to and mark the centenary of the beginning of the war in July 1914. The photos show Luxembourgers celebrating the end of the war in November 1918.

Opposition parties claim the government was merely seeking an excuse not to finance the project. But prime minister Xavier Bettel told parliament that the exhibition was planned before any budget had been discussed and that the state had no “slush fund” to finance the €256,000 required to stage what would only be a temporary exhibition.

U.S. Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons

Olivier Minaire

Government pulls plug on WWI expo

Airline passengers are not normally ecstatic about boarding full flights, but Hilary Fitzgibbon was pleased to see a packed plane the first weekend of April. Luxair re-launched its service to Dublin on March 30, after dropping the line two and half years ago due to poor financial performance, breaking a vital link for many. “My mum hasn’t been over since the direct flight went,” says Fitzgibbon, an organiser of the “Save the Luxair Lux-Dub route” campaign that started in 2011. Lengthy connections via ­Charleroi or Frankfurt are simply too difficult for older relatives. So “it’s a godsend to have direct flights” restored. Fitzgibbon reports that of the ­passengers on her recent round-trip there were “huge amounts of Luxembourgers” on-board and “at least 90% were non-Irish,” meaning the service is not just attracting Irish expats.

52.6%

Ireland

52.5%

Luxembourg

51.3%

Lithuania

48.3%

Sweden

47.8%

Cyprus

47.6%

UK

Luxembourg ranks second in the EU in young graduates from higher education. The Grand Duchy was one of several countries--including Poland, Malta, Slovakia and Romania--that had more than doubled its score since 2002 (when only 23.6% of the same age group had completed tertiary education). The lowest score in the EU was recorded in Italy, where just 22.4% of 30 to 34 year olds had graduated.

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Source Eurostat

University budget cut The government and University of Luxembourg have revealed a new budget agreement worth €565 million for the 2014-2017 period. In contrast to plans presented last November, the university will see its budget cut by €105 million with no planned increases. Outgoing rector Rolf Tarrach was reportedly drawing up an “emergency plan” for finance to help deal with the loss. He said that while the university hopes it can avoid lay-offs, it cannot rule out a possible increase in tuition fees.

The government has defended its plans, saying the budget is significantly higher than the €405 million, 20092013 budget. It also revealed a “clause de révision” will allow for additional financial support if needed.

“I didn’t expect much and all my expectations were fulfiled”

Julien Becker

Luc Deflorenne

CURRENT AFFAIRS

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Scouts Marie Coveliers-Munzi and Zoe Upton taking care of the tombola Andrée Regnier and John Ford

Community

Telstar jumble pays off

Charlotte, Caroline, Liz, Benjamin and Sebastian Charles

Bargain-hunters picked up deals on books, games and household goods while supporting international youth group Telstar earlier this spring. “The second hand sale… was a great ­success for Telstar, raising €2,300 from the sale of items and from cakes and drinks,” says the group’s chair, John Ford.

“The Scouts [ed. note: the Telstar ­section for boys and girls aged 10 1/2 -14 years] organised a tombola and there were contributions from a snail race as well as the selling of sweets. The ­Explorers [14 to 18 year olds] were offering home-made chili to raise funds for their Explorer Belt upcoming expedition to the Czech Republic.” All “proceeds go towards the running of the group with emphasis on our building fund as we continue to lobby for a ‘Scout home’ we can call our own,” Ford explains.

Telstar is an English-speaking scouting group in Luxembourg for boys and girls with more than 200 members, representing more than 20 nationalities.

The fundraiser was held at St George’s International School in Hamm. AG

Rani Roloff and Sandro Pace-Bonello

Teja and Katharina Jacobs

More photos online at: Fiona and Paul Scully

www.delano.lu/telstar14 Photographed by Steve Eastwood

Gyn Nilsson and Salvador Bertomeu picking up bargains

Rory and Ruth Collins with Amelie

Louise Benjamin with Pierre and Jean-Louis

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Berlin, 26 June 1963 US President John F. Kennedy is received by the people of Berlin. In his famous address at the Brandenburg Gate, he particularly spoke about the prospects for a just peace.

Discovering the milestones of European history to help shape the future of Europe. www.cvce.eu

Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l’Europe | www.cvce.eu Château de Sanem | L - 4992 Sanem G.-D. Luxembourg With the support of the Luxembourg Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

© Archiv der sozialen Demokratie (AdsD)

Europe – a story of our time

COVERSTORY

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COVERSTORY

Give youth a chance

Reviving Europe

The image many have of the European Parliament as being packed with dull men and women of a certain age is being challenged in Luxembourg by a slew of young candidates aiming to win a seat in Strasbourg.

Text by Duncan Roberts Photography by Julien Becker

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COVERSTORY

"parliament is the directly elected representative of the citizens"

Christophe Hansen

HÉmicycle, luxembourg congrès Designed by Pierre Bohler, the Hémicycle of the original European Parliament building in Luxembourg was inaugurated in 1979. However, it was only used for plenary sessions until 1981 when it was integrated into the Kirchberg Centre de conférences. Now it is part of the venue run by Luxembourg Congrès and its retro 70s amphitheatre layout can be hired for private conferences. www.luxcongress.lu

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T

a seat on the local council in Pétange at the 2011 elections and has since been nurtured as a rising star of the LSAP socialist party (and, like Camarda, she was also selected by daily newspaper L’essentiel for its recent online poll of the most beautiful women in Luxembourg). Former journalist François Benoy of Green party Déi Gréng was promoted to his seat on the council of Luxembourg City after his party colleague François Bausch moved up to national government in December 2013.

Christophe Hansen of the conservative CSV is also a local councillor--in the commune of Winseler in the north of the country--and has experience as an attaché to outgoing Luxembourg MEP Astrid Lulling at the European Parliament.

Lulling was a veteran of the European Parliament who first served as an MEP in 1965, but, approaching her 85th birthday at the election, she was not selected by her party as a candidate. Nevertheless, she is the sort of candidate Luxembourgers tend to vote for in European elections--highly experienced politicians who have all but surrendered the national stage. The likes of outgoing EU commissioner Viviane Reding (head of the CSV list), former LSAP minister Robert Goebbels (who is voluntarily surrendering his seat at this election) or DP lead candidate Charles Goerens. But, as last October’s national election showed, politics in Luxembourg is not immune to a shake up and maybe one of the young candidates on the ballot paper will spring a surprise.

Enthusiasm of youth hey are headstrong, relaxed and largely unencumbered by political etiquette--a breathe of fresh air on the European Parliament elections hustings. Four young candidates from Luxembourg’s strongest political parties have been sharing, with other young political activists from “ fringe” parties--Sven Clement from the Piratenpartei, for example--the platform at a series of round table debates at local schools. The four include some familiar faces, even though they are all just 35 or under.

Sylvia Camarda, for example, is an acclaimed dancer and choreographer and actress whose nascent political activity as a candidate for the liberal DP party--she makes no bones about her ambition to one day be the minister of culture--has caused many observers to sit up and take notice. Cátia Goncalves won

Camarda, for one, is as enthusiastic a candidate as one could hope to find. “I was disappointed not to be elected to the chamber of deputies last October,” she says. “And I was afraid I might not be able to continue my political career because people would not take me seriously.

That is why I was really happy when I was offered a place on the European list.” The national election was Camarda’s first as a candidate after joining the DP a few years ago after being inspired by Xavier Bettel as well as Lydie Polfer and Colette Flesch--but Benoy, Hansen and Goncalves have already tasted success in local elections. They have enjoyed fast-track careers and they all became activists out of a conviction that they could change things; and all have a long-standing interest in politics.

Hansen recalls secretly getting up early as a

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COVERSTORY

like her. I had some memorable discussions with her.” Goncalves recalls as a small girl watching a broadcast of the Portuguese parliament, and being fascinated by the way the politicians were so rude and aggressive. “And I have always been interested in the European construction project, how after a war people can leave aside their differences.”

Luxembourg is famous for its consensus politics, and even though their parties have widely differing policies the young candidates are all focused on similar issues--the democratic process (including giving more power to the European Parliament), youth unemployment, the environment and energy policy.

The EU’s youth guarantee programme-which aims to give the under 25s a job or further training scheme within four months of their graduating university or completing secondary school--is something Goncalves would like to see expanded. “As socialists, we would want to see more funds and think it should be expanded to the age of 30.” Camarda is also keen for the youth guarantee to work.

“We need the guarantee to be respected,” she says. But Camarda also emphasises the need for a broader social programme and argues Goncalves’ day job is in politics--she is an that there should be more regulation to end assistant to Robert Goebbels. The daughter social dumping. of Portuguese immigrants who started their own real estate company soon after she was born, Goncalves says her parents are not really “politicised”, but that it is precisely why she As a member of the leading party in the enjoys discussing politics with her mother. national coalition government Camarda is “Because I assume that a lot of people think looking forward to Luxembourg’s presidency ten-year old to watch the outcome of the US elections--Bill Clinton’s first win in 1992--and then falling asleep in class later that day. He soon became a member of the CSJ, the youth wing of the CSV, and rose to become party secretary of the northern section of the main party. “It all went rather quickly,” he says.

Benoy studied politics and even as a high school student was involved in the UNEL (the Union Nationale des Étudiant-e-s du Luxembourg). After graduating, he gave up active politics when he landed a job as a journalist for RTL radio. “As a journalist you shouldn’t be actively involved in politics,” he argues.

But once he changed career--he now works for environmental agency natur&ëmwelt-Benoy was keen to join Déi Gréng. A year later he was a candidate at the 2011 local elections for Luxembourg City council and he is also a member of the party’s executive committee. “It can be quick, but you have to be dedicated, motivated and attend lots of meetings.

It is not easy balancing the work involved with a normal job.”

Focus policies

Luxembourg presidency

François Benoy

- Déi Gréng Says EU budget is too small to make effective policy. www.deigreng.lu

Sylvia Camarda

- DP Argues for regulation to put an end to social dumping. www.dp.lu

of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2015. “We will use that to bring discussions about Europe back on track, not just talking about the financial crisis but also other problems such as integration.”

In the face of sceptics Goncalves sees two clear choices: to return to the pre-EU days and to sovereign currencies or to admit the EU project is not perfect but to tackle what is not working. “It’s a very young project, in fact it’s a baby that needs nurturing and young people as well as older people have to take care of that baby.” Indeed, she thinks the biggest challenge facing the EU is to step away from what she calls “sovereignty thinking.”

“We should see ourselves not as representatives of our state, but of the European Union.” Hansen, opposed to immediate expansion, wants to see the number of European commissioners cut, but admits that is illusory because sovereign states will not be willing to give up their seat at the table. Like other candidates, Hansen also believes the European Parliament should be given more initiative powers.

“For the moment the commission has a legislative monopoly. But the parliament is the directly elected representative of the citizens.”

Benoy is not the only of the four candidates to emphasise that the budget of the European Union is only one percent of gross domestic product. “That is nothing. The United States budget is 25 percent of GDP, for example.

The room to create really effective policies is not there. Member states are not giving the EU the means to work properly.”

Cátia Goncalves

Christophe Hansen

- LSAP The challenge is to step away from sovereignty thinking. www.lsap.lu

- CSV Wants European Parliament to have more initiative rights. www.csv.lu

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Jean-Claude Juncker

Charles Cara

"Nobody else can be President in July--it’s either me or Schulz.

Everything else is fantasies of national bureaucrats."

tini

COVERSTORY

Jean-Claude Juncker The Top Job

Jean-Claude Juncker is a winner. Even if his party was ousted at the last national election by the political machinations of the three parties that now share power in coalition, Juncker’s CSV recorded its third best showing in 30 years and retained 23 seats in parliament--10 more than either of its biggest rivals. Put simply, Juncker has never lost an election and as he guns for the top job in the EU, it looks like his centre-right EPP grouping may well end up with the largest faction in the European Parliament ahead of his main rival, the centre-left S&D lead candidate Martin Schulz.

Treaties are clear

Camarda acknowledges that the EU has plenty of positive programmes, especially for artists, but that not enough people know about them and that applying to get aid involves complicated administrative processes.

“And I know as an artist that administration kills creativity.”

Policies for people Young people don’t use traditional media, argues Benoy, and the parties need to use new media to attract their interest. “We have to show them that we take them seriously,” he says. “We have to provide them with policies that affect them directly.” Hansen agrees and points to the campaign to end roaming charges initiated by CSV leading candidate Viviane Reding. “You have to make policies

Town hall meeting

that make life easier for EU citizens,” he says.

But education is also a key, and Benoy is disappointed that youngsters are not being taught about the EU and its different institutions at school. Goncalves is a fan of the European Youth Forum initiative to get candidates and MEPs to make a pledge to take into account youngsters in their policy making.

Camarda wants to put an end to political jargon. “If a 12-year old boy can understand what you are saying, then you know that everyone is going to understand it.” There should not only be old boys and old women at the European parliament, Camarda argues. Indeed, she was told, “please stay young” when she attended a recent workshop at the parliament.

“I mean just because you turn up in a t-shirt does not mean you are not saying something intelligent.”.

Delano is joining Amcham and the European Parliament’s information office for a town hall meeting about the elections to which representatives of all of the political parties proposing candidates in Luxembourg have been invited. Delano’s editor-in-chief will be the moderator. The event takes place at 6.30 p.m. on April 29 at the Centre Barblé, Strassen. It is free of charge, but registration is required via the Amcham website. www.amcham.lu

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Whether that means he will end up as president of the European Commission is another question. Juncker is adamant that should be the case. “The treaties are clear,” he told the German CDU congress in March. “The next president needs to be proposed in light of the outcome of the elections in May, and then elected by a majority in the European Parliament.”

National interests

Others are more sceptical and believe that national interests will out in the choice of president and that the will of the council of ministers will prevail--which could lead to a compromise candidate taking over from Manuel Barroso later this year.

Juncker has the support of German chancellor Angela Merkel, but UK premier David Cameron has voiced his opposition to the appointment of the Luxembourger, fearing that Juncker is too federalist and could endanger Cameron’s own plans to renegotiate the UK’s relations with the EU before he holds a referendum in 2017 (should he win the next UK election).

But Luxembourg and Juncker are used to punching above their weight in the EU, and it would be pre-emptive to rule out the veteran European negotiator just yet.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Design City 2014

Design with a mission

The third edition of Luxembourg’s biennial Design City is dedicated to design in public space and its integration into everyday life. Expect splendid and sometimes surprising projects.

Text by Neel Chrillesen Photography by Olivier Minaire

C

urator Anna Loporcaro initiated Luxembourg’s biennial Design City in 2010, with the enthusiastic support of the then mayor Paul Helminger. For the third edition, which starts April 24, she finally conceded to giving the event a theme, despite it not being a necessity in her eyes.

It actually turned out to be a good idea.

“It came to me one day while I was walking through the city,” she tells Delano. “A lot of construction work is going on at the moment; the capital is evolving, undergoing big changes.

This year’s theme, ‘Into the Process’, is a broad one, but it makes a lot of sense. Also because we’re not just exhibiting design, we’re also suggesting solutions.”

One of the places where you can experience first hand what designers can bring to the development of Luxembourg City is in Kinnekswiss Park. While it’s usually a favoured place for many activities, it also has a rather dodgy “night-time image” and big problem with litter. During the summer, the city even doubles the number of bins there in the hope that people will actually use them. One of the projects tackles this very problem.

Instead of adding bins in the park, there will be fewer of them and they will be covered in mirrors by the social design studio Wakup. “In that way, not only will the bins blend into the landscape by reflecting the surroundings but you’ll also be able to see yourself in them, which--who knows--might appeal to people’s common decency by reminding them to throw away their rubbish in a bin,” explains Loporcaro.

The new bins will also be too heavy to turn over (unlike the “normal” ones, which often are) and some will be used to make football

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" Luxembourg can also shine through creativity" Anna Loporcaro

goal posts. “All the projects in the park will have a playful touch to them, yet contain strong messages.”

The other projects involve an enormous nine-metre long swing for kids and adults alike, by the Encore Heureux studio, and a signage project with a heads or tails game to help you choose which way to go, imagined by Maurice+Paula.

The Kinnekswiss projects are, however, just the tip of the iceberg. There will be a lot more going on during Design City. At the Mudam museum, the exhibition Never for Money, Always for Love brings together 13 designers

from Portugal and Luxembourg, who showcase how they reinvent modes of creation and production. Mudam will also host a number of workshops, screenings and conferences.

One of the much-awaited events is a lecture

by British designer Paul Priestman, one of the world’s leaders in travel and transport design.

“I’ll be talking about the importance of design in creating a great passenger journey,” he says.

“It’s vital that we get people out of cars and into public transport, and design is the way to do this. Space and especially sustainability is essential. Design is about making things

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Gilles Gardula Focus on tangible solutions

Don’t miss

Never for Money, Always for Love April 4-June 16 Mudam, Luxembourg-Kirchberg In Progress April 28-May 18 Château de Bourglinster Moving Materials April 24-May 25 OAI, Forum Da Vinci, Luxembourg-Centre

better and more efficient, both to use as well as to manufacture, run and maintain,” comments Priestman.

“There has been an increased awareness in recent years on sustainability and green design, though in practice, that hasn’t necessarily meant that much, as it might only refer to materials used without considering production methods, etc. A positive recent development, however, which is noticeable both within the practicing design industry and design education, is that dialogues on sustainability are widening to tackle issues like the entire lifecycle of products and collaborative consumption.”

Over at the Château de Bourglinster, a talented array of young designers will be proving just that from April 28 to May 18.

The project called In Progress has no curator and each participant (industrial, social, graphic and product designers, an architect, a developer, an infographist and an art historian) has paired up with partners ranging from the University of Luxembourg to a bakery to produce fascinating, exceptional objects.

Into the Process April 23-June 16 Kinnekswiss Park, Luxembourg-Centre

Gilles Gardula, an industrial designer who has contributed significantly in organising the event, joined up with renowned Luxembourg mattress-maker Stoll, for example. “They gave me access to the off-cuts that they otherwise would have to have burnt, and with the help of an upholsterer I found a way of reusing the foam to make furniture,” says Gardula, who is also involved in a groundbreaking blood sampling project.

“Through this exhibit, our hope is to show what kind of role we can play in society,” he explains. “We want to help make design more tangible and show people how we can help.

And of course, we also hope that all the new relationships and contacts we’ve made will continue after Design City.”

“Despite being a small country, Luxembourg has a lot of creative people,” states Loporcaro.

“Many have also travelled and been inspired elsewhere and this makes for an incredibly rich breeding ground. It’s time we realise Luxembourg can also shine through creativity.”.

Mudam Akademie: Design History May 7 & 28, 6.30 p.m.

Mudam, Luxembourg-Kirchberg Marché des créateurs June 14-15, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mudam, Luxembourg-Kirchberg Workshops for kids April 3-June 16 Mudam, Luxembourg-Kirchberg Workshops for adults May 17 & 18 Mudam, Luxembourg-Kirchberg More info & full programme www.designcity.lu and in “Design City Magazine” available at Mudam and shops around Luxembourg City

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may 2014

17 16/04/2014 11:00

CURRENT AFFAIRS

European Court of Auditors

Is the EU working correctly?

Europe’s watchdog agency has issued a serious warning.

here were serious indications of ‘dead weight’--projects which would have gone ahead even without EU funding,” is one of the strong conclusions published in the latest European Court of Auditors activity report. It refers to the “Marco Polo” programme, which is designed to help shift freight traffic from the road.

The court’s special report found that: “The market situation and the programme rules discouraged operators from taking advantage of the scheme.”

This is just one example of the regular checks on the implementation of EU policies and budget made by the 900 staff working in the Luxembourgbased EU institution. They also investigate whether programmes are achieving value for money for the taxpayer. Although they can’t investigate everything that is done, they take a look at a representative sample.

“The EU’s accounts were reliable,” Vitor Caldeira, the court’s president, told the Luxembourg press in April, after presenting the report on the 2012 budget to the European Parliament.

In fact the vast majority of EU projects are shown to meet their goals. Not everything was perfect with the budget though, with Caldeira noting that it contained “too many errors regarding the regularity of payments.” Although the good news is that, over the long term, EU decision-makers follow the court’s recommendations for improvements in nearly 85% of cases.

Other findings indicate that road building costs up to four times as much in Spain than in Germany, so wasting EU development spending.

Additional reports found insufficient evidence to measure the effectiveness of schemes designed to get people back and to boost value added production in the agricultural sector. And is rural development budget well spent? “The commission and member states have not sufficiently shown what has been achieved,” the report concludes..

Vitor Caldeira (on right) Pointing out errors

18

Legal

Data retention directive illegal, says ECJ

Europe’s top court rules the EU’s 2006 electronic surveillance law breaches the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.

European rules requiring telecommunications firms to keep user data for between six months and two years are illegal, the EU’s top court said in April, a decision that will force the European Commission and EU member states to re-visit their privacy laws. The European Court of Justice in Kirchberg ruled that the 2006 Data Retention Directive violated “the fundamental right to respect for private life and the fundamental right to the protection of personal data” in a “particularly serious manner.” European justice commissioner ­Viviane Reding said it was a “win” for EU citizens.

Luxembourg’s justice ministry said it would review the Grand Duchy’s legislation..

EFSF board change Luxembourg’s Georges Heinrich has stepped down from the euro zone rescue fund’s board of directors. Heinrich, the outgoing treasurergeneral at the Grand Duchy’s finance ministry, had served as chair of the European Financial Stability Facility since 2012. Dutch treasurergeneral Hans Vijlbrief was elected to take over.

Olivier Minaire

European Court of Auditors

T

Dmitry Barsky/Creative Commons

Text by Stephen Evans

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Education

Equal encouragement, new possibilities Girls are still conditioned to expect less of themselves than boys and doing better in school doesn’t translate into future awards in terms of recognition or salary. Girls’ Day Boys’ Day aims to break the mould.

E

Text by Neel Chrillesen Photography by Annabelle Denham

very year, pupils in secondary schools throughout Luxembourg can spend a day in a gender-stereotyped environment to test their own vocational attitudes. Girls are typically offered placements in scientific, technical or industrial fields of work, while boys are geared towards childcare, nursing homes or healthcare. Initially called Girls’ Day, the project was launched in 2002 by

Michel Rubio Cutting stereotypes down to size

GROWING PARTICIPATION

Last year, 998 pupils (655 girls and 343 boys) from Luxembourg schools, aged 12 to 20, took part in Girls’ Day Boys’ Day (19% more than in 2012) and 145 workplaces offered 1,031 different placements for the day (up 7%). The private girls’ school Lycée Fieldgen represented a whopping 19% of the total of participants.

Most pupils (70%) came from the country’s lycées techniques and were aged between 14 and 15. This year, GDBD will take place on May 8. www.girlsdayboysday.lu

20

Christa Brömmel’s association Cid-Femmes, an information centre and library dedicated to women’s issues.

“Girls are influenced in their vocational choices very early on, be it in school, at home, through the media or by society in general.

As long as we don’t change that, inequality will persist in the labour market,” she explains.

The boys were included in the project in 2006 but still don’t participate as readily as their counterparts. “The so-called ‘women’s jobs’ are usually less paid and less valued, which in itself is not motivating for the boys, and many parents are unwilling to support their son’s choice, even for a day, to work in a nursery for example,” reckons Brömmel,

who handed over the organisation of the Girls’ Day Boys’ Day to Luxembourg employment bureau Adem and the education and equality ministries in 2010.

Furniture designer Norbert Brakonier is one of the professionals who will welcome students this year. “There are of course still fields where one gender dominates, but there are no jobs that are purely meant for one or the other,” he says. “We participate mainly because it is important for us to get young people interested in the crafts and show them what we do. The girls spend the day with us on the construction site and follow our projects.”

“Many people have misconceptions about a lot of trades, and lack respect for what they don’t know,” says barber and hairdresser for men Michel Rubio, who takes part in GDBD every year. “That’s why I’m always eager to show the youngsters all the facets of my job--and there are many more than they imagine. They’re always interested in seeing my collection of razors and shaving brushes too, and how we make perfume and soap. To be honest I think it’s outdated to talk about women’s jobs and men’s jobs to promote gender equality, but it’s nice to help give these teenagers a feel of what our work is.”

Brömmel admits that it’s more the discovery of the working world that attracts the students to GDBD than the actual act of “breaking down barriers”. “It’s understandable, as they don’t get many opportunities to observe real work environments, but it wasn’t our initial intention,” she says. “The project remains positive and important, but only takes place one day a year. It helps raise an issue but it won’t change anything. For better results, we need to provide other activities and earlier on, give teachers training in gender issues, teach children that skills and desires count, not their gender, and of course include the parents.”

Because yes, education starts at home--and according to a recent study, two-thirds of boys still think a woman’s most important role is to take care of it and cook for the family..

may 2014

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

From left: Matt Moran, Niamh Huggard, Adi Roche and Peter Milne

Jean O’Sullivan and Nicola McEvoy

Adi Roche delivered an inspiring speech

Irish Luxembourg Chamber

Mutual learning

Sandra Visscher and Gerard Heller

Cathy Walshe and Leire Zirion Corres

Can NGOs learn from commercial companies about how to run a business, especially during a financial crisis? That was one of the questions raised at an event hosted by the Irish Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce at the end of March. Keynote speaker was Adi Roche, the founder of Chernobyl Children International, who revealed that when the financial crisis hit her charity organisation was impacted, like many NGOs, by a drop in donations from the public to charity of some 60 percent.

“Imagine a business having to deal with that,” she asked the audience. Roche and her team completely remodelled the way CCI worked.

Instead of depending on public funding, the organisation focused on high-networth individuals and corporations.

“We adapted to the turn down,” she explained. She also acknowledged the efforts made by Luxembourg as a leader in development aid. “Luxembourg has recognised that charity and solidarity should go beyond boundaries,” she said. DR

Irish ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary, Martine Schommer, Conor Sweeney and Marc Angel

More photos online at: www.delano.lu/AdiRoche14

Emma O’Leary and Geraldine Cassells

Photographed by Steve Eastwood Luc Scheer, Joe Huggard, Nicola McEvoy, Tonika Hirdman, Marc Angel, Adi Roche and Irish ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary

Thérèse Collins and Christophe Theis

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mySmartphone XL 4G High-speed mobile experience

business Science site funding

Charles Caratini

MyScienceWork, a digital community for scientific researchers, completed a $1.1 million second round of funding (its first was $1.5 million). Backers include Luxembourg’s state investment fund. “Our business model is based on offering low-priced and easy access to published, peer reviewed, scholarly content that is not open access,” states CEO Virginie Simon (see previous story). The service launched in September 2013 and the firm says it employs 15 people in Luxembourg, Paris and Silicon Valley.

East-West United Bank

i24

Charles Caratini

they are doing it, not just in Luxembourg--which tops Europe for the gap between the number of men and women working--but across the globe. The local chapter is part of a global group that started in the US in 2007, the youngest of the 27 groups worldwide and the sixth chapter to be set up in Europe. The group wants to inspire girls and women of all aptitudes and ages to excel in areas like digital marketing, social media, and start-ups, and they especially want to help women overcome a lack of confidence. Its first workshop will be May 8, when invited guests Rails Girls will lead a girlie, fun programming workshop. www.luxembourg.girlsintech.org

Cargolux names chief

Telco takeover

Joint leader

After a 19-month gap, Europe’s largest freight airline has a new CEO. Cargolux’s board of directors named Dirk Reich, formerly an executive at Swiss logistics giant Kuehne & Nagel.

Interim chief Richard Forson remains CFO.

Patrick Drahi, chair of Luxembourgbased Altice, has won his months long bid for French phone firm SFR, beating out Bouygues, which was backed by the French government. Altice will pay €17 billion and merge the carrier with its Numericable unit.

Martin Pcola joined Svetlana Fedotova as co-managing director of East-West United Bank, which specialises in Russian speaking markets and is marking its 40th year in Luxembourg.

Pcola previously worked at Amazon, Deloitte and Ernst & Young.

24

Luc Deflorenne (archives)

Sisters are doing it!

Girls in Tech Luxembourg is out to change the world--at least the world of technology, which is predominately a man’s world.

The group says only four in 1,000 women will eventually work in the ICT sector, unless, of course, initiatives like theirs encourage more women to enter what is still a very male-dominated field. Girls in Tech Luxembourg held its launch last month at The Impactory, drawing a capacity crowd who came to learn more about this non-profit organisation. “We want to help women have access to the opportunities out there, and technology is one of few sectors where there is growth and demand,” says comanaging director Marina Thiriet. There’s a lot to be done and

Clearstream faces Iran inquiry A grand jury in New York City is investigating Kirchberg-based Clearstream over claims the company facilitated Middle East terrorist financing, according to parent firm Deutsche Börse. “Currently, while Clearstream is cooperating with the US attorney, the investigation is in a very early stage,” the company says. New details had emerged in a civil case over the 1983 bombing of US marine barracks in Beirut.

A spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office in New York tells Delano: “We have no comment.”

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business

Erik Hörnfeldt/Creative Commons

“Green light” Simone Brunozzi/Creative Commons

Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel, on what the Grand Duchy’s government gave an updated EU Savings Directive. Luxembourg and Austria will now exchange more data with tax agencies in the union.

ECJ rules against UK in £1.6 billion tax case Findel makes Skytrax cut

Council of the European Union

Tech sector champion Entrepreneur Xavier Buck was appointed president of the Luxembourg ICT Cluster, which is part of statebacked technology promotion agency Luxinnovation. Buck, who founded Datacenter Luxembourg and internet registrar EuroDNS, says his goal “is to enhance the communication between all the cluster members and to promote our members at national and international level. We also want to better understand and meet our members’ needs in terms of business development, product and service innovation, branding, internationalisation and promotion.” The group has more than five dozen members, ranging from ICT giants SES and Telindus to start-ups GenCreo and Mach-3D.

Government revenue from taxes and social contributions, % of gdp, 2012

Wine volumes were down, says Luxembourg’s winegrowing institute. Last year the Grand Duchy’s 357 wineries harvested about 100,000 hectoliters, about 20% less than the average in recent years. The institute, which is part of the agriculture ministry, blamed climatic conditions for the drop, although they say 2013 will be an excellent vintage. Exports also shrank around one-third, partly due to Luxembourg’s higher production costs. Nonetheless the total estimated value of the crop is some €15 million. That includes the approximately 2.5 million bottles of Luxembourg crémant that were produced, and the institute says a new marketing strategy to boost international sales of the bubbly will be presented later this year. And, at more than 50 liters per year, the Grand Duchy remains one of the top wine consumers per capita in the world, and those figures have remained roughly steady over the past decade.

49.1% 48% 47%

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France Italy

40.6%

EU28

40.4%

Germany

40.3%

Luxembourg

39.7%

Netherlands

37.1% 30.2%

Denmark

Belgium

44.3%

Matt Lewis/Creative Commons

David Laurent/Wili (archives)

“Cheers!”

Luxembourg has ranked in the top 100 airports worldwide and in the top 10 regional airports in Europe, as part of a survey of nearly 13 million passengers. Findel took 91st place in the “World’s Best Airport 2014” awards, produced by consultancy Skytrax, down from 85th place in the 2013 rankings. The top three global winners are Singapore Changi Airport, Incheon International Airport in South Korea and Munich Airport. At the same time, Findel was named 10th “best regional airport in Europe” in the study, behind top three Cologne/Bonn Airport, London City and Dusseldorf, and 9th ranked Birmingham Airport. Skytrax says the awards “are based on 12.85 million survey questionnaires completed by 110 different nationalities of airline customers” at “410 airports worldwide,” covering everything from check-in, transfers and immigration.

UK

Ireland

28.1%

Latvia

27.9%

Bulgaria

27.5%

Lithuania

may 2014

Source : Eurostat

Hutchison Whampoa can shift British tax losses via a Luxembourg unit, says the EU’s top court. The Hong Kong conglomerate wanted to use losses from mobile carrier Three to offset taxes owed for other UK businesses in its portfolio, generally permitted under British law. UK authorities objected since the offset would go through a subsidiary based in the Grand Duchy. Judges at the European Court of Justice in Kirchberg ruled that Britain’s “difference in treatment, which makes it less attractive in tax terms to set up a link company in another member state” is contrary to EU business rights. The Financial Times says Hutchison Whampoa could claim £1.6 billion in past losses.

25 15/04/2014 16:17

business

Nigel Fielding and Keith O’Donnell Martin Dobbins and US ambassador Robert Mandell

ABBL chair and vice chair Ernst Wilhelm Contzen and Carlo Thill

Finance

ABBL milestone It started with ten institutions in 1939 that wanted their voices represented and today it has 149 members. Last month the Luxembourg Bankers ­Association (ABBL) celebrated 75 years of representing firms in talks with trade unions, the Grand Duchy’s ­government, and increasingly with European authorities in Brussels. “Thank you Luxembourg”, said ABBL board chair Ernst Wilhelm Contzen. “We export 95% of our financial products; our domestic market is Europe and its 500 million ­citizens.” The prime minister, Xavier Bettel, declared that “the image of the financial sector occupies an important place on the government’s agenda,” and that “we must say to our ­detractors who we are, what we do and the changes we have occuring in the coming years.” More than 600 people-including most notably Grand Duke Henri--attended the anniversary event at the Philharmonie. AG

Maggy Thiel-Rausch and Bob Kneip

Grand Duke Henri

More photos online: www.delano.lu/abbl75 Photographed by Olivier Minaire

Pervaiz Panjwani, Irish ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary and Fernand Grulms

Jean Guill, Rolf Tarrach and Michel Maquil

ABBL

Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s prime minister

26

Fouad Rathle, Thorunn Egilsdottir and Werner Eckes

may 2014

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BUSINESS

Impact investing

Truth in advertising

On March 31, three financial industry trade associations, four public sector organisations (including Luxembourg’s foreign ministry), five development NGOs and seven individual financial firms launched the Inclusive Finance Network Luxembourg.

“InFiNe”, as it’s called, will promote “inclusive finance”--which aims to bring affordable and reliable financial services to traditionally underserved communities in developing countries--here in the Grand Duchy, and to strengthen “Luxembourg’s commitment in the fight against poverty and sustainable development through responsible finance,” the group says. In fact, over the past two decades the Grand Duchy has emerged as a leader in socially responsible financial services, including microfinance, microinsurance and funding sustainable development projects.

But the segment remains relatively small, as investors remain leery of competing jargon and confusing track records. Can socially responsible investments ever turn into a major part of Luxembourg’s financial landscape?

Text by Aaron Grunwald

28

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BUSINESS

G

enerally speaking, the term “responsible investing” refers to funds “looking for something other than a pure finance return”, according to Thomas Seale, chair of LuxFLAG, an organisation that checks investment firm claims. That includes “funds that say we don’t invest in companies that use child labour, or we don’t invest in arms or other types of ‘sin products’.

Which is basically saying to investors, ‘we are good asset managers and we also look after non-financial objectives like environmental, social and governance’ ” criteria.

“The other end of the spectrum is funds that might offer no return or very limited return, which are impact funds,” explains Seale. “The message is completely different. It’s not a charity. You invest your money and we are going to invest in microfinance lending projects in Latin America, for example, and by investing those funds, your money is doing good”. Such funds often earn returns that keep pace with inflation, or a small amount over that, but the social goal is primary.

At the end of February, the Grand Duchy was the largest responsible investing fund domicile out of 25 European markets covered by research firm Lipper, which is part of financial data provider Thomson Reuters. Luxembourg was home to €70.6 billion in such assets, representing about 27% of the European total. Other European leaders in the space include France (€60.4bn), Norway (€26.5bn) and fourth largest market Sweden (€21.4bn).

Luxembourg also experienced the second highest volume of responsible investment fund sales between March 2013 and February 2014, with inflows of €8.8 billion, or roughly 46% of the European total. That put the Grand Duchy just behind Norway (€8.9bn) but well ahead of nextplaced Sweden (€1.6bn) and Finland (€1.4bn), according to the Lipper data. France experienced net outflows of €1.8 billion.

At the same time, net assets in Luxembourg microfinance funds grew 17% between 2011 and 2012, and 15% between 2012 and 2013, estimates Seale. “Those are interesting percentages.”

Olivier Minaire

Thomas Seale Wants to be sure what you see is what you get

Nevertheless, the responsible investment segment remains relatively tiny. There were €2,679.5 billion in net assets under management in all Luxem­ bourg funds at the end of February, say financial regulator CSSF and trade association Alfi.

In addition, “the space is hard to measure”, says Seale. “It’s not totally transparent; the definitions are not totally standardised. Therefore it’s easy to say things that sound good, but there’s no substance behind that. And that’s our raison d’être.”

LuxFLAG currently issues two types of certification: an environmental label, at presently held by 10 funds; and a microfinance label, today granted to 27 funds. The labels, which need to be renewed annually, simply mean that LuxFLAG has verified that the funds follow the standards that they say they do.

The organisation aims for “truth in advertising”, stresses Seale. “We’re trying to add clarity. Call funds what you want, but we’re going to check it. And we refuse funds. There’s a strong need in the industry to separate the wheat from the chaff, and I think that fund promoters who are the rigorous ones will want the label because it enhances their positioning.”

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Impact & Microfinance Conference

The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry-along with partners LuxFLAG, the European Microfinance Platform and Global Impact Investing Network--is organising a one day summit for investors, NGOs and researchers to exchange the latest data and best practices in the impact investment and microfinance fields.

May 27, Tramsschapp ­cultural centre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.alfi.lu

may 2014

29 15/04/2014 16:23

BUSINESS

Luc Deflorenne

Uli Grabenwarter Wants Luxembourg’s finance sector to offer more

The competing vocabulary is indeed confusing, says Matt Christensen, former executive director of Eurosif, a pan-European responsible investing think tank, who is now with AXA Investment Managers in Paris. His €150 million fund is a “fund of funds for that reason”; in order to explain the concept to “potential investors who are very interested but don’t know what [some of the labels] mean.”

Microfinance funds are in the business of supplying loans or guarantees to microfinance institutions, which in turn grant relatively small loans to budding entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Seale says the number of microfinance institutions is growing, particularly in Latin America and East Asia, “and thus there’s growth in demand for financing” from Luxembourg-based funds.

“The microfinance model has now proven over the past 30 years that it works. When you loan money under proper conditions, default rates are low and everyone is able to have economic benefits.”

He also credits improvements in technology and mobile networks for bringing better access to developing countries. “In rural environments, banking is difficult; it’s expensive” to operate there. “Technology is serving to reduce some of the costs.”

30

Part of the uptick in impact investment flows is “because there’s a lot of positivity associated with” the segment, says Christensen. Many socially responsible funds are built on “negative screens or positive inclusion, which is hard to explain to people,” he says. Like clean tech five years ago, impact funds have “got a lot of people thinking this is a neat way” to solve problems, which in turn is attracting more investors to the space.

However, asset managers still need to “step up in activity and propose more social impact investment products for customers”, says Uli Grabenwarter of the European Investment Fund in Kirchberg. One year ago, the EU body launched a “social impact accelerator”, which is also a “fund of funds”. It has already allocated €60 million in six different funds across Europe.

Each of the six is focused on a different social goal, from the integration of marginalised communities to elderly care.

“Through the pilot phase, we’ve clearly demonstrated there’s strong demand on both sides: funds invested in social enterprises; and on the other side, more and more investors seek proactive products that connect them to impact investments.

For the time being, the offering is below scale.”

At the end of May, Grabenwarter will speak at an industry conference (see box on previous page) on “what it takes to make impact investing a success and what impact investing can offer the market”.

There are “several financial centres positioning for this upcoming segment”, Grabenwarter observes. The Grand Duchy’s financial sector “needs to be very, very creative” in this “embryonic” space. “It will be the financial market the offers the most creative solutions that will attract” the most marketshare. The EIF is now in the process of boosting the social impact fund’s firepower to the tune of approximately €300 million. It is a public-private partnership, with capital from the EIF’s parent, the European Investment Bank, and Deutsche Bank, for example.

And in addition to doing some good in the world, the Grand Duchy’s continued growth as a responsible investment hub could ultimately help burnish its financial and political brand.

“LuxFLAG is a public-private partnership [and] it’s a very successful one,” states Seale, who is also CEO of service provider European Fund Administration. “It’s a good example of how Luxembourg can take initiatives; of how the public and private sectors can work together and support the overall industry and give a good image to Luxembourg.”.

may 2014

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BUSINESS

Nordic banking

Looking onshore Retiring Nordea chief Jhon Mortensen says the end of banking secrecy is “a good thing.”

wenty-nine nationalities “at last count” work at Nordea Bank in Neudorf, which is “part of the charm of Luxembourg,” says CEO Jhon Mortensen.

“But obviously with different nationalities, communication is a more difficult thing.”

After more than two decades working in the Grand Duchy, he reckons: “You need to be more precise with the way to communicate, and sometimes you need to put more things in writing than you would do in the Nordic countries.”

After working in London and Singapore, the Danish economist arrived in the Grand Duchy in 1990, where he has led the international funds and private banking business of Nordea, which says that it is the “largest financial services group in northern Europe.”

The Luxembourg unit targets expatriates living outside

Article B 1

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of the Nordic region, although Mortensen says roughly one-third of its clients are non-Nordic. Its forte is keeping on top of local differences as its global client base remains mobile. “Because if you move to another country, especially if you are wealthy, you have a house in the old country, your children are studying in a third country and your divorced wife is in a fourth country,” he says with a smile.

Mortensen steps down from the bank at the end of April, but he and his wife, a retired dentist, plan to remain in the Grand Duchy.

And despite the challenges to the country’s financial services sector caused by increased international tax transparency, he remains wholly optimistic about its future, saying “the future is not in offshore private banking, it is in onshore private banking.”

It is “a good thing that banking secrecy is finally being brought to an end,” in Mortensen’s view.

“In the Scandinavian countries, they still have the view that Luxembourg--and Switzerland, for that matter--that’s the place where you hide money. The sooner we can get rid of that reputation, the better.”.

Jhon Mortensen Transparency is the future

Fiscal pact

FATCA accord inked

The Grand Duchy’s government has signed a long awaited tax data sharing agreement with the US.

After months of negotiations, the Grand Duchy inked a tax data sharing deal with Washington. The Luxembourg government signed its accord over America’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act on March 28.

FATCA requires nearly all financial institutions in the world to provide information to the American tax office on US taxpayers or face a 30% withholding charge on US revenues. The Grand Duchy’s FATCA deal now goes to the Chamber of Deputies for approval.

Earlier this year, a spokeswoman for Luxembourg’s finance ministry said the measure would ideally be ratified by late autumn.

FATCA takes effect this July, however Grand Duchy financial institutions have a grace period thanks to an earlier accord with Washington, says consultancy KPMG..

“We are building up a new industry, alternative investment funds, and we should build it on quality. That means setting up the necessary infrastructure if the fund’s management company is to be established in Luxembourg.”

CSSF director Simone Delcourt, during the 2014 Alfi spring conference

Olivier Minaire (archives)

T

Charles Caratini

Text by Aaron Grunwald Photography by Olivier Minaire

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BUSINESS

Real estate

Cornering the market More than a thousand of the world’s prime property players meet in May, here in Luxembourg, for some major summitry.

Text by Aaron Grunwald Illustrations by Jan Hanrion

Trend talks

Architects

Data

Best selling author Jeremy Rifkin (pictured) gives the “big picture” opening remarks on Tuesday morning, with a speech on “Leading the way to the Third Industrial Revolution”. Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce chief Carlo Thelen then offers a “World Economic Outlook”. In the afternoon, François Biltgen, former Luxembourg justice minister and now a judge at the European Court of Justice, speaks on the landmark 2004 European public procurement directive (which the European Commission says covers about 19% of GDP across the EU).

Zhang Yue--founder of Broad Group, the company behind the 838-metre Sky City tower in Changsha, China--kicks off Wednesday with a keynote on “The mission of architects”. OAI, Luxembourg’s architects and consulting engineers association, organises a “Reflexion on the concept of fortress (from physical to virtual) and how to handle the unique topography of Luxembourg City” on Thursday morning.

That afternoon, Eva Beleznay, chief architect of Budapest (pictured), and Jason Hu, mayor of Taichung City, Taiwan, provide a “panorama” of their towns.

Gaétan Holderbeke of Wyseboard hosts a workshop on how “The democratisation of data will allow us to have a better understanding of our assets” on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, chemist Michael Braungart talks about “Lifecycle development”. Francis Schwall of Neobuild (pictured) and Sylvain Kubicki of the Henri Tudor public research centre present a case study on “Building information modeling”--systems that the ­US BIM committee say allow “digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility”--in Luxembourg.

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BUSINESS

T

he property world will stake out some prime real estate in the Grand Duchy ­during the third week of May. FIABCI--the international federation of roughly 100 real estate associations around the world, which together represent more than 1.5 million professionals--is holding its 65th annual world congress in Kirchberg. The group brings together brokers, developers and investors, experts and managers to exchange best practices, lobby and make new contacts.

The Paris-based Fédération internationale des administrateurs de biens conseils et agents immobiliers has five official languages--English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish--and is officially recognised by the UN’s economic and social council.

The past six editions of this event have been held in ­Taiwan, St. Petersburg, Cyprus, Bali, Beijing and Amsterdam.

More than 1,500 people from 60 countries are expected to attend this year’s conference, entitled “Building Humanity”. From May 20 to 23, the summit features a non-stop line-up of keynote speeches, panel talks, workshops, exhibitions, site visits, a prize ceremony and plenty of networking.

Tours of art and architecture in Kirchberg, the European Court of Justice, the Kaltreis water tower in Bonnevoie and the Bernard Massard winery are also being offered.

Luxembourg’s housing minister, Maggy Nagel, gives the concluding address. Here are just a few of the other highlights..

Full programme and registration details: www.fiabci65.com

Finance

Green

Prix d’Excellence

Lily Chang, president of the Taichung City Real Estate Association (pictured), speaks during the World Council of Brokers forum Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, Nicolas Mackel of Luxembourg for Finance and Romain Muller of Jones Lang LaSalle each give primers on the Grand Duchy marketplace. Separately, this being the Grand Duchy, consultancies BDO, E&Y, KPMG, ManagementPlus and SGG all offer business and technical insights into various EU real estate investment structures and how to make the most out of a Luxembourg-domiciled fund.

As part of the conference’s workshop series, John Ravoisin of PwC talks about “Sustainability and marketing – the new demands of an evolving concept”, and Thierry Debourse and Olivier Lebrun of Cushman & Wakefield address the “BREEAM” standard on Tuesday. The next day, Pooran Desai (pictured) and Ben Gill of One Planet Communities speak on “Using sustainability to reduce financial risk and enhance returns – experience from around the world”. Then on Thursday Vincent Bechet and Guillaume Perrodin of Property Partners cover “Green certification”.

One of the real estate sector’s most prestigious international prizes, the group says that “the Prix d’Excellence Awards illustrate the FIABCI ideal of stimulating competition to provide society with the optimal solution to its property needs.”

Winners will be recognised in 14 categories, from heritage conservation and hotels, to residential and retail projects.

The awards ceremony and gala dinner take place Wednesday night at the Rockhal. Congress attendees can return to Esch for the Belval study tour on Friday morning.

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business Edouard de Nagourski and Sébastien Sallée

Matthias Schus, France Messier, Sofia Trojanowski, Camino Toriello and Roland Rosinus

Morningstar Awards

Recognising fund stewardship

Christophe Palumbo, Elaine Coussement and Azad Indjeyan

From left: Martijn Hoogendijk, San Lie and Ben Granjé

The conversation flowed inside and on the terrace as guests enjoyed the warm spring night during the 2014 “Morningstar Fund Awards Luxembourg” in April. Organised by investment research firm Morningstar, with fund information provider Kneip, the awards seek to recognise those funds that have outperformed the pack. Only funds available for sale in Luxembourg and those in Morningstar’s database were considered. The methodology seeks to meet some of the criticisms levelled at these types of prizes. The aim is to capture “stewardship” over the longer term, says the firm’s San Lie. “Funds which have the most impressive stewardship tend to have the best returns and highest inflows.” So rather than being focused exclusively on one-year performance, a weighted score since 2009 was calculated, among other measures. Five “Fund house awards” and 16 “Category awards” were presented.

Around 200 local fund professionals attended the event, which was held at the recently renovated Schéiss Cultural Centre in Belair. SE

Marc Hammer, Bérengère Blaszczyk, Amélie Guittet-Garreau and Laurent Sohet Inessa Wendland and Emmanuelle Bauer

The complete list of winners at: www.delano.lu/Morningstar2014 Photographed by Steve Eastwood Bob Kneip (on right) and local artist Jacques Schneider with his exhibition of pop art depictions of the Grand Duke

Terry Rosenbluth, François Drazdik, Karine Maurer-Baker and John Baker

The 2014 Morningstar Fund Awards Luxembourg recipients

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business

Fair Play Capital

Transfer speculation Ever seen football player transfer fees go through the roof and thought “I’d like some of that”? A new Luxembourg-based fund gives investors the chance to get involved with the trade in sports stars.

Text by Stephen Evans Photography by Julien Becker

E

urope’s big football clubs have never been in better health.

With global audiences lapping up the Champions League, TV rights deals have boomed and mega-rich owners are buying into the glamour. It is a ­different story for lower ranked clubs, where a few million euros can make the difference when it comes to avoiding relegation to the lower leagues.

The profits made on player transfer deals are a lifeline for many clubs.

However, buying promising young players is risky. Although they may look good when playing with their lower league clubs or back home in Africa or South America, they may not adjust to the big time. This is where Fair Play Capital’s fund is looking to work.

“A club sees a young player they like, but they are unable to fund the, say, €2-€3 million transfer fee. They then come to us for a loan,” explains Laurent Pichonnier. His firm works with a separate, dedicated advisory company that employs experienced scouts to form an independent opinion about these prospects. If they agree, the fund will then lend the club the full amount for the purchase, or exceptionally two-thirds of the fee.

“Normally, the club will keep the player for two or three years before looking to sell them on,” says Pichonnier, pointing out that many clubs rely on transfer deals for survival.

“We will then share the capital gains on the sale 50/50 with the club.”

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If a player stays with the club beyond three years or injury ends his career, the fund will be reimbursed, but without any interest payment. The worst case scenario is if the club goes bust.

The player would then be sold by the administrator to pay creditors, with the fund receiving only a share of that fee.

Although recognising the risks, Pichonnier points to the potential for substantial rewards. The initial aim is to build a fund of €20m ready for the opening of the June 2014 European “transfer window.”

With this they would purchase around seven players, with the prospect that at least one might see his valuation rocket. The hope is that these deals would guarantee a strong return for the fund as a whole, even if it has to bear only reimbursement or losses on some players. “The club, the fund and our advisors will only make money on these deals if the subsequent transfers go ahead successfully and profitably,” he says.

Pichonnier stresses that the fund and its scouting advisory company have both received approval from financial regulator CSSF. Their financing model is in agreement with football governing body FIFA rules. They have also got the backing of the French Football Federation, as this will be the first ­market they will address. Apparently, all but the two richest French clubs have expressed an interest..

Laurent Pichonnier Hoping to score sound investments

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INVESTIGATING fuTurE chAllENGES

BUSINESS

Research

Know thyself From materials science to medicine, Delano looks at what Luxembourg public research projects are discovering.

Text by Eric Marks Photography by Olivier Minaire

L

uxembourg looks locally and globally for its research topics. There is much to be discovered about our uniquely multilingual society, the globally important financial centre and the European Court of Justice. Then there is a global view, cooperating internationally in areas such as materials science and health technology, which may one day yield major discoveries and an economic windfall. Having little academic tradition can be a problem, but researchers have welcomed the chance to build from scratch using substantial funding.

Here we give a flavour of some of the work attracting international attention.

Making graphene tunable A new breed of ultra thin super-material has the potential to cause a technological revolution. “Artificial graphene” could lead to faster, smaller and lighter electronic and optical devices, including higher performance solar cells, lasers and low energy lighting. There is a lot of talk about graphene at the moment. Derived from graphite, it is a one atom thick material which is also strong, flexible, conducting and transparent. Only discovered in 2004, there is a major global push to exploit this material.

For the first time, scientists are now able to produce and have analysed artificial graphene produced from traditional semiconductor nanocrystals instead of the carbon atoms in standard graphene. Use of nanocrystals offers a new way for artificial graphene to be “tuned” to meet specific needs. Dr. Efterpi Kalesaki, a researcher at the University of Luxembourg played an important role in this highly innovative work. “Our theoretical analysis shows that attachment of nanocrystals to form geometrical structures analogous to graphene is an exciting alternative,” she says.

Designing personalised treatments to target illnesses is a very fashionable topic in the health

40

technology sector. Luxembourg is contributing towards “personalised medicine” through several lines of research. One of these uses proteomics, the study of the structure and functions of proteins. Using this knowledge one can track the progress of a disease by the “protein fingerprints” left in tissue and fluids as the body fights illness. Better knowledge of these process will result in earlier diagnoses and tailored drug treatments.

" an exciting alternative" Dr. Efterpi Kalesaki

Unique patient insight Although Luxembourg cannot match the billions being spent on personalised medicine worldwide “we have a big advantage here,” notes Prof. Bruno Domon of the Luxembourg Clinical Proteomics initiative, part of the Public Research Center for Health (CRPSanté). “Everyone is involved, including doctors and surgeons and this is a major asset available to only the biggest research centres in the world,” he adds.

Research conducted separately from clinical experience gives a limited picture of how diseases function. Having detailed knowledge of a patient’s lifestyle (eating habits, smoking,

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BUSINESS

Prof. Bruno Domon Lab and clinic staff work hand-in-hand

exercise levels, etc.) is central to gaining a full understanding of why and how disease takes hold in each individual. The LCP centre is next to the Centre Hospitalier enabling, for example, researchers to analyse samples and then talk to the doctors who treated a specific patient. This work then feeds into global academic discussions.

Bilingualism enriches the poor A bilingual child’s brain is better equipped for learning. This amazing conclusion was discovered after research led by Pascale Engel de Abreu of the University of Luxembourg. “A bilingual child has two language systems which are active every time they ­ speak,” explains Prof. Engel de Abreu. “So from an early age, the brain has had to learn to deal with this conflict, effort which enhances so called executive functions.” These functions manage working memory, reasoning, mental flexibility and problem solving; exactly the skills kids need in order to learn.

Tests were carried out on children from a Portuguese background going to Luxembourgish

€300m for research: too much or too little?

Taxpayers fund around €300M of public and private research every year, 10 times as much as in 2000. A big chunk of money, but a bit over half the overseas aid budget. Some are sceptical that this is enough to make wealth-generating discoveries.

Since the late 1990s, the government has thought otherwise.

They founded the National Research Fund (in 1999) and the research-based university (2003) and made big, long term investment promises. They point out that one never knows when research will bear fruit. Private companies benefit, receiving financial, human and material support for their research and development. EU law forbids most state support for private firms, but R&D can be justified and helps persuade firms to set up here. Also, attracting clever young researchers grows the recruitment talent pool as well as making the country a more interesting, vibrant place. Also what better way to boost the country’s image than by, say, contributing to the fight against cancer?

school and monolingual children in Portugal.

The most important finding was that there is no need for children to come from a wealthy family before these effects become apparent.

This work has attracted considerable international attention and it will help local schools design their lessons.

Hedge funds are good for you Although they have a mysterious sounding name and are not understood by many, so called “hedge funds” appear to make financial markets run more smoothly. Dr. Kalle Rinne of the university’s Luxembourg School of Finance and two colleagues outside Luxembourg have demonstrated that these sophisticated investment funds generally make it ­easier to buy and sell shares by increasing “liquidity” on stock markets. However, during crises hedge funds start to demand liquidity, as do traditional investment funds.

Nevertheless, overall these funds (which are coming in increasing numbers to Luxembourg) seem to make markets work better and so help businesses raise investment cash more easily..

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THINK LOCAL

Uruguayan

A passion that rocks

Reynaldo Vallarino explains how he learned to love Luxembourg through rock climbing in the 27 th instalment of Delano’s “Think Local” interview series.

Interview by Tonya Stoneman Photography by Steve Eastwood

There are two kinds of expats in Luxembourg: those who are here for a short period of time and are embracing all the things an experience abroad provides, and those who have decided to stay a long time and make this country their home.

Reynaldo Vallarino is the second kind.

He moved to the Grand Duchy three years ago and plans to stay.

Reynaldo Vallarino Reached new heights in Luxembourg

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TS: What brought you to ­Luxembourg?

RV: I came here in 2010 with a ­company called Northstar Europe-it’s a subsidiary of the company in Canada where I worked. I thought it would open the door for me to experience life in a new and exciting place and also because I wanted to come back to Europe, which is where I thought I’d feel most at home.

TS: Where is home, then?

RV: I’m from Uruguay. I was born there and stayed until I was 12.

Then my family moved to Vancouver, ­Canada, and I lived there for about 15 years--my family’s still there.

I’m 31 now and have lived in the US, Mexico and France, as well. You could say I’m a bit of an international ­citizen or, as I sometimes feel, a guy without a home.

TS: Having lived in so many different countries, what do you find so special about this tiny country?

RV: During the three and a half years I’ve been here, I’ve had the opportunity to do quite a bit and find myself really happy with my new home country.

I’ve been able to learn German and practice my other languages on a ­regular basis. I’ve travelled a lot, ­especially throughout Europe. I’ve also made many friends through InterNations; mostly at the ski trip last year. I’ve been able to play football and do other sports that I had neglected for years. Mostly, though, I’ve taken up a new passion, which is rock climbing.

TS: What kind of rock climbing do you do?

RV: I’m a member of the climbing club Groupe Alpin Luxembourgeois.

I’m there every week training on our [seven metres high] wall, as well as at

Boulder Klub Lëtzebuerg. It’s been the best discovery I’ve made here.

I have met great people and been on some of the trips like ice climbing in the Vosges and bouldering in ­Fontainebleau, etc. There’s a magical amazing climbing crag here in Berdorf, only about 30 minutes from the city near Echternach, where we go to climb a lot in the summer. It’s usually quite packed on weekends with climbers from Germany, France, and Belgium. Hidden in the middle of a small forest next to the village of Berdorf is this set of up to 36 metres sandstone cliffs and it’s awesome! The sport is becoming more mainstream here. There’s finally now a s­ pecialised climbing shop in Luxembourg and the Coque in Kirchberg just opened a new indoor climbing wall. In fact, we were filmed climbing at Berdorf for a feature about it by RTL News last summer.

TS: What do you like most about rock climbing?

RV: Adrenaline. Heights. Danger.

Risk. It’s also physically demanding, working out all areas of body. And the mental challenge--fighting with yourself, solving problems. It’s also a great atmosphere and I have met great people. They help each other out.

It’s not competitive, but more social.

TS: Is the climbing enough to keep you here?

RV: For now, I have found somewhere where I fit. I have a lot in common with the people here.

They are in the same life situation and have international backgrounds like me. It’s been good to build the life I have now. Little by little, I have discovered a complete package.

All in all, I finally feel like I can call someplace home..

may 2014

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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.

Alfi

British chamber

The Network

Startup Weekend

www.alfi.lu

www.bcc.lu

www.thenetwork.lu

luxembourg.startupweekend.org

Tue 29 April

Wed 21 May

Risk summit

The grapes of chat

British chamber www.bcc.lu

The women’s business networking group hosts “a fabulous wine tasting event, one of our annual events that everyone looks forward to.” Advanced registration required.

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 19:00

Tue 6 May

Legal exposure

This “afterwork legal event” probes “whistleblowing: an increasing risk for companies?”.

Speakers include Rosario Grasso of law firm Kleyr Grasso Associes.

Kleyr Grasso Associes, Luxembourg-Gare, 17:15

Amcham www.amcham.lu

KPMG Thu 22 May An evening seminar on the “rights and responsibilities of the newly established staff delegations” with Pierre Lorang of Luxembourg’s labour inspectorate (photo) and labour lawyer Guy Castegnaro.

Hotel Le Royal, Luxembourg-Centre, 18:00

Limited lunch

www.amcham.lu

Mon 5 May

Organisers say the event is held in more than 200 cities around the world and “is a 54 hours frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing and market validation.”

Technoport, Esch-Belval, Friday evening, Saturday & Sunday all day

www.shu.lu

Worker councils

Wed 30 April

Amcham

Entrepreneur feedback

Sacred Heart Univ.

www.kpmg.lu

This tax luncheon compares the new Luxembourg “limited partnership” with its older UK counterpart. Speakers include Laurent Schummer of law firm Arendt & Medernach (pictured) and Andrew Knight of M Partners.

La Table du Belvédère, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 12:00

Fri 23 - Sun 25 May

International Monetary Fund

The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry and Luxembourg Association for Risk Management host their 5th risk ­management conference. This year there is a particular focus on the AIFMD. Alvisse Parc Hotel, Luxembourg-Dommeldange, all day event

Tue 13 May

Market direction

The consulting firm presents its biannual “Business Compass” survey, which “aims to ascertain business leaders’ expectations regarding future economic trends.” Speakers include finance minister Pierre Gramegna.

Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 16:00

Working lunch

The May ABAL luncheon features Patrice Brun of Great Place to Work Luxembourg, talking about the characteristics of the best companies to bande work for.Vinoteca_Delano 1.0.pdf Légère Hotel, Munsbach, 12:00

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3/6/14

Indian chamber www.ibcl.lu

Thu 22 May

SME growth

Seminar addresses “how we can get entrepreneurs to invest in family businesses.”

Participants include Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg’s employment minister.

Venue to be announced, 18:00

Wed 4 June

Intriguing question

Dominique Strauss-Khan--the former IMF director and French finance minister, who now heads a Luxembourg hedge fund--speaks on “should politics prime economics?”

Hémicycle, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:30

6:13 PM

shop & tastings

Have a suggestion?

If your organisation is holding an event of ­interest to the international community, send details to: news@delano.lu

(in the commercial area Troc / Catclub / Surfin / Dété)

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15/04/2014 17:05

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WINE TASTE ENJOY MOSELLE

��+ ��.��.���� OPEN WINE CELLARS WEEKEND Tasting of wines, Crémants and brandies Authentic regional food Live music and art exhibitions Guided walks www.visitmoselle.lu

Fonds européen agricole pour le développement rural : l’Europe investit dans les zones rurales.

Europäischer Landwirtschaftsfonds für die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raumes: Europa investiert in die ländlichen Gebiete.

Spring treats Wine takes centre stage in the spring as local producers unveil last year’s vintage at events across the country.

Wine, Taste, Enjoy

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may 2014

Stine Bülow Jewellery maker Stine Bülow has moved her studio into the premises of designer store Ben & Pepper on avenue de la Liberté. Bülow was previously a mainstay of the Art Rooms project but her new location gives the Danish designer more visibility. Inspired by nature, animals and contemporary fashion, she specialises in fantasy jewellery and custom made memory boxes. www.benandpepper.com

Olivier Minaire

L’Ambassade Opened in the charming premises of the former l’Opéra in Rollingergrund, l’Ambassade is run

by Corsican restaurateur Joseph Ordioni, together with chef Dominique Demagistri.

The menu includes a range of specialities from Ordioni’s native isle, such as Corsican pork products and cheeses, Bonifacio style aubergines and Mahi Mahi with honey. www.lambassade.lu

Luc Deflorenne

Villeroy & Boch Porcelain and homeware maker Villeroy & Boch has redesigned its flagship store on the rue du Fossé in Luxembourg City. Originally opened in 1989, the store now has a more contemporary look that allows customers even more access to the range of products on display, which includes a new series dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Luxembourg Red Cross. www.villeroy-boch.lu

Steve Eastwood

Villeroy & Boch

Wine lovers interested in the excellent yet underrated vintages produced by Luxembourg’s growers on the Moselle should get themselves down to the riverside over the Whitsun weekend. On Saturday June 7 (from 2 p.m.) and Sunday June 8 (from 11 a.m.) some 24 winegrowers, wine cellars and wine bars along the Luxembourg Moselle will be opening their doors and offering tastings--as a rule there will be a small charge to cover the costs. As well as the tastings, a side programme will feature culinary specialities and tours as well as first-class art exhibitions, readings by writers and musical performances on winegrowing estates. www.visitmoselle.lu

Station Bike box A new facility for secure bike stands has opened at the city’s main railway station.

Access to the M-box requires registering via the Mobilitéitszentral desk at the station or its website to obtain a key and access card in exchange for a €20 deposit.

The service offers additional protection against theft and vandalism and aims to encourage commuters to use their bikes as part of their journey to work. www.mobiliteit.lu

Hermès

d’stater muséeën

LIFESTYLE

Museums invite The d’stater muséeën group is hosting its annual springtime open house event, “Invitation aux musées”, over the night of Saturday May 17 to Sunday May 18.

The event sees museums in the capital city, but also across the country, open their doors until late. Most museums also put on special events and entertainment related to their current exhibitions, and some even allow visitors a sneak peek at behind the scenes. www.statermuseeen.lu

LuxExpo

Luc Deflorenne

Hermès bike French fashion house Hermès has branched out with this elegant carbonfibre bicycle, Le Flâneur d’Hermès, which incorporates the brand’s iconic bull-calf leather on the handlebars, saddle, carry handle, and luggage rack.

The bicycle is handcrafted by high-end French bike manufacturer Time and is available in cream, charcoal grey or red and retails at €8,100. A racier version, the Le Flâneur sportif, is also available. luxembourg.hermes.com

Redwood by G

Spring fair The annual Foire de Printemps at LuxExpo (may 10 to 18) is a grand old Luxembourg tradition that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Kirchberg.

The highlight of the nine-day event is undoubtedly the “Univers du vin expo” at which local producers give visitors a taste of their 2013 vintages.

But tableware and ideas for the garden are also on show, as is an e-mobility expo about alternative transport. www.luxexpo.lu

Design

BLC car boot sale The 22nd annual car boot sale organised by the British Ladies’ Club of Luxembourg takes place on Saturday May 3 on the Glacis car park.

Always a great place to pick up second-hand bargains, the car boot sale is also a highly enjoyable social event that brings together communities. The sale starts at 9 a.m. and refreshments will be available throughout the day. www.blc.lu

Following the success of its autumn market last year, Luxembourg design promotion group Lët’z Go Local is holding its first Local Spring Market for, and in celebration of, local designers over the weekend of May 24 and 25. Offering everything from food and drink to design and fashion at 50 stands alongside numerous workshops, the market is sure to provide something for everyone to enjoy.

Designers and businesses on display at the market include Redwood

by G (photo), POPUP Studio and NUBS. Redwood by G is a Luxembourg based clothing label that beautifully combines Oriental origins with European styles within its collections. “Designed with love and made with care,” Redwood by G’s clothes are crafted using only materials handpicked by the designer. POPUP Studio is a designer of soft toys and clothes for children as well as home decorations. Unique, colourful and exciting, all of POPUP’s items are handcrafted using the highest-quality materials available. NUBS is a crowd-funding platform for Luxembourg projects, businesses and organisations. It provides funding and viral marketing for a small network of projects and works on a reward system: those who contribute financially will receive non-financial rewards.

The Local Spring Market will take place in the foyer of the Grand Théâtre in the city from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Sunday..

Grand Théâtre, rond-point Schuman, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.letzgolocal.lu

Post

Steve Eastwood

Lët’z Go Local adds spring market

Octave market The post-Easter Octave pilgrimages are a highlight of the calendar for Luxembourg’s Catholic community.

Pilgrims travel into the city to pay homage to Our Lady of Luxembourg.

The pilgrimages take place this year from May 10 to May 25 and a market is set up on the place Guillaume to ensure that pilgrims are not left hungry, thirsty or without a retro Guns’n’Roses t-shirt. www.cathol.lu

Carter’s new stamp Local artist Ben Carter has designed a new stamp for Post Luxembourg to mark the 20th anniversary of Luxembourg’s fortifications and old town being designated a UNESCO world heritage site. Carter is renowned for his unique take on local landscapes, having painted views of the city and of the steel mills in the south of the country, and was a natural choice for this new stamp. www.post.lu

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LIFESTYLE

Rock-A-Field

Win backstage visit Den Atelier’s music festival has this year been expanded to cover three days. The line up is as eclectic as ever, featuring everything from techno rave to nu-folk pop via reggae rap and math rock.

One lucky Delano reader can win a festival pass and a visit backstage.

Text by Duncan Roberts

I

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t’s a World Cup year, so the football fans at the annual Rock-A-Field festival will have to choose between live acts on three stages and watching their team (if they have qualified for the knockout round) battle it out in Brazil on the big screen. Four years ago UK band Kasabian were bitterly disappointed to play after England had been thrashed 1-4 by Germany in South Africa. And in 2006 fans who chose to attend Rock-A-Field had to forgo the infamous PortugalNetherlands match in Germany in which players received a record four red cards and 16 yellow cards.

But 2014 is a long way removed from 2006, the very first Rock-A-Field which saw fans brave a deluge of hail to watch the likes of Franz Ferdinand and ­Placebo. Since then Luxembourg’s ­premier outdoor festival, hosted

by Hollerich venue den Atelier, has grown in size and stature, first expanding to incorporate two stages and then, last year, adding a second day to the event. Such was the success of that experiment, that this year’s RAF takes place over three days, with headliners celebrity rock band 30 Seconds To Mars, techno rave star Skrillex and alternative rock royalty Kings Of Leon playing the Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Jared Leto’s 30 Seconds To Mars and Kings Of Leon have both played RAF before (in 2010 and 2009) and the bill is littered with acts that will be familiar to den Atelier audiences such as ­Swedish

rockers The Hives (who played RAF in 2007), British math rock outfit Foals, Belgian ­favourites Triggerfinger, ­American alt rock band Interpol, B ­ ritish singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding, metal ­legends Alter Bridge and ­German ­reggae-rapper Gentleman.

New acts to the Grand Duchy such as ­ alifornian all girl nu-folk pop trio Haim, C indie-pop outfit Foster The People, and Scottish electro-pop darkling Chvrches are among the artists on the bill that have been receiving media hype recently. A host of local acts, including electro duo Artaban, John Rech’s Dream Catcher, rock band Natas Loves You, ­veteran punks ­Versus You and fresh pop ­rockers Angel At My Table are also playing the festival.

Delano would recommend catching Foals, sassy lo-fi blues rock girl duo Deap Vally, British urban-ambientdance act Jungle, UK electro producer Gold Panda, German fun rock band Sportfreunde Stiller and, of course, the granddaddy of hip-hop, Grandmaster Flash.

Delano has tickets and an invitation to go backstage to give away to one reader. To win, simply answer this ­question: whose artwork graces 30 Seconds To Mars album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams? Send answers by email to contest@delano.lu, stating “Rock-A-Field pass” as the subject field. Deadline for entries is ­Friday May 16.. www.rockafield.lu

Jared Leto A Delano winner might bump into the 30 Seconds To Mars singer backstage

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LIFESTYLE

FEATS

Theatre doesn’t get tougher than this The annual Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies comes to Luxembourg in June. It is an opportunity for drama groups to test their mettle and for audiences to see 12 plays over four nights. Hosting the event is also a challenge that New World Theatre Club stalwarts are relishing.

Text by Duncan Roberts Photos by Steve Eastwood

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dmirers of English language theatre are in for a real treat over the Whitsun holiday weekend. The annual Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies (FEATS) is being hosted in Luxembourg for the first time since 2006, when the 30th anniversary of the festival took place at the Centre des Arts Pluriel in Ettelbruck.

That festival was run by Luxembourg’s New World Theatre Club, which has representation on the organisation’s steering committee and hosts the festival again this year.

The venue for the 2014 edition is the Kinneksbond in Mamer, a purpose built cultural centre with a 245-seat capacity auditorium that serves as a focal point for performance arts in the west of the country.

“The Kinneksbond has been a wonderful partner,” says NWTC chairman Christopher Albrecht. Not that he is surprised--the company has worked with the venue before, for its second 10-minute play festival in 2012, for example. “FEATS is actually a co-production with Kinneksbond, which means we don’t have to pay for the venue, which is really nice,” explains Valerie Scott. But that partnership also means that NWTC has to work very

professionally to fulfil its contract with the venue.

Experienced hosts The logistics of staging FEATS are complicated, though NWTC has plenty of experience having hosted the festival six times--in 1980, 1985, 1989 and 1994 at the Grand Théâtre in the capital city and in 2000 in the Théâtre municipal of Esch-sur-Alzette as well as the 2006 edition in Ettelbruck.

In addition to finding a suitable venue for the festival, the host group has to set up communications (NWTC has a dedicated website for FEATS), help visiting companies with transport, point them in the right direction for accommodation (made all the easier these days thanks to sites such as Booking.com), provide catering, run a tight crew backstage and also decide the running order of the plays over the four days of the festival. The latter task can be quite contentious, with most visiting groups preferring to avoid performing on the Friday night because of the logistics of getting to the festival on time. “We will open with the plays with the least complicated

settings,” says Scott emphatically.

Once the venue was decided, the other major challenge was public transport to and from the Kinneksbond, especially because each evening the adjudicator delivers feedback to the audience after the three plays have been performed. That means audiences will not leave the venue until after 11 p.m. So the organisers have arranged for shuttle buses to drop off points in the city.

Varied programme “It is a wonderful opportunity to see a varied programme of English language theatre,” says Albrecht.

“Because as well as three plays each night, there is also a Fringe programme.” The Fringe includes workshops, musical and theatre performances and more, including a now traditional skit on the plays that have been perfor­med in competition.

“The Fringe really opens up the festival,” says Albrecht. Scott is a big fan of the Fringe and explains that it also allows new groups to experience the festival before they participate in an official capacity.

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A week of wines, tableware, furniture and gardening equipment Monday to Friday from 2pm to 8pm and on weekends from 10 am to 7pm

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LIFESTYLE

Chris Albrecht and Valerie Scott Relishing the challenge of putting on FEATS

There are 31 groups in the FEATS organisation, from Oslo and Stockholm in the north to Athens in the south via groups in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy. One group even joined the circuit after hearing about FEATS at the annual residential summer theatre school that the NWTC organises (this year from Saturday July 26 to Sunday August 3 in Clairefontaine in Belgium).

FEATS is proof positive that Englishlanguage theatre is alive and well in Europe with many cities, such as Brussels, playing host to a plethora of theatrical groups. Two groups from Stuttgart are performing at the 2014 festival, for example. Indeed, Luxembourg also has four English-language theatrical societies, with musical theatre company Pirate Productions and drama groups Actor’s Rep and BGT producing shows on a regular basis. Although, as Scott points out, in other cities just as in Luxembourg, some theatre enthusiasts are members of more than one company.

The FEATS competition itself is a fascinating aspect of the festival, and anyone interested in theatre should stay behind to hear the adjudicator’s enlightening comments at the end of each night. The rules of the competition--complying with those set by the UK’s National Drama Festivals Association--are strict on length of the play (between 25 and 45 minutes) and how long each company has to set up and strike the stage (10 and five minutes respectively).

“So, if you don’t like a play it is never too long to wait for the next performance,” says Scott with a wry smile.

Stiff competition The adjudicator is chosen from the Guild of Drama Adjudicators in Britain. This year the honour falls

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LIFESTYLE

Philipp Dutton Theatre stalwart has built dedicated FEATS website

to Jan Palmer Sayer, a former teacher who has been a GoDA member since 2001 and has adjudicated at FEATS before--in Antwerp in 2012 and in Bad Homburg, Germany in 2010. She will have the tough decision of selecting the festival winners--there are first, second and third prizes up for grabs as well as best actor and actress awards and honours for best stage management and best stage presentation. A prize for best original script will be keenly contested this year, with seven of the 12 plays based on scripts written especially for the company that is performing. The adjudicator awards points according to the NDFA marking system, which allocates a maximum of 40 points for acting, 35 points for production, 15 points for stage presentation and 10 points for originality, endeavour and achievement. The winner of FEATS is usually invited to take part in the British All Winners Festival. But all participating groups take something away from FEATS. The adjudicator, for instance, spends the morning after giving more detailed feedback to each of the three groups that has performed the night before. And the social and educational aspect of meeting fellow thespians, directors, budding playwrights, set and costume designers, sound and lighting crew is enriching.

But above all the festival is a celebration of theatre for audiences and an opportunity that is worth grasping as the festival comes to Luxembourg but every six or eight years.

Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies, Friday June 6 to Monday June 9, Kinneksbond, Mamer, www.feats.lu

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The plays

Friday June 6 Dancing With Winter

by Michael Hilton Anglophone ­Collaborative ­Theatre, Stuttgart

Sunday June 8 It’s on you, John

by Charlie Lucarotti Lucerne World Theater Company, Lucerne

The Worker by Walter Wykes Frankfurt English Speaking Theatre, Frankfurt

Solveig by Brendan McCall Ensemble Free Theater Norway, Oslo

The Virtue of Pretty Penny, or, A Vile Murder Foil’d

by Simon Palmer Tagora, Strasbourg

The extraordinary revelations of Orca the goldfish

by David Tristram Semi-Circle, Basel

Saturday June 7 The Ribbon by Guy Las Entity Theatre, Munich

Monday June 9 Amateurs by David Auburn Hamburg Players, Hamburg

The Last Supper

by Tom De Beckker British American Theatrical ­Society, Antwerp

Death by Woody Allen New English American Theater, Stuttgart

A Night in November

by Marie Jones Irish Theatre Group, Brussels

La Franco

by Anne-Marie Bellefroid Anglo American Theatre Group, The Hague

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SYLVIA CAMARDA & SASCHA LEY SYLVIA CAMARDA & SASCHA LEY MI FRIDA MI FRIDA

06.05 & 12.05.2014 06.05 & 12.05.2014

COLIN DUNNE COLIN DUNNE OUT OF TIME OUT OF TIME

13.05 & 14.05.2014 13.05 & 14.05.2014

ROYAL SWEDISH BALLET ROYAL SWEDISH BALLET JULIET & ROMEO JULIET & ROMEO

22.05 & 23.05.2014 22.05 & 23.05.2014

JEAN-GUILLAUME WEIS JEAN-GUILLAUME WEIS FRAUENTANZ FRAUENTANZ

04.06 & 07.06.2014 04.06 & 07.06.2014

SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI M¡LONGA M¡LONGA

05.06 & 06.06.2014 05.06 & 06.06.2014

FUMIYO IKEDA & UN YAMADA FUMIYO IKEDA & UN YAMADA AMNESS AMNESS

17.06.2014 17.06.2014

ColinColin Dunne Dunne in OUT in OUT OF TIME OF TIME ©Peter ©Peter Hallward Hallward

LEMI PONIFASIO LEMI PONIFASIO THE CRIMSON HOUSE THE CRIMSON HOUSE

19.06 & 20.06.2014 19.06 & 20.06.2014

KOEN AUGUSTIJNEN KOEN AUGUSTIJNEN & DALISA PIGRAM & DALISA PIGRAM GUDIRR GUDIRR GUDIRR GUDIRR

25.06.2014 25.06.2014

LES THÉÂTRES DE LA VILLE LES THÉÂTRES GRAND THÉÂTREDE ILA1,VILLE ROND-POINT SCHUMAN I L-2525 LUXEMBURG GRAND THÉÂTRE I 1, ROND-POINT SCHUMAN I L-2525 LUXEMBURG THÉÂTRE DES CAPUCINS I 9, PLACE DU THÉÂTRE I L-2613 LUXEMBOURG THÉÂTRE DES CAPUCINS I 9, PLACE DU THÉÂTRE I L-2613 LUXEMBOURG INFORMATION: WWW.LESTHEATRES.LU INFORMATION: WWW.LESTHEATRES.LU BOOKING: WWW.LUXEMBOURGTICKET.LU BOOKING: TEL.: + 352WWW.LUXEMBOURGTICKET.LU 47 08 95-1 TEL.: + 352 47 08 95-1

LIFESTYLE

Landscaping

Great gardens start with imagination… and grow with the pros

Carolin Pritzen Heat up your paradisew

Germinate ideas and get expert advice about how to transform your garden into a private paradise where you’ll want to spend lots of time… and sip G&Ts. The Spring Fair at LuxExpo is a greenhouse of goods and services where you’ll find spades of information and inspiration!

Text by Wendy Winn Photography by Olivier Minaire

F

ind it hard to appreciate warm nights and cold drinks surrounded by weeds, broken flowerpots and lawn chairs that look like they were used to watch Hailey’s comet in 1986? If you’re thinking about sprucing up the garden, the first thing you need to plant is the seed of imagination. What do you want to create? A cosy nook for sitting outside with a gin and tonic and a loved one, or just with the G&T? A vegetable patch?

Or a place where you can entertain, complete with garden furniture that wouldn’t look out of place indoors?

Some seasoned gardeners and others who attended LuxExpo’s gardening show, Jardirêve, in March, have already turned over some ideas and probably the soil as well, but whether you got an early start or not, the experts at the Spring Fair can help you transform your outdoor space into somewhere you’d actually like to hang out.

The Spring Fair covers much more than just gardening, but among the 400 exhibitors at this consumers’ fair from May 10 to 18 will be a large number who can help you achieve that.

Before you head off, germinate those ideas. Ask neighbours whose yard you admire (praise is like mulch to gardeners), check out local clubs like Greenfingers, which organises trips to gardens and shows, and check out

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gardening websites that are proliferating like pumpkins in a patch.

If you’re just digging in, start with the basics. Think about the whole space instead of the details. Get advice about plants that will actually grow in Luxembourg and things that will keep your g­ arden colourful. Bring in the big ­bulldozers by calling on a big firm like Vereal, who can take on forestry projects, sports terrains and commercial ­landscaping as well as your sprawling acreage around the villa, rooftop space or tiny allotment. They have the resources to do almost anything, probably even recreating Niagara, and on their website, they acknowledge that “having a beautiful garden is a luxury, but doing all the maintenance isn’t.”

They can help you with that.

More Bonsai in size but Giant Sequoia for ideas and service is GaardenKarisma. Owner Nicola Senior says they offer personalised service and create gardens that match people’s lifestyles and preferences.

Says one of many satisfied customers on their website, “our garden has never looked lovelier and the team leave us free to enjoy the garden without having to spend all our free time working in it.” Ah, the joy of sipping that G&T without weeds to whack.

But let’s say your idea is not only

geminated but already set out and supported with stakes. This is where the Spring Fair really flourishes, with everything from beautiful wooden terraces, outdoor lighting, weatherproof furniture, huge umbrellas, pools and-those things that make good neighbours--fences, which in turn can be made by Excellence de Luxe.

Owner George Merge says they offer various materials for various needs and budgets, and that “the advantage of our fencing is that you have a privacy and still can see through the fence,” so it’s effective, but not a blockade. Plus, you can still see them.

After you’ve spent money and energy in your garden--you’ll want to make sure you spend time there too--a ­ sure-fire way is to add fire, in the form of fireplaces, grills and ovens. Co-owner Carolin Pritzen at Bon-A-Therm has such sleek and sophisticated outdoor cooking elements that you might want to swap that G&T for a Glühwein and refuse to come back inside.

Actually, that’s not a bad idea--not the Glühwein--creating something that can be enjoyed even in frigid February.

Think winter garden, veranda, garden hut or sauna. Specialists like Keller who can create glasshouses (do not throw stones), pretty pavilions and more, are on hand and ripe for the picking..

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LIFESTYLE

Get in touch Spring Fair (Foire de Printemps) May 10 to 18 LuxExpo, Luxembourg-Kirchberg www.printemps.lu Greenfingers Club “We meet once a month on a Saturday morning to visit gardens in or near Luxembourg or listen to talks on subjects connected with gardening and nature.” www.greenfingersclub.lu Bon-A-Therm 117 route de Luxembourg, Echternach Tel: 26 72 13-59 www.bon-a-therm.lu Excellence de Luxe Blaschette Tel: 691 191 271 or 691 349 376 www.excellencedeluxe.lu GaardenKarisma 100 rue Emile Metz, Luxembourg-Mühlenbach Tel: 691 196 285 www.gaardenkarisma.lu Keller 38-40 route de Wilwerdange, Troisvierges Tel: 97 80 21 www.kellerag.com Vereal 5 rue des Mérovingiens, Bertrange Tel: 26 12 99 www.vereal.lu

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LIFESTYLE

19 live shows

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01

Nisennenmondai/Disappears

Buggin’ out

Formed in 1999 just before the millennium and taking their name from the translation of “Year 2000 Problem”, a reference to the so-called Y2K bug, Nisennenmondai is, in the words of Dazed and Confused an “unassuming juggernaut.” That analogy comes from the Japanese all-girl trio’s reserved stage presence and slowly grinding sonic delivery--the sort of band that takes time to build a tune from the sparse high hat, snare banging rhythm of drummer Sayaka Himeno backed by the hooks of bassist Yuri Zaikawa to the distorted experiments of guitarist Masako Takada. Jessica Suarez in Pitchfork calls them “pummelling, dense instrumentals.” They are not afraid to showcase their influences, even naming songs after their musical heroes such as ‘Sonic Youth’ and ‘Pop Group’. It is the group’s second show at Exit07.

Also on the bill is Chicago based Disappears, who, like Nisennenmondai, take up the post-punk/no wave mantle by employing Kraut-rock rhythms but unlike the Japanese girls, enhance them with vocals. Once backed

by Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, the band’s latest album, Era, sounds like an “indictment of dance music with an industrial bent” according to Pitchfork..

Mai 29, Exit07, Luxembourg-Hollerich, www.rotondes.lu 02

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Jean-Guillaume Weis Choreographer Jean-Guillaume Weis follows up his exhilarating and witty Männertanz concept with a show all about women. Frauentanz takes the same formula as the 2012 show where male dancers expressed their connection to dance, but from the perspective of ten female dancers who demonstrate their motivation.

June 4 & 7, Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.theatres.lu 06

Jan Rasmus Voss

The exotic climes of Japan take pride of place on Luxembourg stages over the coming few weeks in the shape of all-girl trio Nisennenmondai, Hideki Noda’s theatre piece The Bee. Other highlights include a tribute to Frida Kahlo, a wealth of exciting live bands, classical music and contemporary dance.

Rock Against Exclusion The Fondation Follereau Luxembourg is hosting its second Rock Against Exclusion awareness-raising concert at the Rockhal. Among the artists performing will be, the winner of a contest to find a local opening act, Funky P singer Isaac, Luxembourg band KATE and 2012 The Voice Germany winner Ivy Quainoo, who landed a huge hit with her song ‘Wildfires (Light It Up)’.

May 9, Rockhal, Esch-Belval, www.ffl.lu 07

Manic Street Preachers Standard bearers for intelligent political rock from Wales, Manic Street Preachers have tempered their firebrand punk attitude, but at the age of 45 lyricist Nicky Wire is still raging against the machine. Famous for late 90s heyday hits such as ‘A Design For Life’ and ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next’, the band has rekindled interest with latest album Rewind The Film. Support comes from Public Service Broadcasting.

May 29, den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare, www.atelier.lu

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Ginger Baker Legendary rock drummer Ginger Baker brings his Jazz Confusion ensemble to den Atelier as part of the Printemps Musical festival. Baker’s powerhouse style was hugely influential in the 1960s, but he was himself influenced by jazz drummers and the more restrained side of his art is on show alongside legendary sax player Pee Wee Ellis, Alec Dankworth on bass and Abbas Dodoo on percussion.

May 18, den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare, www.atelier.lu

Dirty Beaches SEL & Naughtons Acclaimed piano playing sisters Michelle and Christina Naughton, hailed for their “stellar musicianship” join the Solistes Européens Luxembourg for Paul Lansky’s Shapeshifters concerto for two pianos and orchestra. Also on the programme, Dvorak’s seventh symphony.

May 5, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

Likened to Suicide, Alex Zhang Hungtai’s Dirty Beaches performs texturally complex experimental lo-fi that Pitchfork calls a “sonic travelogue.”

On the second record of latest release, the dual album Drifters/Love Is the Devil, Hungtai’s introspective instrumentals are aptly described by Exclaim! as “sombre and almost narcotically low key… cinematic mood pieces.”

June 6, Exit07 (CarréRotondes), Luxembourg-Hollerich, www.rotondes.lu

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F R I D AY 2 7 t h J U N E

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS SPORTFREUNDE STILLER

TRIGGERFINGER . ALTER BRIDGE . MARTERIA

ANGEL TABLE . DEAP VALLY . SUB CULTURE . FRESHDAX S A T U R D AY 2 8 t h J U N E

SKRILLEX . ALICE IN CHAINS FOALS . ELLIE GOULDING

WHITE LIES . SHAKA PONK FOSTER THE PEOPLE . GOLD PANDA THEES UHLMANN . NATAS LOVES YOU

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CAMO & KROOKED PRESENT ZEITGEIST CLAIRE VERSUS YOU . DREAM CATCHER . LOST IN PAIN

S U N D AY 2 9 t h J U N E

KINGS OF LEON INTERPOL . THE HIVES

WIZ KHALIFA . GENTLEMAN EVOLUTION HAIM . CHVRCHES . GRANDMASTER FLASH CLUTCH . PRINZ PI

SUB FOCUS . JUNGLE . ARTABAN . ALL THE WAY DOWN THE MAJESTIC UNICORNS FROM HELL

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LIFESTYLE

08

The Bee

Maxime Reider

Downward spiral

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Portugal The Man Produced by the seemingly ubiquitous Danger Mouse, Portugal. The Man’s ­latest album Evil Friends has received a string of favourable reviews, with even the ­cynical Pitchfork claiming it is the band’s “least convoluted” album so far. Zack Kraimer in The Filter says the album is “more streamlined than their past work, more ornate while simultaneously ­accessible and experimental.” The band’s last appearance at den Atelier was disappointingly subdued, so maybe this new impetus will help them deliver a performance worthy of their recorded output.

June 9, den Atelier, Luxembourg-Gare, www.atelier.lu

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Pat Metheny Acclaimed modern jazz guitarist Pat Metheny brings his Unity Group to the Phil. The addition of multiinstrumentalist Giulio Carmassi to the band has allowed the Unity Group to broaden its horizons even further, with many critics hailing the ­contributions of sax player Chris Potter to the project, for example, while drummer Antonio Sánchez and bass player Ben Williams also get to showcase their multiple talents.

May 15, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

Dating Mozart The “Dating” series at the Philharmonie allows the audience to expand their knowledge of a particular piece of classical music. The focus in May is on Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, one of his most admired works.

Acclaimed music writer Charles Rosen said the symphony was “a work of passion, violence, and grief.” Pianist JeanFrançois Zygel introduces the work and places it in context, while Antonio Méndez conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

May 21, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

Gert Weiglet

Frank Juery/Naïve

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Written by Japanese director Hideki Noda with Irish scribe Colin Teevan, from an original story-Plucking At Each Other--by Yasutaka Tsutsui, The Bee is a skilfully created and disturbing piece of theatre.

Inspired by the events and aftermath of 9/11, The Bee portrays, in the words of Telegraph reviewer Dominic Cavendish, “a rapid descent into a moral abyss where the roles of victim and perpetrator blur into one.”

Its protagonist, a businessman named Ido, returns home one day to find his wife and child have been kidnapped by an escaped lunatic who demands access to his own family in return. The only catch is that the lunatic’s wife refuses his request and so Ido takes her and her child hostage in return. As the situation spirals out of control and violence escalates, the message is clear--that even though a bee can sting, the price it pays is heavy.

Noda himself makes an appearance, and the lead role of Ido is played by Petra Massey--the original cast featured Kathryn Hunter. The piece is physically demanding of the actress and Hunter’s portrayal was likened to Charlie Chaplin’s. But the slapstick soon gives way to something much darker and Kafkaesque. “It is a short, sharp shock of a play,” says Cavendish by way of a recommendation.

May 27 & 28, Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.theatres.lu

Swedish Royal Ballet Swedish choreographer Mats Ek’s Juliet & Romeo features music by Tchaikovsky as opposed to the ballet written by Prokofiev. Dance critic Judith Mackrell in The Guardian hails the piece, written for the Swedish Royal Ballet, for the way it “explores the dark and dangerous issues coiled at the heart of ballet’s most hallowed works.”

Ek is the son of famous choreographer Birgit Cullberg and has enjoyed a long and illustrious career.

May 22 & 23, Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.theatres.lu

May 2014

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Digital archives of 20 years of inDepenDent publishing

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LIFESTYLE 13

17 Pablo Porciuncula

Bohumil Kostohryz

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Mi Frida

Bobby McFerrin

Two of Luxembourg’s most exciting female artists pay homage on stage to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

Actress and singer Sascha Ley and choreographer and dancer Sylvia Camarda showcase Kahlo’s “inner strength, passion, unconditional love and distinct individuality.”

May 6 & 12, Théâtre des Capucins, Luxembourg-Centre, and May 15, Mierscher Kulturhaus, Mersch, www.theatres.lu, www.kulturhaus.lu

Best known for his crossover hot ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ singer Bobby McFerrin is the acknowledged master of polyphonic vocal performance. His latest album, VOCAbuLarieS, takes this technique to new levels. The album contains more than 1,400 vocal tracks recorded by over 50 singers in languages ranging from Arabic to Zulu.

May 16, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu 18

Doc Mac

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Rock at Beaufort castle

Classics in ruins

Peter Hallward

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Colin Dunne Irish dancer Colin Dunne has take a new direction in his latest show, Out of Time. It is a solo piece that, in the words of The New York Times, is “an unprecedented achievement: an Irish dance performance of emotional and intellectual complexity.” Dunne may perform solo, but the stage is enhanced by projected archival images of dancers, including himself as a ten year old boy.

May 13 & 14, Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.theatres.lu

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Each summer the beautiful ruins of the castle at Beaufort play host to a couple of concerts by veterans of the rock scene. This year, the ­programme has been expanded to include eight concerts and a number of more contemporary acts have been invited on to the bill.

The “dinosaurs” still rule the roost, however, with the likes of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest opening the programme on July 25. The following evening the guest performer is former Warlock singer Doro Pesch--the self-styled “Queen of Heavy Metal”--who has a large following in Germany. US adult oriented rock ­outfit Kansas visit Beaufort as part of their 40th anniversary tour and Klaus Doldinger brings his legendary jazz fusion band Passport to the castle on July 31, with support from local jazz stars Pascal S ­ chumacher and Francesco Tristano playing with Bachar Khalifé.

Irish soft rock star Chris de Burgh also plays the burg. Most interestingly of all, the legendary Patti Smith and her band will rock the castle on August 3. More contemporary stars such as much derided English s­ inger-songwriter James Blunt and big-in-Germany Scottish ­artist Amy Macdonald (photo) complete the line up on August 1 and 8 respectively.

July 25 to August 9, Château de Beaufort, Beaufort, www.beaufort.lu

Like A Jazz Machine The annual festival of jazz at opderschmelz features a packed programme of new talent, local performers and veterans of the scene. Highlights over the four-day programme include Luxembourg artists David Laborier and Maxime Bender, emerging international talent such as Céline Bonacina (photo) and Stéphane Kerecki, and a concert by legendary jazz drummer Billy Cobham.

May 8 to 11, opderschmelz, Dudelange, www.opderschmelz.lu 19

Marlene Soares

Universal Music

S. Carey Perhaps better known to local audiences as Sean, the drummer of Bon Iver, S. Carey’s solo work draws on his “love of jazz, modern classical and Americana.” Described, much to her chagrin,

by Kate Hutchinson in the NME as “achingly beautiful”, his latest album Range Of Light features “repetitive, sombre chords and lullaby-soft vocals.”

June 1, Exit07, Luxembourg-Hollerich (promoted by den Atelier), www.atelier.lu

Arzu & Gamze Kirtil Sisters Arzu and Gamze Kirtil (who live in Luxembourg and Istanbul respectively) perform a launch concert for their new CD, Piano Duos. The programme features works by Chopin, Ravel, Shostakovich and Brahms as well as first ever recordings of works by British composer Maria Lord and Turkey’s Fazil Say. Also on the bill is a work by Luxembourg composer Camille Kerger.

May 6, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

May 2014

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4/17/14 10:06 AM

LIFESTYLE

Happy kids: create some memories 01

History, culture and active fun this May and June.

Text by Wendy Winn

A blast from the past

Liga Eglite/Creative Commons

Bealtaine beckons

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Awaken your child’s imagination by taking them deep into the forest… and way back into the past on June 7 and 8. It’s easy to imagine you’re back in the Middle Ages when you stroll between pitched tents and workshops, and even witness battles! Participants at the Bealtaine Festival--medieval enthusiasts from Luxembourg, France, Belgium and Germany--are in costume, making the scene surreal and magical. Seeing the Celtic house, authentically reproduced by local scouts, is worth the trip to Neihaischen alone. (There is a P&R in nearby Munsbach--the street is blocked during the fest). See blacksmiths, herbalists, tanners and troubadours at work, and marvel at what life must have been like centuries ago. Head over to the grill for hunks of meat and other hearty fare, and bring some spending cash too for the kind of crafts kids make big puppydog eyes and beg for--wooden swords, fairy necklaces and ­mysterious stones on leather strings. The kids will have a blast from the past… and so will you.. www.bealtaine.lu

Buckets of memories

Catch the blues

Right on target

Remarkable journey

All the fish you can eat for just €15 a year? What’s the catch? Well, the fish… if you can. A fishing permit for the Moselle costs €15 a year or €10 a month. What young angler do you know who’d enjoy heading out one early morning, sitting by the riverbank and waiting for the big one? No matter how many of the local river’s trout, pike, perch, or carp you reel in, your young fisherman’s friend will bring home a bucket full of memories. www.visitluxembourg.com

There are lots of bugs kids will get exposed to, building up their immunity to various aches, pains and viruses. But expose them to great music, and you’ll infect them with an incurable love for music. The All American Music Fest on Place Guillaume II from June 7 to 9 is highly contagious for foot-stomping, harmonica-wailing, sax-blowing fun (performers include the Sanzibar 12, pictured). And kids don’t have to sit still, be quiet, or go hungry. festivals.lcto.lu

All the excitement of an action film with none of the danger--come hide and seek new style, trying to shoot your opponents with a laser gun. At Evolution in Howald, you strap on a vest that registers how many times you’ve been hit, and you’re let loose in a dark room to run around, climb up stairs, hide behind partitions and try desperately not to get hit while taking those other losers down. Afterwards, you can all be friends again. www.lasergame-evolution.com

Who Nelson Mandela was and what he accomplished comes to life when you can see a replica of the jail cell where he spent 27 years… when you see photos, videos, objects and installations, all curated by the Johannesburg Apartheid Museum. The Nelson Mandela, From Prisoner to President exhibition is on loan at the National Museum of the Resistance in Esch-Alzette from April 29 through September 28; take the kids for a history lesson with impact. www.mandela.lu

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MY OTHER LIFE

Gerard Kraus

Boldly going…

An English teacher helped kick off the country’s first science-fiction festival.

Text by Tonya Stoneman Photography by Olivier Minaire

G

erard Kraus’ first memory of television is watching “The Trouble with Tribbles”, an episode of the original Star Trek, at his grandmother’s house. Captain Kirk is surrounded by little balls of fur that propagate like wildfire. Because they consume exponentially larger amounts of food as they multiply, Starfleet considers them dangerous. Kraus was immediately and irrevocably hooked.

“I got into sci-fi forever ago,” he says. First it was Star Trek, then it was Star Wars, which became a gateway into a lifelong attachment to the genre. He read the novels first, before it was a movie, not knowing how much it would catch on. Later X-Files and Babylon 5 became staples.

Today, he’s into Almost Human, a near future buddy cop show with an android and a human cop solving crimes in a cyberpunk future.

In his professional life, Kraus is an English teacher at Lycée Bel-Val. He’s a Luxembourger who did his studies in Aberystwyth in Wales, then returned home to serve in the ministry of education before assuming his current post. For the past year, he has spent his spare time organising last month’s LuxCon 2014 festival, Luxembourg’s first science-fiction, fantasy and horror convention.

The event was the brainchild of the members of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Society, who decided last year that they wanted to do something to bring likeminded people together. By all accounts, that goal was achieved; authors and speakers came to town to read and discuss their work and sign books.

Vendors offered memorabilia, t-shirts, books and gadgets. There was a retro video gaming arcade and a space simulator and several films were shown. “We wanted it to provide a setting for solo fans and people who are not connected or engaged online to know that there is a

large group of people out there with the same interests,” says Kraus. “The whole thing was centred around fans meeting each other.”

If all goes according to plan, the event will have inspired people to join SFFS, which meets in the old Tétange train station the second Sunday of every month to talk, swap books, eat and play games. The group is diverse with people ranging in age from 16 to 60. It was originally formed in 1995 for card players, but later shifted its focus. The group remains relevant because sciencefiction is a reflection of the technological realities we live with everyday. “It casts a hopeful vision of future where we are not being horrible to the world,” says Kraus.

“At its core, sci-fi is based on the socio-cultural context in which it was written,” he explains. “Star Trek projected a human rights mission during the time of Martin Luther King. The first black woman on TV was shown on the bridge of the Enterprise, sending a huge message of gender and racial equality,” he says. “Battle Star Galactica addressed the issue of occupation. The humans are colonisers.

The cylons resemble the American troops in Iraq. Steampunk looks back to the 19th century and imagines what life would look like if there had been an alternate history based on gadgetry.”

The next LuxCon won’t take place for another year, but that’s okay with Kraus.

He’s starting to get into Space Dandy, a Japanese animated show about a space bounty hunter, and that should occupy his imagination until 2015..

Science Fiction & Fantasy Society

Meets the second Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. in Tétange. www.sffs.lu

Gerard Kraus … where no Luxembourger has gone before

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