Delano March 2012

March 2012 – Issue 10 – 4€ – www.delano.lu

5 453000 010015

Understanding Luxembourg: current affairs, business, lifestyle, Culture

A fine art: Link Management’s Aude Lemogne on the business of collecting and investing

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Phone (+352) 29 66 18-1 Fax (+352) 29 66 19 E-mail publishing@maisonmoderne.lu Publishing Director Mike Koedinger Editorial Director Marc Gerges COO Rudy Lafontaine Editor in chief Duncan Roberts (duncan.roberts@maisonmoderne.lu) Journalist Aaron Grunwald (aaron.grunwald@maisonmoderne.lu) Contributors Neel Chrillesen, Tonya Stoneman Photography Charles Caratini, Luc Deflorenne, David Laurent/Wide, Olivier Minaire Proofreading Sarah Lambolez, Wendy Winn

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Counting on a good impression Text: Duncan Roberts — Illustration: Quentin Vijoux

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As global competition heats up there is much talk about nation branding, about the perception of Luxembourg abroad.

Trying to dispel clichés about the Grand Duchy as a dull country peopled by rich bankers married to the fading glamour girls of failed Eurovision pop groups is not easy. But surely the firsttime visitor will be pleasantly surprised by reality?

Arriving on a comfortable Luxair flight at Findel, having sampled a glass of refreshingly crisp Moselle wine served by flight crew conversant in at least four languages, the business traveller cannot fail to be in good spirits. Except that traveller may well have had to take two flights from a major European city-Dublin, Stockholm, Prague--just to get to Luxembourg. And then, even though the brochures advertise Findel as being “just a few kilometres from the city centre”, the average taxi fare to the train station from the airport is a staggering 30 euro.

Those positive first impressions are fading fast as the visitor counts the cost of

travelling to their meeting. But hope is on the horizon for those who feel blighted by the high price of taxi rides.

City mayor Xavier Bettel and the Automobile Club (ACL) have been leading the charge for a reform of regulations governing the taxi business. The mayor wants the government to introduce clearly defined zonal pricing system, to make the cost of a taxi ride “more transparent” to passengers, and he is also pushing for taxis to be more ecological.

The ACL wants reforms to go even further and to fix maximum prices for taxi rides, suggesting that taxis be allowed to carry advertising to compensate for any lost income.

Of course, the ideal solution is to have an efficient and cheap rail connection between the airport and the city. Imagine being able to hop on a train from Findel to the Kirchberg or the railway station for just $ 1.50 and arriving at your meeting less than half an hour after stepping off the plane? Now that would leave a good impression.

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contents

44 cover story

AUDE LEMOGNE The art of the deal Investing in art has become big business. Lemogne and her partner Aymeric Thuault explain how they are helping collectors develop their own tastes without ignoring the bottom line.

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35

8 Current affairs

24 business

Keeping the faith Luxembourg’s new archbishop wants to modernise the church

Filmpräis Luxembourg’s movies are made to be seen

14 Integration

30 ALFI Spring Conference

The government’s tempting new offer

18 Reding’s rules Commissioner tackles data privacy

50 Lifestyle Networking Rose of Trailee Luxembourg

52 Going native

Three bargain opportunities

54 Healthy living

All about FATCA

34 Asian funds

Seven ways to get fit

56 St. Patrick’s Day

Ready for the emerging east

20 Destination failure

35 European funds

Where to find the Irish

21 Advocate for mediation

38 Financial security

Eleven live performances not to miss

What society can learn from letdowns

New ombudsman Lydie Err

62 On stage

The EIB stays conservative

The Microinsurance Network turns ten

regulars

56

SNAPSHOTS

40 THINK LOCAL Stefan van Look: the Dutch operations manager explains why the Grand Duchy is the perfect place for multinational couples, why you should join a club, and why he can’t wait to see Queen Beatrix.

12 FIRST ANNIVERSARY

66 MY OTHER LIFE Clement Thevenet: the banking executive talks about why he is crazy for running, how one race leads to another, and his once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic marathon near the South Pole.

28 MAKING WAVES

Delano turned 1 on February 1

22 BONFIRE SUNDAY

Luxembourg bids farewell to winter

Why the Grand Duchy is “home” to mega yachts

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Society

Keeping the faith In a forthright interview, Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich talks about topical issues as he calls for the church to focus on religion.

Text: Duncan Roberts — Photos: Olivier Minaire

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current affairs

Luc Deflorenne (archives)

Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich: will not be silenced

Civil society: the archbishop says the church should state its opinion, but he does not want to influence politics

Five months into his new job, Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich has had to tackle a number of delicate issues.

He has been sparring constructively with those who continue to call for the separation of church and state. And at the beginning of February he released details of the payments the church will make for the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests and other church employees. He has also done the rounds, talking to the media and meeting community leaders. “I think it’s good for people to meet the new bishop; it’s part of the game. You have to be seen and speak with people.”

So Luxembourg is getting to know the new leader of its largest religious community, but did the archbishop feel he had to get to know Luxembourg again after 16 years in Japan? He says not; that he stayed in touch with what was going on via new media, and that he thinks he still knows the country quite well. What has changed since he first left is that the country has become richer. “But not happier,” he qualifies.

As for Japan, he calls it a “very postmodern society that has almost lost its religion.”

Luxembourg hasn’t gone quite the same way, but the archbishop clearly thinks that the church here needs modernising and has to reach out to the community.

For instance, in the language it uses.

“I believe in the dogmata, but they have to be explained in words people can understand and that make sense--they have to touch their daily lives. If they don’t, that’s no longer religion.” For that reason, the archbishop never writes down his homilies. “If I speak in a free way, I use oral language, which is easier to understand than a text that is read or learned by heart.”

Modernising He wants the church in Luxembourg to focus once again on religion. “For a long time the church was more about morality than religion--telling people they have to go to mass, live in a certain way, help out in the church. But we did not speak so often about God and the mystery of Christ. We have to recentre in such a way that people understand it is for them.”

He also believes that more variety is needed in church services, because currently they are too focused on the model of the mass.

Modernising also means reaching younger people. The Archibishop is contributing half of his monthly salary-which he reveals to be 6,700 euro--to try and get a group of Luxembourg youngsters to the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013. “It is not difficult, because my salary is high, although it may seem low compared to some bankers.

So it is not really a sacrifice. But I hope to get as many youngsters to Rio as possible, to experience life and faith as a joy, not just as an obligation. To show them that youth culture and faith can co-exist, and that they are not alone--that there are many more young people gathering to celebrate.”

As for debate on topical social issues, he sees himself as an active member of civil society. He does not want to interfere in politics, but says that the church should clearly state its opinion. “So I think, for instance that the church has to point out injustices, like the treatment of asylum seekers. But it is politicians who have to take on the consequences of that and make new laws. There is a sort of prophetic role of the church in politics, speaking for the weak and poor. And I shall not be silenced, even if people think

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David Laurent/Wide

current affairs

Primary schools: 80 percent choose religious education

the archbishop should not comment on public life.”

Separation However, he is affronted by those voices calling for the separation of church and state who argue that the church has too much influence on government. “I think they are completely out of touch with reality. They might be thinking of the Catholic church of the past--the very ancient past, when the church had a strong influence on government policy. I don’t want to influence politics.” Indeed, the very notion of a formal separation of church and state is anathema to the archbishop. “We have a separation of church and state. We are not in a country like England with the Anglican church. The state simply has conventions with the different religious groups, the Catholic church being the biggest.”

And he is a keen advocate of extending that state aid. “I think it is an injustice to withhold the same rights for Islam,” he says with fiery conviction.

In an argument his opponents may find spurious, the archbishop also says that he is also happy to see his tax money goes towards a museum of modern art or a classical concert hall, even though

he regrets not having the time to visit either Mudam or the Philharmonie. “If we only agree to support with our tax money what directly profits us, we become a very egoistic society.”

As for the demands by the proponents of separation to banish religious education in schools, the archbishop says that if Catholic education were compulsory he could understand the objections. “But there is the option of 'morale' education.

And when 80 percent of the parents of primary school students choose religion, and two-thirds in secondary schools, it is a very non-democratic argument to ask for the abolition of these classes. Surely the opponents of the church are much more political than the church.”

Abuse We meet on the day the archbishop announces that the church has agreed to pay up to 5,000 euro to the victims of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the church. A total of 138 calls were received by a special hotline set up by the church. Of those, 39 were from victims sexual abuse, while the others were witnesses or people who had been victims of violence.

“Everything that was relevant was handed over to the court of justice. We don’t want to hide anything, I feel ashamed about these cases and there is zero tolerance towards child abuse in the Catholic church,” he says, clearly moved. “To misuse the trust of people, which in fact is a trust in God, is really horrible.” Nevertheless, none of the cases will come before the courts as the statute of limitations has expired.

The archbishop is adamant that the payments are not compensation. “Because compensation has to be paid by the perpetrators. It is a help the church wants to give because we feel the moral and psychological suffering and we want to show that we are by their side.” In addition, the church will donate 50,000 euro to a project in Brazil working with youngsters to help raise awareness of the dangers of abuse. He readily admits that the sums seem very low. They were the standards set by the German bishops’ conference. But he tries to deflect the inevitable criticism.

“The dioceses is not rich--there are religious orders that have their own property that has nothing to do with the diocese. We have a fixed income every month nearly all of which pays 89 salaries. So what we are paying is substantial for us.”

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SNAPSHOTS

Media

LONDON CALLING Photos: David Laurent/Wide

Delano celebrated its first year of publication in February at Marx Bar. In keeping with the Anglo mood, three attendees won return fl ights to London City Airport courtesy of Luxair. The three lucky Delano readers--drawn at random by Luxair marketing chap Mario Vieira--were Isabelle Waty, Marco Lippert and John Frank.

The event--organised by paperJam Business Club--also featured free pizza from Mama Loves You, and the best of British music curated by ARA City Radio DJ Ben Andrews.

More photos from the event are availAG able at www.delano.lu.

Aysen Calli and Irene Demuur

Fatia Nezar, Olivia Scalmato and Darlan Beretta

Cool Britannia shoes

Duncan Roberts, Tim Lecomte and Fred Baus

Isabelle Waty (with Mario Vieira on right) also won return flights to London City Airport on Luxair Steve Boukhers, Julie Ancelot and Claire Ramos Duncan Roberts (with Ben Andrews on right) announcing the next winner

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SNAPSHOTS

France Clarinval and Laurren Prieur The Marx Bar crew

Helen Clarke, Tony Savage and Sam O’Dea

British ambassador Alice Walpole and Aaron Grunwald Zoë Mondloch, Helen Smith and Christelle Elimort

nia Pizza from Mama Loves You

Luxair’s Mario Vieira pulled the names of three Delano readers at random to win flights to London City Airport

Vicki Hansen-Thackray (on right)

Carole TIsaurin (on left)

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Current affairs

Integration

tIme for partICIpatIon This spring a host of initiatives will be on offer that will allow international residents to get more involved in their local community.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: Luc Deflorenne

DATE LINE January–February 2012

mits to take advantage of over a twoyear period. One primary benefit of signing-up is heavily subsidised language courses--only fi ve to ten euro per session--in any of Luxembourg’s official languages--French, German or Luxembourgish. The courses are offered across the country by dozens of communes and associations approved by the education ministry.

In addition, there are twice-yearly orientation days, which are exposition-type fairs that allow contact-signers to get practical information and connect with Luxembourg officials in an unintimidating atmosphere.

There are no minimum residency requirements to participate--a contract could be signed the day after someone moves to Luxembourg--except the foreigner must be in the country legally, Martin notes.

So far, more than 300 integration contracts have been signed. OLAI plans

BIG FREEZE JAN feb Temperatures stayed below zero continuously for two weeks, and only were above freezing for less than 30 minutes on Feb. 14. In 1956 temperatures remained below zero from Jan. 31 to Feb. 26 (on average -8.8°C).

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an English-language informational event on May 23, to be held at the family ministry, for international associations.

“We’re looking for English-speaking multipliers--not just British or American, but all English speakers--who are going to be able to pass on the word,” adds the agency’s Laure Amoyel. “Because it’s important for everybody to know that they have right to take part” in the integration contract programme. advIsory boards The integration office is also promoting participation in national and local advisory bodies that are open to foreign residents. The 17-year old National Council of Foreigners was revamped under a new law passed last year. The council provides recommendations on draft legislation that is pending before the Chamber of Deputies, Martin explains.

Opinions can be issued either at the

STATUS QUO The coalition governJAN ment defeated an opposition proposal in the Chamber of Deputies to lower the age at which citizens can vote to 16. Voting age, along with foreigners’ suffrage in national polls, could be an issue in the 2014 general election.

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• feb

Henri Da Cruz

The Grand Duchy’s government has a tempting integration offer, just in time for one of the international community’s key events of the year.

Luxembourg’s integration administration, the OLAI, recently launched its welcome and integration contract, which is a personalised agreement between the government and a foreign resident, explains the agency’s director, Christiane Martin.

The process begins with a two-hour private session between the international resident and an OLAI representative, so the administration can understand the individual’s personal and professional interests and needs. A follow-on meeting with a social worker is arranged, optionally, for residents who have particular family or work challenges.

The resulting contract then spells out exactly which services the state will provide, which the resident then com-

Etienne Schneider took office as economy and trade minister.

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current affairs

Christiane Martin: integration at the local level is a priority

request of ministers or legislators, or initiated by the council itself.

The new regulation calls for the number of foreign representatives to increase from 15 to 22, including seven reserved for non-EU nationals, and for the term of office to be extended from three to five years. In addition, the council’s president and vice-president will now be elected by members, instead of the OLAI director serving ex officio as the council’s chief.

Most council members are nominated by foreigner organisations that are officially registered with OLAI, however independent candidatures are allowed. The application deadline is March 13, with the elections taking place on March 28.

More information is available on the agency’s website, www.olai.lu.

The law also makes big changes at the local level, a fitting follow-up to the modifications in electoral legislation

APPOINTED Marie-Paule Jungblut feb was named director of Basel History Museum. The Swiss national has been deputy head of Luxembourg City’s art and history museums since 2009 and a city history museum curator since 1992. She takes up her new post in August.

2•

It’s important for everybody to know” Laure Amoyel

that allowed many more foreign residents in vote in last year’s commune council polls (see Delano, February 2011). What were previously called commissions for foreigners are now local consultative commissions for integration. Martin says the change in name reflects the fact that “they have a larger mandate: conceiving projects in their respective communes that focus on foreign communities, but also the interaction between all the [foreign] communities and

RENEWED An updated Benelux feb treaty took effect. The 64 year old alliance sees Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium partner on a wide range of economic and security issues.

The refreshed version strengthens sustainable development and judicial cooperation.

3•

Luxembourgers.” She says “these commission are a very important link” as OLAI is striving to ensure national integration policies are carried out in each and every commune.

LOCAL LEVEL In fact, the law specifies that the local commissions are now compulsory for all 106 communes, whereas the old foreigner commissions were optional.

Martin says some communes have had no problem recruiting local integration commission members, while others have had more difficulty and are still searching for international residents to participate. OLAI plans to publish a status report on the commissions’ formation in April, but in the meantime interested foreigners can contact their local commune hall for information.

Among its other communications activities to support the integration contracts

CROWNED Luxembourg’s Andy feb Schleck was retroactively named 2010 Tour de France champion, after Alberto Contador of Spain was banned for two years for testing positive for stimulants during the race. Schleck had finished just 39 seconds behind Contador.

6•

BANNED Two police officers feb were injured trying to break up the latest in a series of brawls among bar patrons.

Clubs located at 19-21 rue de Hollerich will now have to close at 3 in the morning, instead of 6.

The late night ban will initially last 3 months.

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current affairs

Anita Helpiquet: the migration festival celebrates citizenship and multiculturalism

REDUCED Only 22% of the popufeb lation smoked regularly in 2011, down from 24% in 2010 and 30% in 2001, a Cancer Foundation study found. Slightly more men (24%) smoked than women (20%). Those aged 2534 were most likely to smoke; teens and over 65s the least.

15 •

plus 50 stands dedicated to world literature, including one Anglophone booth run by AtoutLire, an English-language bookshop in Metz.

“The essence of the festival, in the first place, is built around the notion of citizenship,” she says. “The festival thus marks a step towards common citizenship as it relates to the social and political participation of people who have immigrated to Luxembourg.”

More generally CLAE offers French courses, supports its member groups

CHASTISED Brussels said Luxemfeb bourg needs to “end discrimination against migrant workers and members of their families in accessing study grants, financial aid for volunteers and the so-called allowances of ‘boni pour enfant’,” or it will face legal action.

27 •

with training, and provides guidance on legal and administrative matters to residents of immigrant origin.

However, Helpiquet concedes that more work is needed in developing programmes for Luxembourg’s English speaking community. “Our specificity is to bring attention to cultural changes and cultural cross-fertilisation: Anglophone, former colonies and other countries’ cultures are all still calling out for promotion.

There is still space for rounding out the festival and our [other] projects.”

27 • feb

Robert Steinmetz/MAE

and advisory bodies, OLAI will exhibit at the Migration, Culture and Citizenship Festival, to be held March 16-18 at Luxexpo.

Indeed, OLAI is a major supporter of CLAE, the NGO that is an umbrella group for many of Luxembourg’s foreigner organisations and produces the migration festival. Now in its 29th year, the free-entry festival regularly attracts more than 30,000 visitors, explains CLAE’s Anita Helpiquet. This year it will feature some 300 cultural stands,

CORRECTION In our February edition, we should have said that more than 7,000 ArcelorMittal employees had volunteered with the ArcelorMittal Foundation, not 700,000.

EU ministers saluted progress on Serbia-Kosovo talks

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current affairs

Tech policy

Privacy overhaul revealed

Brussels has proposed a “comprehensive reform” of Europe’s data protection rules, introduced in 1995, which could force Luxembourg to rewrite its laws and American firms to rewrite their policies.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: David Laurent/Wide (archives)

“The protection of personal data is a fundamental right for all Europeans, but citizens do not always feel in full control of their personal data,” European Commission vice president and justice commissioner Viviane Reding said in late January.

She tabled “a single set of rules” which would be valid across the EU, instead of today’s data privacy directive which each member state implements on its own. Reding says the new regulations would streamline operations across the continent and “will save businesses around e 2.3 billion a year.”

The new rules could come into force in three to four years, according to Cyril Pierre-Beausse, an attorney with Allen & Overy in Luxembourg. If implemented in its current form, he reckons the Grand Duchy “will have to re-work the whole data protection system in Luxembourg.”

Today, firms can obtain a passive opt-in from customers, simply by posting a disclaimer on their website, PierreBeausse explains. But Reding’s rules require companies to explicitly state how user information will be utilised and obtain active agreement in advance.

For the first time, European privacy rules would apply to companies based anywhere in the world that attempt to market to customers within the EU, the attorney notes. That means European e-commerce players will no longer be at a competitive disadvantage compared to US sites, who currently only need to comply with America’s “less onerous” regulations.

Cyril Pierre-Beausse: Luxembourg may have to start from scratch

In case of a data breach, companies would have 24 hours to notify their national data protection agency, such as Luxembourg’s CNDP, along with all the impacted customers. “In 24 hours, normally you just have had time to start the investigation and stop the leak,” PierreBeausse says. “Most companies are not prepared for that. For a small company, it will be very, very difficult.”

Another major change: the rules empower national data protection agencies to issue “severe sanctions” of up to two percent of worldwide turnover directly, instead of pursuing companies via the courts. Like the EU’s competition rules, the objective “is to make data protection

a boardroom issue, to make it an element of corporate governance.”

The European Parliament and Council of Ministers will now consider the proposals and it is possible the rules may be significantly changed by the time they are finalised. “There will be a huge amount of lobbying.... there will be lots of political debate, that’s for sure,” the attorney says.

“We support simplifying privacy rules in Europe to both protect consumers online and stimulate economic growth,” a Google Benelux spokeswoman tells Delano. “It is possible to have simple rules that do both.

We look forward to debating the proposals over the coming months.”

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

David Laurent/Wide (archives)

PUBLIC TRANSPORT FARE DODGERS

In future a fine of 150 euro will be imposed on public transport passengers who do not have a valid ticket.

The new regulation was approved by cabinet following a court ruling that the previous penalty system, in which fines could vary depending on the circumstances, did not conform with Luxembourg law.

MAISON MODERNE Delano’s publishing house picked up four awards at the German Design Award in Frankfurt and the IF award in Munich on February 10. City Mag, Nico and MMM (Maison Moderne Magazine) all won awards in Munich while Nico also picked up a silver award in Frankfurt.

Maison Moderne also published the first in a series of books on architectural projects. metaform 01 looks at the collaboration between the architecture bureau of the same name with graffiti artist Sumo.

DRIVERS Fuel prices reached a record high in February 20, with a litre of 98 petrol selling at  1.417. Although barrel prices on the world market were not as high as they have been, concerns about the geopolitical situation in the middle-east have pushed up retail prices.

NON-SMOKERS Health minister Mars di Bartolomeo finally unveiled details of his draft legislation on smoking in public places. Smoking will be banned in bars and clubs, although those establishments will be able to apply for a special licence for a separate smoking room that must meet strict criteria. However, restaurants will no longer be allowed to have a separate smoking room.

Social discourse

DESTINATION FAILURE

Building on both successes and failures, a popular conference series is coming to Luxembourg City.

The TED conference series got started in the 1980s in California with the mission of being the place for “ideas worth spreading.” Now a global phenomenon with more than 15,000 events worldwide, its first ever event in the Grand Duchy will be held this month.

TEDxLuxembourgCity is an independently organised programme produced under license in the spirit of the original conference, organisers say. TED has taken a unique approach to global expansion: there are more than 3,000 license holders around the world, including 24 in New York City alone. “It’s not difficult to get a TEDx license,” explains its Luxembourg City holder, Mike Koedinger, who is publisher of Delano and paperJam, among other media titles.

“It’s difficult to keep it.” Events must meet exacting standards and follow a proscribed format, including strict time limits for each speaker, whose presentations are video streamed via TED’s website.

The premiere conference’s theme is “Failure?” As someone who founded a media company without formal training in the field, Koedinger says “I only learned by doing, which is to say, I only learned by failing.”

But the experience gained through failures can lead to opportunities and to innovations. François Thiry of Polaris Architects will present the story of “a fallen billionaire, a famous artist-dissident, dozens of architects and other globalised agents,” who planned one of the most creative developments imaginable

David Laurent/Wide (archives)

IT'S BEEN A GOOD OR BAD MONTH FOR:

FRANÇOIS THIRY: cautionary tales can be enlightening

in a Chinese energy boom town. Marc Bichler of Luxembourg’s foreign ministry will talk about emergency.lu, which grew out of NGOs’ communications failure following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The tiny Grand Duchy was able to combine several of its niches-such as in satellite communications and medical air rescue--and launch a global humanitarian response programme which is now an official part of the United Nations.

While the conference--to be held March 21 at the Mudam--is already sold out, all presentations will be available for free on the web. AG www.TEDxLuxembourgCity.com

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current affairs

Lydie Err

ADVOCATE FOR MEDIATION Luxembourg’s new ombudsman wants the public to be better informed about the mediator’s role.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Luc Deflorenne

You can call her the Grand Duchy’s ombudsman, as most people do, but the official title is mediator. Lydie Err became the second holder of the office on February 1, taking over from Marc Fischbach, who was named to the post in 2003. It is no great surprise that Err became Luxembourg’s mediator, as she authored the first bill creating the office while she served in the Chamber of Deputies.

Indeed, the LSAP politician from Pétange has been a member of the bar since 1975 and was an MP from 1984 until becoming mediator. Err also served a term as secretary of state for foreign affairs and trade in the late 1990s. But she is best known for her work on sexual equality legislation and as an architect of the Grand Duchy’s controversial euthanasia law.

In 2011, Err earned a master’s degree in mediation in Switzerland. She hopes during her eight-year term she can educate the public on the potential of mediation. “That’s my ambition,” she says. “When it works once, it is a lesson for other conflicts: differences with your neighbour, with your wife, your employer.”

Despite no power to impose solutions, the Office of the Mediator has a rather wide remit. Any person or organisation dissatisfied with any decision taken (or not taken) by any government administration or commune can file a complaint with the mediator. All administrations and communes are obliged to respond to the mediator’s inquiries.

Although most of those who file complaints live or work in the Grand

LYDIE ERR: transparency and understanding are as important as good governance

Duchy, nationality and residency are irrelevant, Err explains.

A visa or passport renewal problem at a Luxembourg embassy or an unsatisfactory experience with a consulate official could be considered, for example.

The week she took over, the office had received 7,664 total complaints, or about 900 per year, across a broad range of issues. “Migration is a big deal, and a lot of tax law.” Err also says the office sees many cases involving social insurance, family allowances, relations with municipalities, and government subsidies such as energy eff iciency grants.

The office helps to resolve many disputes without the matter having to be heard in the much more expensive and time consuming forum of a courtroom.

But it also serves a role in helping authorities connect with citizens. Frequently “our mission consists of making it understood that the decision has been correct.” Often bureaucratic language is difficult for the average person to understand, government brochures gloss over important details in the name of readability, or written correspondence is imprecise. “They tell you, ‘your dossier is not complete’ instead of saying, ‘we’re missing this’” document.

“So it’s important that people have the feeling that they have been treated correctly; that somebody who must know has heard [them].” While the mediator’s office was originally formed to improve “good governance,” Err says that “transparency and understanding are just as essential for me.”

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SNAPSHOTS

Buergsonndeg

OFF WITH WINTER Photos: Charles Caratini

A tradition that represents the banishing of winter and the victory of the sun over darkness, Buurgbrennen takes place on the fi rst Sunday in Lent--February 26 this year--and involves the lighting of a huge fi re in villages and neighbourhoods.

The bonfi re is built in the shape of a cross or some sort of other icon and is called the Buurg--apparently from the Latin comburere, meaning to burn, rather than the German for castle as some people might think.

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

The festivities usually include the ubiquitous grill with sausages and pork chops as well as drinks stands selling beer, crémant and even Glühwein when the weather is cold enough.

One of the biggest and best celebrations of Buurgbrennen took place in the heart of the capital city, at the bottom of the so-called Schlittenhiewel, or sledging hill, in the Petrusse Valley.

Xavier Bettel, mayor of Luxembourg City, had the honour of taking the first DR torch to the heap.

Xavier Bettel (left)

Bouneschlupp: bean soup to fight back the last of the winter chill

Food and drink stands offered everything from sausages to beer and crémant

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Film industry

MoVIES MAdE to BE SEEn As the Luxembourg film industry celebrates its bi-annual awards, new rules are being introduced to make the funding of local productions more transparent. But will that mean more international exposure for Luxembourg films? text: duncan roberts — photo: patrick muller (samsa film-artémis productions-amour fou filmproduktion)

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Business

Olivier Minaire

Local produce: Hot Hot Hot was one of just four features eligible in the Filmpräis’s best Luxembourg film category

Guy Daleiden: younger generation can gain recognition more quickly

The bi-annual Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis is a self-congratulatory industry bash much like any other. While communications minister François Biltgen insists, quite rightly, that it is not a glamorous event--he promises “no bling-bling” and no political speeches--he admits that it is “a celebration of the film industry and those who work in it.” Nothing wrong with that, of course, and rewarding local talent is to be applauded especially as the quality of much Luxembourg cinema production is clearly improving.

As is the quantity--the jury for the 2012 awards had to choose from a total of 46 films, and that number was reduced by short-listing the number of nominated co-productions to a manageable 12 feature films. The film industry is now a fully-fledged pillar of the economy from which some 500 people earn a living. It has come a long way since the first forays into the audiovisual sector in 1988, when the government created a law establishing a temporary fiscal scheme specific to audio-visual investment certificates (CIAV). This allowed film makers who

invested in Luxembourg a 30 percent return on monies spent in the Grand Duchy. In 2007, in an effort to attract even more co-productions, the tax certificate scheme was extended to include money spent within the EU on Luxembourg projects.

End of CIAV Now, 22 years after it was first introduced, time is finally being called on the CIAV scheme. The reason, explains Biltgen, is that producers were finding it increasingly difficult to sell the certificates at their full value, meaning they would often fail to recoup the full 30 percent. “But the state was still contributing 30 percent of the cost of the film,” the minister explains. “So, from now on no new CIAVs will be issued, all funding will be in the form of direct aid.”

The minister claims the new policy will make funding more transparent.

The Film Fund’s website will list all films that receive support and the amount of financial support that they have been awarded--though he is quick to point out that he has agreed with Luc Frieden, the finance minister, that

total expenditure on support for film will not exceed current figures under the new policy. Films have to meet certain criteria under a points system to be eligible for aid, and must also pass a reading committee’s more subjective judgement on worthiness and viability. Biltgen says that co-productions with companies from other countries already have some sort of built-in quality guarantee by having to be good enough to meet the standards set by foreign producers.

But Biltgen wants to improve the quality of purely Luxembourg f ilms, and especially push the Luxembourg content. “Before, the aim of the industry was to get people here, to have them spend money and stay in our hotels,” he says.

“Now we are looking more towards the Luxembourg element.” He cites JeanClaude Schlim’s House of Boys, winner of the best Luxembourg film at the 2009 Filmpräis, as the perfect example of how a Luxembourg f ilm can find success abroad (it has won numerous prizes at festivals) by incorporating local elements with a universal theme.

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Julien Becker (archives)

Business

Jean-Claude Schlim and François Biltgen: should be showing films abroad

That same acclaim may well be afforded one of the favourites to win this year’s prize, Beryl Koltz’s debut feature film Hot, Hot, Hot. It was one of just four films that were eligible for the best Luxembourg film award (in 2009, just three films fulfilled the same criteria).

New talent Like the director of the Film Fund, Guy Daleiden, Biltgen says that promoting innovative young talent like Koltz via short films and documentaries is vital for the industry. Daleiden says that the younger generation already has an advantage over the pioneers who started out in the industry over 20 years ago. “Unlike the older generation, the new directors have emerged into an existing industry with experienced technicians upon whom they can rely. So they will be able to gain international recognition more rapidly than that pioneering genera-

tion who really helped establish the industry in Luxembourg.”

Here in Luxembourg, schemes to help train creative novices and emerging talent include the a BTS (brevet de technicien supérieur) in animation run by the Lycée Technique des Arts et Métiers and the EAVE training institute for European film producers, which holds courses in Luxembourg and other European cities, is recognised as one of the best in Europe. And, it seems that more and more Luxembourg-based technicians are being recruited for prestigious international productions abroad.

“That shows that they are being employed for the quality of their work, not just because of their nationality,” says Daleiden.

With audiovisual coproduction agreements between Luxembourg, Quebec and Canada, France, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland in place, Luxembourg’s film industry is clearly being taken

seriously all over Europe. But are more Luxembourg films being watched by international audiences? Many local film makers are more than happy with the production support they receive, but believe more needs to be done to promote films once they are completed. “If we really want an active Luxembourg cinema, we have to think beyond simple production. We should be showing our films abroad, even if we have to pay for screenings. It is an opportunity to showcase Luxembourg,” says Jean-Claude Schlim. Producer and director Donato Rotunno, the co-founder of Tarantula Luxembourg, concurs. “We have to open our mind to the idea that the cultural and industrial approaches to film making can work in tandem,” he said on the occasion of his company’s 15th anniversary in 2010. And even the minister is on board. “Films are made to be watched,” says Biltgen.

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SNAPSHOTS

Maritime cluster

MAKING WAVES Photos: Olivier Minaire

As the size and cost of mega yachts has ballooned over the past two decades, so has the Grand Duchy’s status as legal home to these super sized ships.

Landlocked Luxembourg is not well known abroad as a maritime centre, despite having more than 200 ships in its official register, maritime attorney André Harpes noted during February’s British Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

For the super rich, having a mega yacht designated as a commercial vessel brings exemptions from many forms of VAT and capital gains tax. And while private vessels “may” benefit from international anti-piracy programmes, commercial vessels are “entitled ” to such protection, he explained.

On the other hand, owners must pay into Luxembourg’s social insurance schemes, while social security costs for crewmembers could be zero outside the EU, and Luxembourg’s technical standards are high.

Although the legal niche has been in place for years, in Harpes’ view it is unlikely to be duplicated in other countries. That is because outside the Grand Duchy, most merchant marine labour unions resist the idea of being grouped together with mere yachts. AG

Luxembourg’s maritime centre got its start in the late 1980s

André Harpes: Luxembourg has a different approach to registering mega yachts Heinz Merz and Michèle Van Kasteren

Tony Attwood

Fatima Oudoud

Wim Geleyn Patrick Birden

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* Moien is available in French, German and English languages.

pub_Moien_Delano.indd 1

28.10.2011 10:40:18 Uhr

BuSINESS

Investment funds

FINALLY FATCA PROGRESS The major evolution in rigorous US financial regulations will likely dominate the conversation during this month’s ALFI Spring Conference.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photos: Etienne Delorme (archives)

Keeping pace with an increasingly globalised investment funds sector has been an increasingly cross-border body of regulations, one of which is likely to top most participants’ agendas during this month’s ALFI Spring Conference, to be held March 13-14 at the Conference Centre in Kirchberg. That is FATCA, a set of strict US financial reporting regulations.

FATCA is a tax-avoidance regime that requires potentially every bank and investment fund in the world to fi le reports on their clients directly with American tax authorities, even if that would be a violation of many countries’ established rules.

“Obviously it shows that [Luxembourg] funds are not only impacted by what’s going on in Europe but also internationally,” notes Denise Voss, conducting officer at Franklin Templeton, and ALFI’s vice

DATE LINE January–February 2012

chair for international affairs. She points out the spring conference will have two sessions dedicated to FATCA “which shows the impact on the industry.” It could “potentially impact the way the fund industry is organised, particularly distribution.”

First announced in the spring of 2010, implementation has suffered from several delays, which many in the industry had hoped was a sign that FATCA would eventually be scrapped. Nevertheless, the rules are finally due to go into effect in 2013. While the exact specifications have been dripping out over the past two years--more than 400 pages worth so far--the most detailed guidelines yet were published just last month.

“FATCA is not going to be appealed,” observes Keith Lawson, senior tax council at the trade group ICI Glo-

TAKE OFF The chair of Luxair’s JAN board of directors and Cargolux board member an­ nounced his resignation from the air transport companies ef­ fective May 14. Marc Hoffmann cited personal reasons for his departure, and remains chief of private bank CBP Quilvest.

30 •

LANDING Word circulated that JAN Paul Helminger, for­ mer mayor of Luxembourg City and current MP, would join the Cargolux board of directors and become its chair. Jean-Claude Finck, currently vice chair of Luxair, will take over as board chief of the airline.

31 •

SECURED Euro zone member feb states signed the ESM treaty, which creates a perma­ nent EU bailout agency to take over from the temporary res­ cue fund EFSF in July. Like the Kirchberg­based EFSF, the Eu­ ropean Stability Mechanism will be based in the Grand Duchy.

2•

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BuSINESS

bal in Washington. “Financial institutions around the world need to be thinking about how FACTA and its deemed-compliant exceptions will apply to their business and their distributions.

Most shares are distributed through intermediaries, all of whom will be subject to FATCA in their own right,” he explains.

Foreign financial institutions deemed in breach of the American rules will face a 30 percent withholding tax on all payments, regardless of origin and destination. “A fund company is not going to want to place their clients in the position of getting clobbered because the distribution network is not compliant.”

In addition to the new rulebook, the US Treasury Department announced “FATCA partnerships” with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK on February 8. The countries “agreed to explore a common approach to FATCA implementation through domestic reporting and reciprocal automatic exchange and based on existing bilateral tax treaties,” a joint statement says. The February agreement allows financial institutions in the five European countries to submit the required reports to their home governments, who will then be responsible for exchanging the needed information with the IRS, the US tax service.

FATCA IS NOT GOING TO BE APPEALED” Keith Lawson

alFI SPRING CONFERENCE: regulation is increasingly international

3•

feb

24%

Luxembourg banks’ net profits in 2011 vs. 2010 (CSSF)

GROUNDED The US Senate passed feb a draft bill requiring the American government to help US airlines avoid compli­ ance with the EU’s aviation emissions tax, while China’s aviation authority banned its carriers from participating in the carbon cap­and­trade scheme.

6•

7•

feb

At press time, major European investment fund centres Ireland and Luxembourg had not yet signed similar accords.

However, less than two weeks after the FATCA partnership signings, Luc Frieden, the Grand Duchy’s finance minister, met with US Treasury officials in Washington “and FATCA was on their agenda,” a spokeswoman for the American Embassy in Luxembourg confirms.

While the specifics of those conversations were not disclosed, the American administration is “generally open to discussing a government-to-government solution” with European countries, a senior official at the US Treasury Department tells Delano.

The February 8 six-party agreement “allows for an alternative approach to implement the law,” she explains, noting that nothing about the legislation behind FACTA had been changed.

The law still requires non-US financial institutions to identify and fi le reports on US tax persons, the official stresses.

Frieden is not arguing against tax evasion, but the questions of “extraterritoriality” pose “major problems in Luxembourg as they come into conflict with Luxembourg law and double taxation agreements,” according to a press statement issued following his return.

The US Treasury official says the new accord simply “allows us to enact FATCA but changes the route of information exchange,” to address potential legal and efficiency concerns of the EU member states. She acknowledges that FATCA was seen as being “in conflict” with the European countries’ privacy regulations,

-1

BILLION ArcelorMittal’s net loss in the fourth quarter of 2011

PROMOTED RTL Group named feb its current COO Guil­ laume de Posch and its German TV chief Anke Schäferkordt as new co­CEOs. They will take over April 18 when Gerhard Zeiler, CEO since 2003, moves to Turner Broadcaster, where he will oversee channels such as CNN.

8•

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Business

DENISE VOSS: investment pros will be in Luxembourg to talk FATCA

and that the agreement “took away data protection concerns about direct reporting [to US authorities] because foreign financial institutions can file reports with their governments” under existing national laws.

At the same time, it “allows foreign financial institutions to build off the existing systems that they built for the European Savings Directive,” the pan-EU tax information sharing scheme first implemented in 2003. Likewise, the American official says it would “enhance” the quality of tax information already exchanged on a reciprocal basis between the US and most European countries.

Frieden “ favours a coordinated approach

LOWERED Luxembourg’s unemfeb ployment rate in 2011 was 4.9%, up from 4.6% in 2010 but still lower than the 5.2% recor­ ded in 2009. It also is lower than the 10.1% average seen across the euro zone last year. Spain’s rate was 22.9%, while Austria’s was 4.1%.

14 •

at the EU level ” but taking the FATCA partnership “approach could also possibly be considered for Luxembourg if the European approach is not successful.”

The Washington-based treasury official says that the US is taking a bilateral approach to FACTA, as opposed to EU-wide discussions, because discussions with the European Commission would “take more time and FATCA is on a tight timeframe at this point.” All five of the countries that signed FATCA partnerships are interested in ensuring the concerns of their financial institutions are met, the official states.

However, treasury officials would like

SLOWED Consumer prices in feb January rose 2.9%, down from 3.2% in December.

STATEC said the rate of infla­ tion slowed in part because of winter sales. However, esca­ lating energy prices continued to drive up the cost of housing, utilities and transport.

17 •

the February announcement to serve as a template as international negotiations continue. They hope the accord “is the model for other countries. In that way, it is multilateral. We hope it will become multilateral,” she adds.

While the partnerships provide some sense of “relief,” ALFI chief Camille Thommes says, “in essence FATCA remains in place.”

He adds: “The devil is in the detail and we must see what the specificities of those agreements will look like in the end. It is naive to think that FATCA is off the table. This regulation remains a burdensome process for the fund industry to comply with.”

MAINTAINED Despite losing more feb than €11 billion and most of its stock market value last year, Dexia does not need to raise new funds from the capital markets “at present,” Fitch said. The agency main­ tained its A+ credit rating on the troubled banking group.

23 •

FULLY BOOKED Aperam, ArcelorMitfeb tal’s stainless steel spinout, is “fully booked” in March and April with its mills running at near capacity. CEO Philippe Darmayan said the company is “getting some good signs” and seeing higher demand coming from northern Europe.

27 •

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Business

Asian funds

Two-way passport

As emerging eastern economies become an increasing part of the investments industry, Luxembourg is positioning itself to keep pace.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Luc Deflorenne

“In a nutshell, the future is in Asia,” Donald Amstad, business development director of Aberdeen Asset Management in Singapore, says of the European fund industry.

Last March Aberdeen launched its Global Asian Local Currency Short Duration Bond Fund, which is nicknamed “shorty” inside the firm. The Luxembourg-domiciled fund was “Aberdeen’s fastest selling ever,” attracting more than 890 million US dollars in its first year, he reports.

Most EU clients have limited exposure to Asia, but “zero percent is not neutral,” posits Amstad, citing figures forecasting that Asia’s share of global GDP may reach 50 percent by 2050. And in stark contrast to the ongoing euro zone crisis and spiraling UK and US deficits, “Asian governments have no pensions and low levels of debt.”

While the shorty fund is run in Singapore--so that asset managers can keep closer tabs on investments--Aberdeen has a staff of about 25 and growing in Luxembourg. Long known as an equity fund player, in Amstad’s view the shorty fund is helping Aberdeen quickly build a reputation in the bond space.

Other fund giants in the Grand Duchy are increasing their Asian push too.

In October, HSBC launched a renminbi fixed income fund to channel European investments into Mainland China, for example. HSBC’s China strategists and portfolio managers sit in Hong Kong, while the Luxembourg-

ABERDEEN: pivoting towards Asia

based management company handles regulatory and governance matters, the company says.

Denise Voss, conducting officer at Franklin Templeton, and ALFI’s vice chair for international affairs, is slightly less sanguine. She has not personally seen an uptick in funds being set up in Luxembourg to invest in Asian bonds and securities, but the American group “has been doing that for a long time.” She also notes that “emerging markets at the end of the year didn’t do as well as expected at the beginning of the year.”

What does get her blood pumping, though, “are the numbers of Asian and Latin American promoters coming to Europe, and Luxembourg in particular, to

set up their own funds to be distributed back to their own countries using the UCITS passport.”

Indeed, many European firms are not pivoting towards Asia. “We don’t plan to add many new funds” that focus on investments in the region, says Martin Jufer, COO of Swiss & Global Asset Management. “But we certainly see potential to increase sales activities to existing products, especially given their good track record.” By the same token, he agrees with Voss about the attractiveness of the UCITS passport in the Pacific.

“Absolutely, we are talking to such asset managers, Chinese and from other nations.

There is actual interest in such investments through Luxembourg.”

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Business

European funds

OLD FASHIONED FINANCE Despite the euro zone crisis, the EU’s investment bank is attracting as much capital as ever.

Will the European Investment Bank shift its strategy?

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Olivier Minaire

The European Union’s “house bank” reported strong performance results for 2011 but will scale back its activities slightly this year to help maintain its solid balance sheet. The European Investment Bank, based in the Grand Duchy, “kept its top credit standing despite a wave of downgrades around us,” its newly appointed head, Werner Hoyer, said during his debut press conference in February.

Owned and guaranteed by all 27 EU member states, the 54-year-old EIB raises private funds that are then invested in projects that are in line with Brussels’ economic development goals.

This includes everything from improving infrastructure and fighting climate change to an increasing focus on helping small and mid-sized enterprises.

Indeed, Germany’s 2012 federal budget is only two-thirds the size of the EIB’s 472 billion euro balance sheet, which is also more than twice the size of the World Bank, Hoyer notes.

The EIB also makes a notable contribution to the Luxembourg economy. It employs about 2,000 staff at its Kirchberg complex. It has financed the launch of SES satellites, the creation of new ArcelorMittal research centres in the Grand Duchy and Greater Region, and it expects to help finance the new super green European Parliament building being constructed near its own headquarters.

Since 2008 the EIB has also funded nearly 100 million euro in loans, via BGL BNP Paribas and ING Bank, to

WERNER HOYER (left): call the EIB a conservative bank if you like

Luxembourg SMEs that have been hard hit by euro zone banks’ liquidity crunch.

Hoyer--a former minister of state in the German foreign office and MP-took over as president of the EIB in January. He credits the bank’s “prudent policies and conservative banking, if you want to call it that,” as the reason it has kept its AAA status from all three major credit ratings agencies.

He notes, however, that unlike the European Central Bank or the euro zone’s bailout fund, his institution has no role to play in recapitalising Europe’s banks or rescuing indebted governments.

The bank did, however, step up its lending programme since the economic

crisis began, as sort of an EU stimulus package. While from 2002 to 2006 it dispersed between 35 and 40 billion euro annually, last year the figure rose to 60 billion--46 percent of which was raised from non-European investors.

In Hoyer’s view, that shows the “trust many people still have around the world in Europe and this institution in particular.”

This year the EIB plans to reduce the amount of money it seeks to raise by about 20 percent. Hoyer says, if European leaders called for it, “we would be ready and happy to [do] more. But we are not going to deviate from shrewd banking practices and we’re not going into an irresponsible push” that would damage the EIB’s credibility in the markets.

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Business

Sovereign debt

DOWNGRADE DOMINOS A series of negative warnings from credit agencies are casting a shadow over Luxembourg financial institutions.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Etienne Delorme (archives)

The lack of progress in resolving the euro crisis continues to weigh heavily on the Grand Duchy’s financial institutions, which have faced an interlocking series of negative actions by credit rating agencies.

In January, Standard & Poor’s lowered the credit scores of nine euro area states, most notably demoting France and Austria from the highest AAA category, saying it was not impressed by the recent fiscal actions of European leaders. Finland, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands were the only euro area states that kept their top notch marks. S&P then lowered its ratings on Europe’s bailout fund, the Luxembourg-based European Financial Stability Facility, which supports financially troubled euro states such as Greece and Portugal.

The EFSF had relied in large part on member countries’ AAA-ratings to keep its own financing costs down, as investors demand higher yields when buying lower rated government debt. Since only four euro countries had AAA status, S&P said it had to lower the EFSF’s score.

Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister and frequent critic of US ratings agencies, retorted that the downgrade would have no impact on the ability of the EFSF to raise funds. As if to underscore Juncker’s jab, just days later the EFSF auctioned off more than € 1.5 billion in six-month bills--receiving more than four billion euro in bids--and then on February 21 sold nearly two billion euro

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER: not impressed with credit rating agencies

more of the notes--after receiving more than six billion in bids.

Moody’s then shifted the focus from the public to private sector. On February 15 it placed Banque et Caisse d’Épargne de l’État on its “negative outlook” list. That means the agency could downgrade the bank’s debt during the next 12 to 18 months. Such a move would likely drive up BCEE’s cost of borrowing in the global capital markets.

The following week BGL BNP Paribas and RBC Dexia were placed on Moody’s “review for downgrade” list.

RBC Dexia, a joint-venture half owned

by Royal Bank of Canada and half by Dexia Banque Internationale à Luxembourg, was called out on two accounts.

First, Moody’s cited the then-fresh placing of RBC on its downgrade review list. In addition “the disposal of DBIL’s 50 percent participation in RBC Dexia is taking more time than initially expected,” which could impact its “ franchise value.”

BGL BNP Paribas is controlled by BNP Paribas, which was placed on the agency’s “negative outlook” list the same day as BCEE--along with 112 other European financial institutions. Moody’s had cited lack of progress in resolving the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis as a primary concern.

It said that if parent bank BNP Paribas’s rating is lowered, then it is likely the Luxembourg subsidiary would similarly be downgraded.

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CYEL.indd 1

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Business

Microinsurance

ANTI-POVERTY PROTECTION

A Luxembourg NGO marks ten years of helping assure the poor can solidify their gains.

Competition

The European Commission has prohibited the proposed merger of stock exchange firms Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext.

Deutsche Börse, parent of Luxembourg-based Clearstream, had hoped the deal would cement its place as a global trading powerhouse. But Brussels blocked the marriage on anti-competition grounds.

The deal “would have resulted in a quasi-monopoly in the area of European financial derivatives traded globally on exchanges,” the commission said. “Together, the two exchanges control more than 90 percent of global trade” in certain products.

Although the two companies had proposed hiving off one of the relevant business units, that plan “fell far short of resolving the concerns,” according to competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia.

“The European Commission’s decision is highly regrettable and very hard to comprehend,” Manfred Gentz, chair of Deutsche Börse’s supervisory board, retorted, saying the commission had ignored market realities.

Financial and competition regulators in Luxembourg, Germany and the US had already approved the deal last year.

The German company said it is business as usual for the moment.

“Deutsche Börse will pursue and expand its proven business model,” Gentz stated. “It is a healthy company that will also be presenting very sound business results for 2011.”

Luc Deflorenne

Julien Becker (archives)

Deutsche deal blocked

Véronique Faber: microinsurance also has to tackle non-financial challenges

In March 2002, 16 microfinance experts met in Luxembourg to talk about plugging a major financial services gap in developing countries. Today the Microinsurance Network is an association of more than 200 institutions and individual members in 30 countries focused on bringing insurance to those who have already taken the first steps out of poverty.

Microfinance is the well established practice of providing small loans to entrepreneurs so they can beat their own path towards prosperity. Microinsurance is a way to help those families maintain their financial security. If there is an accident or death in the family, for example, some microcredit clients may be obliged to use their loan to pay hospital bills, explains Véronique Faber, coordinator of the Microinsurance Network.

“But if you don’t use your microcredit to expand your business, it’s very difficult” to repay the microfinance institution.

Faber says the strongest demand is for health insurance, “which is one of the most difficult products, because you have

to work with other sectors.” Providers need to “make sure that if someone buys health insurance that they can actually go to a doctor and they can go to a hospital.”

The Microinsurance Network does not run insurance programmes itself; it is a talk shop that allows providers and NGOs to exchange best practices and pool research. In fact most microinsurance is sold by private firms, including some of the best known global brands.

And for good reason: Swiss Re says the potential market is up to four billion people representing a potential premium volume of 40 billion US dollars. Yet today, only about 135 million people are covered.

The network has until now operated under the umbrella of the microfinance NGO ADA. To mark its tenth year, it will convert itself into a standalone organisation, Faber says. The group will also increasingly focus on helping members use technology to reduce costs, such as using handheld devices to manage hospital claims in real time. AG

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Business

Computer security

Banks under threat

Hacker attacks--such as the one against ArcelorMittal in January--are on the rise and threaten Luxembourg’s financial centre, an industry expert warns.

Text: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Olivier Minaire (archives)

The Grand Duchy’s financial sector is likely to see an increase in a new type of electronic assault, an industry expert cautions.

“More and more today we see ‘advanced persistent threats’ or APTs,” says Patrick Dalvinck, Benelux regional director at computer security provider Trend Micro.

These kinds of attacks include Anonymous Belgium’s hijacking of ArcelorMittal’s website in January, hackers breaking into US military contractors following the theft of data from IT security firm RSA over the summer, and the attack on Sony PlayStation’s network last spring--reportedly organised by the group LulzSec. For years hackers have launched “broad attacks using viruses and worms, but not specifically targeted” at a particular organisation, Dalvinck told Delano on the sidelines of the second ISACA Security Day in February. While such assaults are still the norm, a rising number of hackers are discreetly taking over computer systems “to use them afterwards for targeted attacks.”

“We’ve seen three thousand percent growth in APTs in the last two months globally,” Dalvinck says. “We’re seeing APTs across the board--not only in financial services-but there are financial institutions that have specifically been the targets and victims” of APTs. However Dalvnick declines to say if any Luxembourg financial firms were among those targeted. Trend Micro has also seen cases of a company spying on two competitors engaged in merger talks, and the

Patrick Dalvinck: expect to see more organised attacks

theft of intellectual property in the pharmaceutical sector.

Hackers often take an indirect path. “The bad guys are getting good at infecting systems in a very stealthy way. Primarily they use social networking intelligence” to figure out connections between people. “For example, they might figure out that we met today at this event. Tomorrow they could send an email to you pretending to be me.

They’ll say ‘it was nice meeting you yesterday and here is a presentation on the topic we discussed.’ Then you open the file and [your computer] is infected.”

The growth of smart phones and tablets has complicated the matter. “It already was difficult to protect against attacks with IT people in control, but now that there are multiple devices” that

employees buy on their own “it’s an even easier way in,” Dalvinck reckons.

While applications in Apple’s App Store are vetted, with Google’s Android “there are plenty of public stores.” He adds: “If I’m a malware writer, the easiest thing to do is clone a popular application and make it available for free through as many app stores as possible. We’ve seen clones of the Angry Bird app” that are riddled with malware.

Traditional anti-malware software tries to stop known programmes from breaking into computer systems, Dalvinck explains. Now computer security firms are using new software and cloud computing to detect abnormal traffic on networks and monitor for what information could be leaking externally.

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THINK LOCAL: STEFAN VAN LOOK

Dutch

“BECOME A MEMBER”

Twelve year resident in Luxembourg Stefan van Look gives his insight into living and working in the Grand Duchy.

STEFAN VAN LOOK: doesn’t want you to sit back and do nothing

Interview: Aaron Grunwald — Photo: Olivier Minaire

Stefan van Look grew up in Alkmaar, north of Amsterdam. After a couple years in Finland and a brief stay back in Holland, he and his Finnish wife moved to Luxembourg. Van Look works as an operations manager at Amazon, and recently finished a five year term as president of the Dutch Club of Luxembourg (NVL).

embourg has the size of a village, but it’s still a European capital. It has all the international aspects that you have in a big city, and maybe with many more facilities, relatively.

AG: Why did you get involved with the Dutch Club?

SVL: I don’t know if it was the age, but I wanted to contribute somehow to the Dutch community. It’s always easy to sit back and do nothing. It was nice to start doing something. I was president of the Dutch school, also for about five years, then I became president of the Dutch club.

It’s an old club: we turned 60 years old last year. You realise, especially now that we have kids, that you want to retain certain values that you believe make you Dutch. That’s very simple: sharing national day, the birthday of the queen, St. Nicholas coming by ship from Spain every year.

But also to give new people coming to Luxembourg a platform to find their way quicker than they otherwise would.

If you’re new in a country, everything is so new that you don’t know anything.

You don’t look for a Philharmonie, the Conservatoire, the Grand Théâtre the fi rst week that you’re here. These are things that take time to find.

It’s not only speaking in Dutch and the Dutch sticking together, but it’s also giving the opportunity, a gateway for people to find things.

AG: What brought you to Luxembourg?

SVL: Like for many, we came for work.

AG: You left for a while. What brought you back to Luxembourg?

SVL: We decided to travel for a year around the world. When we came back we changed jobs, both of us, but Luxembourg was the preferred choice because it’s extremely easy, we think, to live here when you’re both from different nations. It’s a very international community. It’s very exciting to have a dinner at home with ten different nationalities at the table.

In the meantime, we had two children: a boy of 17 months and a [newborn] girl. You already see with our son--he goes to a French crèche--he doesn’t properly speak yet, but he can say ‘goodbye’ already in four or fi ve languages. We see this is a huge advantage of living here, and bringing your children up here.

Of course, the quality of life is extremely pleasant here. I always say that Lux-

AG: What do you think about the visit of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, expected March 20-22?

SVL: I think it is very exciting. As Dutch we are maybe geographically not far away, but still abroad. The fact that our queen is coming to visit Luxembourg shows the importance of the ties between Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It’s very nice to see someone, your queen, who you’ve known your whole life, from TV, coming to Luxembourg.

[Luxembourg and the Netherlands] have a lot of shared activities already, so I think it’s more important for us to see that the queen values it and shows interest in what’s happening in this small country... Holland not being a much bigger country, everything is relative!

AG: What is your advice for newcomers?

SVL: Become a member of different associations. It can be anything; it doesn’t have to be the Dutch association.

If you want to integrate quickly, these are the places where you meet people.

So become a member. You don’t have to always stay there or like it tremendously, but just get engaged. Become a member of things and participate. This is how you build up a network, how you get to know people who have similar interests, or had similar issues themselves and can point you in the right direction.

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madame, monsieur L’Invitation aux Musées Journées portes ouvertes dans les musées au Luxembourg les 23, 24 et 25 mars 2012 Asselborn Musée des Écritoires, Musée du Moulin à eau • Bech-Kleinmacher Musée « A Possen » • Binsfeld Musée rural « A Schiewesch » • Diekirch Conservatoire national de véhicules historiques, Musée d’Histoire[s] Diekirch, Musée national d’Histoire militaire • Dudelange Centre de Documentation sur les Migrations humaines, Musée municipal de la Ville de Dudelange • Echternach Musée de l’Abbaye • Ehnen Maison et Musée du vin • Esch-sur-Alzette Massenoire – centre de documentation Cité des Sciences à Belval, Musée national de la Résistance • Esch-sur-Sûre Ancienne Draperie d’Esch-sur-Sûre [Maison du Parc] • Grevenmacher Musée luxembourgeois de l’imprimerie et de la carte à jouer [Kulturhuef] • Lasauvage Espace muséologique de Lasauvage, Musée Eugène Pesch • Luxembourg Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain, Galerie Am Tunnel, Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur l’Enrôlement forcé – Mémorial de la Déportation, Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Musée de la Banque, Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg, Musée des Tramways et Autobus, Musée national d’histoire et d’art, Musée national d’histoire naturelle – ‘natur musée’, PostMusée, Villa Vauban – Musée d’Art de la Ville de Luxembourg • Munshausen Musée vivant « A Robbesscheier » • Nospelt Aulebäcker- a Péckvillerchersmusée, Ausgriewermusée • Peppange Musée rural, de calèches et de la métallurgie ancienne • Rosport Musée Tudor • Rumelange Musée National des Mines de Fer Luxembourgeoises • Septfontaines Musée 40/45 • Vianden Maison de Victor Hugo, Musée littéraire • Wiltz Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes, Musée national d’art brassicole et de la tannerie

Entrée gratuite www.invitation-aux-musees.lu

business

The events planner

ON THE HORIZON

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

ALFI

www.alfi.lu

13

• mar

14

• mar

16 •

WOMEN’S DAY

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

mar

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:30

One of the world’s premier asset management confabs covers regulation and other key industry issues (see article on pages 30-32 for more info).

The “Leading Edge” series continues with an in-depth look at how the EU’s alternative investment directive will impact private equity funds.

mar

RBC Dexia Investor Services, Esch-Alzette, all day event

10 •

26 •

MARCH ABAL

Vincent Bechet of Property Partners presents the prospects for mar Luxembourg’s office market, which is now similar in size to Dublin and Warsaw.

Alvisse Parc Hotel, Luxembourg-Dommeldange, 12:00

AWCL

GOOD INVESTING

www.awcluxembourg.com

ALFI and LuxFLAG have merged their microfinance and socially may responsible investments events, resulting in the “Responsible Investing Conference: making a difference.”

British Conservatives host a roundtable discussion on “market forces vs. the democratic political process.” Email conservativesluxembourg@ gmail.com to RSVP.

BREASTFEEDING GROUP www.lalecheleague.lu

28

• mar

www.amcham.lu

15

ADEM REFORM

Christophe Schiltz, the labour minister’s chief of staff, offers an employers' briefing on the recent reform of the government employment agency.

• mar

25 • apr

MONTHLY MEETING

La Leche League Luxembourg is a multilingual support and information exchange group for expec­t ant and new mothers, and moms who can share their experience.

Hesperange, 10:00-12:00

Skype hosts a forum on social and mobile networking at its Rives de Clausen headquarters. Speakers include Neil Ward, the tech firm’s Luxembourg chief.

apr

Skype, Luxembourg-Clausen, 18:30

BUSINESS LUNCH

www.bscoc.org

SPRING FLING

Celebrate spring at the group’s fun evening of food, dancing apr and good company. Email clubhouseawcl@gmail.com for details and to book your place.

Venue to be announced, 18:00

BGL BNP Paribas, Luxembourg-Centre, 18:30

6

COOL WHEELS

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

Non-members welcome.

• apr

Evening Event

26 •

During a special nocturnal confab, the group will see a limited number of informational presentations, followed by a networking cocktail.

apr

Venue to be announced, 19:00

BUSINESS MENTORING www.businessmentoring.lu

BRITISH CARS

21 •

ONLINE NETWORKS

25 •

www.thebusinesslunch.lu

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

AMCHAM

DEBATE

Roud Haus Am Braustub’l, Neudorf-Weimershof, 18:30

Conference Centre, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

SPOTLIGHT ON AIFMD

13 •

mar

SPRING CONFERENCE

29 •

BCAL

www.conservativesluxembourg.org

29 •

Roundtable discussion on “the company as experienced by Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomers: perceptions and realities.” Organised with the FFCEL.

mar

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:30

Conterstuff, Contern, 20:00

EUMA

British Chamber

www.euma.lu

www.bcc.lu

The next edition of Delano will feature events taking place from April 10 through June 19. We invite you to submit an event by sending an email no later than March 19 to news@delano.lu.

19 •

HR CHALLENGES

Evening business forum on HR meeting today’s business and emmar ployee needs, and if Luxembourg can continue to be an attractive place to work.

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:00

GENERATIONS

13 •

INSIDE LOOK

Franca Lanzillotta talks about her career as an administrative assistant at the European Commission and why she is proud to work for the EU.

mar

Hotel Le Place d’Armes, Luxembourg-Centre, 18:30

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business

FEMALE CHIEFS www.ffcel.lu

28 •

LAWYERS

12 •

SPEED NETWORKING

Marx Bar, Luxembourg-Hollerich, 18:30-23:59

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 19:30

apr

16 •

SCIENCE CAREERS

This monthly meeting will feature a presentation on women in science and technical careers, which will be followed by a networking cocktail.

may

Restaurant Um Plateau, Luxembourg-Clausen, 12:00-14:00

www.cc.lu www.luxemburg.diplo.de www.debelux.ahk.de

STRESS NOT

Certified professional coach Mariana Florea presents “Work without stress: mission (im)possible?” during the group’s monthly get-together.

Samia Rabia of the law firm Wildgen discusses how to search for mar legal representation during the group’s monthly luncheon-debate. In French.

GERMAN CONFERENCE

18 •

InterNations Luxembourg is an expatriate community for people apr living and working in the Grand Duchy as well as all “global minds”.

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 19:30

26 •

INT’L GET-TOGETHER

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

Le Coral, Luxembourg-Gare, 18:30-23:59

TEDX

www.ted.com/tedx/groups/3368

THEME: FAILURE?

21 •

TEDxLuxembourgCity is an independently organised programme produced in the spirit of the TED conference’s mission of “ideas worth spreading” (see article on page 20). Sold out.

mar

MUDAM, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 13:00-20:30

TOASTMASTERS district59.eu

OXFORD SOCIETY www.oxford.lu

13 •

SOCIAL DINNER

OUSL is stressing the “social” aspect of the society during its first ever social dinner, open to members and guests. Email dclark@pt.lu to book your place.

mar

19

Caves Gourmandes, Luxembourg-Centre, 19:30

FUTURE TRANSPORT

“Sustainable mobility” is the theme of the 10 th German-Luxembourg economic conference. Trade minister Etienne Schneider is keynote speaker. In German.

• mar

club.paperjam.lu

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 09:30-12:15

17

The International School Luxembourg’s “Midnight Garden Gala” dinner and auction will benefit the school’s arts programmes. Email events@ islux.lu for reservations.

Hotel Le Royal, Luxembourg-city centre, 19:00

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

13 •

Abbaye de Neumünster, Luxembourg-Grund, 8:30-13:00

ISFTEH

www.tigfi.org

14

Philippa Forster Back, director of the Institute of Business Ethics in London, will speak on “Ethics, Finance and Culture” during the institute’s monthly finance lunch.

• mar

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

KPMG’s Bruno Magal presents process orchestration, which aims mar to automate business process management workflows, and how it is being extended into service sectors.

INTEGRITY INST. FINANCE PRINCIPLES

www.medetel.eu

18-20 • apr

MED-E-TEL

The 10 th anniversary edition brings together international healthcare providers and technologists for education, networking and business.

Rotaract www.rotaract.lu

20 •

mar

Gloss, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 18:30-23:59

23 •

16

7

• apr

• may

Public speaking group Greenheart Toastmasters Club meets two Mondays each month.

No requirement to be a native Anglophone.

Chamber of Commerce, LuxembourgKirchberg, 19:30

UNIV. OF LUX. www.uni.lu

apr

TELSTAR www.telstar.lu

24 •

FIRST AID

St. George’s International School, Luxembourg-Hamm, 9:30

The Kirchberg hotspot will be exclu­s ively reserved for regismar tered attendees, so be sure to sign up in advance on the club’s website.

2

• apr

GREENHEARTS

17 •

Be prepared for medical emergencies with a first aid training mar organised by the Grand Duchy’s English speaking scouting group.

MEET EXPATS

19

• mar

Venues to be announced, 19:00

THE NETWORK

www.internations.org/luxembourg-expats

20 •

apr

Chambre des Salariés, Luxembourg-Merl, 19:30

The Rotaract Club of Luxembourg is for 18 to 35 year olds, promoting international friendship and fun, whilst aiming to benefit society.

Luxexpo, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, all day event

www.the-network.lu

3•

Public speaking group Casemates Communicators Toastmasters Club holds an informational meeting for those interested in improving public speaking skills.

mar

REGULAR MEETINGS

Cercle Munster, Luxembourg-Grund, 11:30

INTERNATIONS

THIRD EDITION

mar

ISL

• mar

www.privatebanker.lu

27 •

www.islux.lu

ART AUCTION

Private Banker

CASEMATES

13 •

23

• mar

24

• mar

CARTELS

The University’s law school hosts a conference on the criminalisation of cartels. The event is free but space is limi­ted. Email fdef-colloques@uni.lu to register.

Central campus, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, Friday all day, Saturday morning

MEET MEMBERS

The Network’s annual general meeting, moderated by president Cindi Wilson, will be followed by its bi-annual speed networking session.

mar

Sofitel, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, 19:30

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cover story

Aude Lemogne and Aymeric Thuault

“ You constantly have to educate yourself” As art is being increasingly viewed as a new asset class, the team at Link Management is helping collectors and investors make sense of a complex market.

Text: Duncan Roberts — Photos: David Laurent/Wide

Aude Lemogne and Aymeric Thuault: making a career out of their passion for art

Giving up a successful career in financial services to follow a dream is a risk too far for many people. But for Aude Lemogne and Aymeric Thuault the risk has paid off.

It is a story of kismet. She was a former analyst and portfolio manager who ended up working for ICAP in London. He was a former floor trader at the Singapore stock exchange, who became a partner in a company specialized in equity derivatives as head of exotic products. They both shared a passion for art and had begun collecting and studying the history of art.

When Aymeric’s company was sold to ICAP, and with Aude pushing for the couple to get out of the financial industry in London, the decision was taken to follow their shared passion for art and to set up their own art consultancy in Berlin.

Aude says she was convinced the hedge fund industry would suffer “massively” from the crisis that started in 2008.

“And we both had the feeling that more and more people, and especially high net worth individuals, would increasingly invest in hard assets--something they own as opposed to shares, which could fall to zero. Hard assets are something you can always enjoy, and there will always be a market for them, especially with the emerging markets in Asia.”

The move to Berlin immediately paid dividends as they were able to quickly meet a large number of artists and establish contacts. “In Berlin there is such a big concentration of artists, not only German but American, Asian, European and Eastern European,” says Aymeric.

Rigour Using their financial services acumen and their expertise in art, they set up a company in Luxembourg (where Aude has family). Link Management specialises in all aspects of art collecting, advice, investment and financing, and even produces detailed analytical reports

on the art investment industry. The company’s most recent success was to act as curator for the Lalux contemporary art collection, much of which has been hung in the public spaces of the insurance company’s brand new corporate headquarters in Leudelange. Indeed, many of the works in the collection were specifically commissioned for the building.

Having been collectors before starting out in the business, both Aude and Aymeric thought there was a lack of rigour in the art market. “Galleries could talk for hours about an artist, about the philosophy behind the work, but nobody was there to provide advice on how this artist’s work could perform, what are the criteria and how the market functions.

Art is so segmented--old masters, impressionism, modern art--and these all have different price behaviours and different mechanisms.”

Indeed, the art world could be called murky. It certainly lacks transparency,

March 2012 - delano - 45

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cover story

Lalux/Graf Luckner

Special commission: Gregor Hildebrandt met Lalux chief Pit Hentgen before creating I hear her voice calling my name (The Cure: A Forest)

Aymeric Thuault: bringing rationality from the financial world to art investment

and this is what attracts a certain breed of investor that thinks the market can be easily manipulated. “We want to try to understand the truth behind what drives the market. Is it driven by museums, by investors trying to push the market, by galleries trying to place their artist. It is important to understand the dynamics behind a specific artist,” says Aude.

Aymeric concurs and succinctly sums up Link Management’s strengths.

“There is a certain degree of rationality that we bring from the financial world into art investment,” he says.

And the art world is without doubt turning into an investment business.

Aude points to the sale at Sotheby’s in New York last autumn of American abstract painter Clyfford Still’s 1949-A-No.1 for over 60 million dollars. “Obviously it is not only about loving art or because the buyer thinks it is a great painting. It’s about investment. There is a real shift in the industry, and especially anything above one million dollars is being

approached as an investment. Nobody really admits it, but it is a reality.”

So, Aude’s gut instinct has so far proven to be right--investors are really seeking to diversify their portfolios. Even if they admit that the art world lacks transparency and is not very liquid, and typical investors do not want to place more than two to five percent of their portfolio in art. Aymeric says that estimated turnover of art sales reached “a very modest” 40 billion dollar last year, while the international market for artinvestment funds was worth an estimated 960 million dollars last year, up from 760 million dollars in 2010, according to a report by Deloitte Luxembourg

You have to buy with your heart” Aude Lemogne

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cover story

Aude Lemogne: understanding what drives the art market

Lalux/Graf Luckner

Danish photos: Compass Rock Diptych by Olafur Eliasson at the La Lux headquarters

carried out in association with ArtTactic in London. Indeed, such is the hunger for new opportunities that a new Luxembourg-based Art Collection Fund is being launched in April.

Link Management also advises collectors on how they can leverage their assets as collateral to finance other projects. Historically there were only a few entities providing this service, but more and more are emerging. “You need to build up a pretty solid structure to evaluate the collection,” Aymeric explains.

Trend spotting The lender does an independent valuation, and once the value price is agreed usually the collector can get a loan of between 40 and 60 percent of the value, though the risky nature of the marker means that interest rates are quite high-between five and 25 percent, depending on track record. “Our job is to find the best loan conditions for our collectors.”

But their core business, and what clearly

gives these two art lovers such joy, is to become cognizant to privileged information. They spend much of their time travelling to art fairs and galleries, but also in Berlin meeting artists face to face. “You learn a lot from artists, because they are always meeting other artists and so we can keep our finger on the pulse of the market, on the coming trends.” They also have established contact with a whole network of dealers, the insiders who may know what the market is looking for. “You constantly have to educate yourself. But that is why collectors need our advice, because they don’t have the time to do all that; to go to all the art fairs and meet dealers and artists.”

The knowledge they gain can occasionally lead to a dilemma, especially if they learn that a certain artist may perform very well in the near future.

“So we may well recommend artists that a collector does not particularly feel attracted to, but who in financial terms makes a lot of sense.

So sometimes people may put aside their aesthetic prejudices,” Aymeric explains.

But Aude says that they always try to understand the collector’s personal tastes and is adamant that a distinction has to be made between private collectors and institutions. The institutions with whom Link works--family offices in London and a big fund in Asia, for example-have a more objective approach. “They are looking for blue chip artists. The work needs to have a story, great provenance, upside potential. And even if they are ready to keep it for ten years, they ultimately want to make money from it. This is a big difference with people who are passionate about art, who have their own style and artists they really like.”

Pushing boundaries Sometimes the two worlds do meet.

Aude is particularly enthusiastic about the way Pit Hentgen at Lalux was very open to building a real collection. “He had a vision. He already had a little

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cover story

Lalux/Graf Luckner

Lalux

The Colour of Money: a specially commissioned work for La Lux by Berlin street artist EMESS

understanding of art, but he underwent a whole process of education, he really learned a lot about art. Sometimes you need to push the client’s own boundaries, out of their comfort zone, to help them in their understanding of art.”

Nevertheless, Hentgen took the final decision on the pieces that eventually ended up on the walls of the Lalux building. Having to deal with only one person also made Aude and Aymeric’s work much easier. “We didn’t have to sit in front of a committee to defend our choices. We like to give people time to digest the ides we provide. But Pit was very open minded and actually turned out to have very good taste,” says Aymeric.

Aude was delighted to see how Hentgen cultivated his own taste over the two years during which Link worked as curators for the Lalux collection. “It is very rewarding to see how someone develops their own ideas about art.”

As an example of precisely the contrary

02_titre_legende xxxxx: xxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

Through the window: Benjamin Moravec’s Giverny IV hangs at the La Lux HQ in Leudelange

philosophy, Aude cites French businessman François Pinault, who owns one of the biggest collections of contemporary art worldwide. “There is no artist in his collection who is unknown. It’s all about the most expensive work or bestknown name. There is no idea that he brought a work spontaneously because it was love at first sight. Which makes a collection dull and sterile, in a way.” Aymeric adds the name of Ukrainian collector Victor Pinchuk into the same category. “He just focuses on four hype names--Coons, Hirst, Murakami, Gorsky. This is typical in the art world. It is a bit like an oligarchy. “It is a shame that people with such financial resources don’t follow a personal vision.

These people have so many resources that they have a direct impact.”

But while experts look to find emerging talent, the artists themselves are also very much aware of what collectors are looking for and sometimes adapt their art to the requirements of the market.

“That’s what really surprised me when we first settled in Berlin; the open-mindedness of artists to the commercial aspect of art,” says Aymeric, somewhat exasperated. “Our first reaction was quite negative, and we didn’t feel that far removed from the financial world. We have a natural tendency to idealise artists, but then you realise that artists--not all of them--are just part of this capitalist environment.”

However, there are exceptions. Some artists are completely unknown precisely because they refuse to play the commercial game. “But maybe they will be discovered in 20 years time. Maybe we will look at their work and realise they were saying something relevant about the times in which we lived,” says Aude. “Some artists have something really strong in their work but maybe don’t have a gallery right now. It is important to support them, because it can add another perspective to a collection. Which is why you have to buy with your heart.”

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NETWORKING

Luxembourg Rose of Tralee

PUTTING LUXEMBOURG ON THE MAP Each year since 2002 the Luxembourg Rose of Tralee association has been organising a competition to select a representative to send to the annual festival in Ireland.

Text: Duncan Roberts — Photo: Olivier Minaire

The Rose of Tralee is one of those events for which everything seems to come to a halt. In Ireland it is watched annually by around one million television viewers and tens of thousands more watch via live stream abroad. For anyone unfamiliar with the competition, it originated in 1959 as a new version of the town of Tralee’s Carnival Queen event. It is integrated into the annual Rose of Tralee festival, which features a week of horse racing and other events.

The idea is to find a girl who best represents Irish femininity in all its aspects, with the competition now attracting entrants from all of the Irish counties and centres in countries as far afield as Australia and the United States as well as Europe. Luxembourg is one of three European centres--along with Germany and Barcelona--sending a girl to the Regional Finals in May and June (up until 2010, the Luxembourg Rose was directly entered into the 32-girl final in Tralee, but the increasing pop-

ularity of the event means that there are close to 70 Rose centres around the world and an elimination process was put in place).

The Luxembourg Rose of Tralee Association sent its first representative to Tralee in 2002. Hosting a Luxembourg competition was the brainchild of Grainne Mulhern, who together with Maria Kelly and an enthusiastic committee organised the inaugural Rose Balls. For the past eight years, Deirdre Ecock has been in charge of the Luxembourg event. As president of the association, she has gathered around her a committee who have brought with them fresh ideas and contacts.

“Finding girls and sponsors is the most difficult part of the job, but it is worth it,” says Deirdre. “We always send great girls to Tralee and they really represent Luxembourg and put the country and the city on the map.”

This year’s Rose Ball on March 10 features seven young women of Irish descent. The winner, chosen on the

night of the ball by a jury, will then head to Portlaoise in County Laois in Ireland to represent Luxembourg in the Regional Finals on May 30, with the hope of qualifying for the finals in Tralee in August. The Luxembourg Rose Ball is always a popular event (and, indeed, sold out in record time this year), attracting the local Irish community and the families from Ireland and beyond of the contestants.

Last year’s Luxembourg Rose, like those before her and countless Irish girls, thought that becoming a Rose was a dream come true. “No matter how far

PRACTICAL INFO

Luxembourg Rose of Tralee Association

www.rose.lu email: luxembourgrose@yahoo.com

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NETWORKING

Past and present

Julien Becker

LUXEMBOURG’S ROSES

2002: Yvonne Lintner 2003: Deborah Maher 2004: Eileen Byrne 2005: Jane Bretin 2006: Leah Freeman 2007: Jacqueline Maher 2008: Heidi Connolly 2009: Siobhan O’Reilly 2010: Clare McGing 2011: Aisling McInerney (photo)

DEIRDRE ECOCK: winners really represent Luxembourg

THIS YEAR’S ENTRANTS you get in the process of the Rose of Tralee, it is a memorable experience. I count myself privileged to have been given the chance to participate,” says Aisling McInerney.

She will hand over her title and put the Luxembourg Rose sash on the winner on March 10 in front of an audience that will include special guest Tara Talbot, the reigning international Rose of Tralee from Queensland, Australia.

Although the ball is the highlight of the Rose year, the committee also organises a series of other successful social events throughout the year leading up to the fi nale. These include a hugely

COMMITTEE

President: Deirdre Ecock Vice President: Niamh Huggard Treasurer: Geraldine Cassell Secretary: Thérèse Collins

popular 70s-80s disco Boogie Nights at the Black Stuff and an event at The Tube, which has taken the form of a male sale, karaoke or après ski party.

Proceeds from those events and from the tombola at the Rose Ball are donated at each year end to various charities.

The main charities that benefitted from proceeds last year were the local Fondatioun Kriibskrank Kanner, which provides practical and financial support to children with cancer and their families, and the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation at the famous Crumlin Hospital in Dublin.

Members: Aisling McInerney Brian Killeen Christa Brown Clare Abbott Carrie Milne Emma O’Leary Nathalie Bretin

ANNUAL EVENTS

Rose Ball (beginning of March) A gala dinner-dance at which the Luxembourg Rose is selected by a jury Boogie Nights (end November) A 70s-80s disco and fund raiser held at the Black Stuff Irish Pub

Aimee Mulkerns, Carole Fagan, Megan Hanley, Nicola McEvoy, Sinead Gahagan, Tracey Farrelly and Victoria Thompson.

Tube event An annual fundraiser held a few weeks in advance of the Ball that takes the form of karaoke or an après-ski party

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LIFESTYLE GOING NATIVE

Local events

GLACIS SUNDAY MARKET

The relaunch of the monthly Sunday market on the Glacis heralds the arrival of spring and some warmer weather. Held on the third Sunday of the month, the market is a mixed bag of stalls selling everything from fresh cut flowers to cheese, from thermal underwear to roast chickens, from antiques to regional specialities. What’s more, parking is free.

Sunday March 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Glacis car park, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.vdl.lu

Etienne Delorme (archives)

Luc Deflorenne

David Laurent/Wide

THREE BARGAIN OPPORTUNITIES

INTERNATIONAL BAZAAR BOOK STAND SPRING SALE The Book Stand of the International Bazaar is hosting a special spring sale fundraiser at which all books will be sold for just one euro each. The choice includes English and French books, and browsing is made all the easier with a selection of home-made food and hot and cold drinks also on sale.

The Book Stand has always been one of the most popular attractions at the annual Bazaar (held in the advent season), and it has recently grown significantly. Indeed, organiser Catherine Allen says that the stand now researches and sells antiquarian books and first editions.

“And, despite, or perhaps because of, these parlous economic times, we have been making more money than ever--this year we gave 16,000 euro to the Bazaar,” she says.

Saturday March 10, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Am Duerf, Luxembourg-Weimerskirch (2 rue de Kirchberg)

TELSTAR SCOUTS SALE

The English-speaking Scout troop, Telstar, is hosting a second-hand sale to raise funds for its numerous activities. Books, CDs and DVDs, chinaware and gifts, toys and games, bric-a-brac, ‘nearly new’ clothes and even Scouting equipment will all be on sale.

Drinks and home-made refreshments will be available.

Telstar was established in 1974 and now has groups for boys and girls aged between 6 and 18, currently comprising some 130 scouts and leaders of 18 different nationalities. It currently has a waiting list of more than 70 young people.

The organisers of the sale are looking for donations to the sale and can be contacted on tel. 621 41 21 71 or by email: events@telstar.lu Sunday March 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. George’s International School, Luxembourg-Hamm, www.telstar.lu

“ Luxembourg is... …LIKE PASSIONATE LOVE. IT CAN MAKE YOU CRAZY, BUT IT CAN ALSO BREAK YOUR HEART.” MIGUEL DÍAZ-FERNÁNDEZ: president, Luxembourg-Chile Chamber of Commerce

CLUB LIFE

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

SOCIAL

LUXEMBOURG ACCEUIL

A welcoming organisation for that aims to facilitate integration in the Grand Duchy via cultural, artistic and sporting activities. www.luxembourgaccueil.com

CULTURE

BOOKSTAND OF THE INTERNATIONAL BAZAAR

Collects second-hand books. Also researches and sells antiquarian books and first editions. www.bazar-international.lu

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GOING NATIVE LIFESTYLE

People in the news

THE CRUCIAL THREE FRANÇOIS VALENTINY

THE KNOWLEDGE HOW TO...

INSURE YOUR PET

Nationales Tierasyl

Etienne Delorme (archives)

The Remerschen-based architect has designed a spectacular amphitheatre for the Music in Trancoso festival in Brazil.

The first Brazilian classical music festival of its kind, Music in Trancoso takes place from March 17 to 24. Valentiny’s theatre will accommodate 1,360 people in the natural canyon setting chosen for the festival’s main performances. Valentiny has designed concert halls before--the Kleines Festspielhaus in Salzburg is his work and he was also one of the two finalists in a competition to design the new Beethoven festival hall in Bonn before the project was postponed for financial reasons. More recently, Valentiny designed the Luxembourg pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai.

PRINCESS ALEXANDRA

Cour Grand-Ducale/Christian Aschman

The only daughter of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Terese was born on February 16,1991 and thus turned 21 last month. Her official title is Alexandra Joséphine, Teresa, Charlotte, Marie, Wilhelmine, Princess Luxemburg, Nassau und BourbonParma. After completing her secondary education at the Lycée Vauban in Luxembourg City, the princess is currently studying sociology and psychology abroad.

NORBERT BECKER

Julien Becker (archives)

Norbert Becker has been named chairman of Lombard to replace John Stone, who has retired to focus his energies on his charitable foundation. Becker, aged 58, started his career with the financial services regulator in Luxembourg in 1974 and five years later founded and became managing partner of Andersen (whose consulting arm became Accenture). In 2002, Becker managed the merger of over 50 non-US Andersen member firms into Ernst & Young. In 2004, he returned to Luxembourg and started various business ventures including Atoz and Compagnie de Banque Privée.

Every dog owner in Luxembourg must register the pet with the commune upon arrival and be in possession of a civil liability insurance contract.

But if you want a medical pet insurance, you may be surprised to find out that this is not common in Luxembourg. In fact, until recently, pet owners here had to find one of the pet insurances available in Belgium that offered coverage in all Benelux.

Last year, one Luxembourg insurance broker, Gras Savoye, started offering medical insurance for dogs and cats.

If you have a rabbit though, you still will have to look across the border in Belgium for a solution! www.grassavoye.lu

SOCIAL

SUPPORT

INTERESTS

The meeting point for anyone speaking Dutch, the club organises social, cultural and sports activities.

professionals in Luxembourg with an interest in dyslexia and other special educational needs.

Attracts amateur astronomers to regular night-sky observations.

LUXEMBOURG AMATEUR NEDERLANDSE VERENIG- DYSPEL Support group run by volunteers for families and ASTRONOMERS ING LUXEMBURG www.nvl.lu

www.dyspel.org

www.aal.lu

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LIFESTYLE

Seven ways to

GET FIT AND STAY HEALTHY D’COQUE

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

Also known as the National Sports and Culture Centre, d’Coque is a paradise for multitaskers, the undecided or those who simply like variety. The philosophy here is: “One place, 1001 activities”. You’ll find an extensive aquatic centre (with Olympic size pool, kids’ pool, sport & health pool, diving pool, paddling pool, and whirlpool), relaxation centre (with various types of saunas, baths and cabins) plus a big indoor sports centre offering structures for over 25 disciplines.

You can purchase entries and lessons by the hour as well as in “packages” or opt for the d’Coque card, which gives you more advantages.

Julien Becker

D’Coque, 2 rue Léon Hengen, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.coque.lu JUST MOVE

FIT FOR ALL AGES

CONNY’S BOOT CAMPS

Expect no running and no big exercise machines but a lot of tough love and a fitter and lighter you when coach Conny Gabellini takes over your health routine. As well as being a renowned personal trainer, Conny runs notorious boot camps, in the city as well as in parks and forests around Luxembourg.

“Exercising in fresh air is good for so many reasons and most people spend way too much time inside. As soon as they start training outside, they don’t get sick as often.” Anyone can join a boot camp

session anytime; no matter the level (as long as you tell Conny you’re coming beforehand). “Most people who attend want to lose body weight and build up muscles, but once they get started and feel-and see--the difference, they realise that exercise also leads to improvements in many other areas: nutrition, sleep, social life… everything gets better! This keeps them motivated”. As does Conny’s constant presence--it’s said that with her, you never even try calling it quits! www.fitnesscoach.lu

Andrés Lejona

TOUGH LOVE “Our motto is: Be fit, not perfect,” says Marco Moes, director of the Just Move sports centre. “We offer aerobics, fitness, spinning, dance, pilates, zumba… to everyone between three and 100 years old, but no bodybuilding!” One of the plus sides of this 2500m 2 sports complex is the possibility of signing up for short periods as well as longer ones.

Just Move, 71 rue de Merl, Luxembourg, www.justmove.lu

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Olivier Min

EXISTENCE

If you’re looking for professional guidance and a customised training, you’ll fi nd it here. André Van Spaandonck and his highly qualified team take great pride in approaching each person individually. “We establish a 10 week programme adapted to your goal, your time and your preferred activities--after which I guarantee you’ll have improved your fitness by 10percent”. The regulars (average age: 42) are kept motivated by the tangible results (evaluations are made frequently) but also by the personal monitoring. A one month try-out card, with everything included (classes, fitness centre, personal training and advice), is available for 50 euro.

Existence, Route de Trèves, Findel Business Center, Findel, www.existence.lu

Olivier Minaire

Luc Deflorenne

GOAL ORIENTED REEBOK CROSSFIT VALENS

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE This recently opened “box”, as the insiders like to call it, is based on the CrossFit methodology. Basically, you sign up for ‘workouts of the day’, 60 or 30 minute sessions, where varied functional movements are completed at high-intensity. It may seem pretty vigorous, but coach Andreas Sjöstrand insists that: “Crossfit is scalable for everyone. The target is to improve your fitness and gain more skills”. There is a strong sense of community and it is expected that you come to challenge yourself on all levels. A free introductory session is offered to anyone who wants to try it out.

Reebok Crossfit Valens, 20 rue des Peupliers, Luxembourg-Hamm, www.reebokcrossfitvalens.com

FLIRTY FITNESS

GLAMOUR GALS FRISKIS&SVETTIS

You will find everything from zumba to booty workout classes in this ‘women only’ club, but pole dancing is without doubt the most popular activity. “We aim at developing our feminine side here. Body size isn’t what’s important but feeling confident and sexy is. Our clients are real women.

They learn how to be glamorous and to love themselves. They also get fit, have a lot of fun and meet new friends!”

Flirty Fitness, 23-25 avenue de la Gare, Luxembourg-Gare, www.flirtyfitness.lu

Behind this jolly way of saying “healthy and sweaty” in Swedish is a distinctive non-profit organisation. “Exercise should be high-quality, easy accessible and available to everyone, but mostly it should be enjoyable! Friskis&Svettis is not about changing your whole lifestyle, but about adding something positive to the one you already have,” says Maria Österblad, one of the volunteer instructors. Prices are very reasonable (135 euro for a 12 month card with access to about 20 classes a week, indoor as well as outdoor) and there’s something for all ages. In the summer, some classes move to Parc de Merl and are free for non-members. www.friskis.lu

Friskis&Svettis

Andrés Lejona

POSITIVE ADDED VALUE

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LIFESTYLE

Four ways to celebrate

PUB LIFE

DRINK AND BE MERRY

David Laurent / Wide

Luxembourg’s Irish pubs always put on a grand party for the St. Patrick’s weekend. For those unfamiliar with the establishments in question, the Black Stuff (photo) in Pulvermühle is

undoubtedly the most “homely” of the Irish bars with its log fire and blackened rafters. Phil and Cathy McKenna know how to host a good party and on the 17th--a Saturday--the place will be heaving with good cheer.

The oldest Irish pub is The Pyg down in Clausen, which a great place to meet people and enjoy the occasional live music performance, The Pyg is at its best when the bar is packed and the patrons full of banter.

Uptown, Urban still retains Irish character although its core crowd is very multinational. The chefs in the kitchen always put on some great traditional Irish food for St. Patrick’s Day. And down in Hollerich, Gareth O’Neill and his team deliver a somewhat alternative Paddy’s party.

March 17, four city pubs, www.blackstuff.lu; www.urban.lu; www.thepyg.lu; www.decibel.lu

Luxembourg GAA

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

SPORTS

PLAY THE GAME The Gaelic Sports Club Luxembourg is organising an all-day tournament (from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at the home of FC Avenir Beggen to demonstrate the arts of both men’s and ladies’ Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.

Part of the day will also feature an initiation into the sports for adults and children. The event will be opened by Irish ambassador Diarmuid O’Leary and will also feature a Céilí for children in the afternoon.

March 17, Luxembourg-Beggen, Stade Avenir Beggen, www.gaa.lu

CÉILÍ

DANCE TO THE MUSIC

For a more formal but equally lively celebration, head to the Céilí Mor organised by Irish cultural circle Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. The evening of Irish music and dancing features a live performance from The Cullen Sisters, who were All-Ireland Fleadh Ceol winners in 2011 and play here as a quartet. The venue is limited to the over 10s as its starts at 8:30 p.m. and will carry on late.

March 17, Luxembourg-Cessange, Centre Culturel, www.comhaltas.lu

David Laurent / Wide

PARTY

START WITH GOOD CRAIC

The Irish Club of Luxembourg is co-ordinating a party in collaboration with the Ireland Stand at the International Bazaar, the Luxembourg Selection for the Rose of Tralee and the Gaelic Sports Club Luxembourg. With live music from Stephen Moynihan (photo) and also Eileen Hogan & Clan, a Guinness bar and Jameson Irish coffees, as well as snacks including Irish smoked salmon and cheese, the evening promises to be good craic. A charity tombola will also be held during the evening, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

March 16, Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal, Sang a Klang, www.irishclub.lu

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LIFESTYLE

Eleven live performances to watch

ON STAGE

CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ECLECTIC PROGRAMME

Conducted by Andris Nelsons (photo), the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra plays a programme featuring three works at the Philharmonie.

First up is Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, while Jean Sibelius’ 2nd symphony closes the programme. But the highlight may well be Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.4 featuring soloist Rudolf Buchbinder March 13, Philharmonie, Luxembourg -Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu DAMIEN JALET

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

TONY LAW

REFRESHINGLY FUNNY Following sell-out shows by Andrew O’Neill and Tom Deacon, Konrad Comedy Club continues in March with one of the most anticipated stand-up acts yet to come to the Grand Duchy.

Canadian Tony Law has been garnering plaudits all over the Englishspeaking world for his slightly surreal comedy stylings. Packed with nonsequiturs, his act has been likened to free form jazz as he picks up subjects seemingly at random and runs with them until he gets bored and jumps on

to the next topic. So, he fl its with consummate ease between tales of timetravelling sausage dogs and drug-addicted panda prostitutes while also keeping his feet planted fi rmly on the ground with a string of self-critiquing wisecracks. Steve Bennett of comedy website Chortle.com wrote of his current Go Mr. Tony, Go! show that “In a sea of identikit comedians, Law’s attitude is always refreshing and frequently funny.”

March 16 & 17, Konrad Café & Bar, LuxembourgCentre, www.konradcafe.com

Damien Jalet’s three-part work, Three Spells, begins with Venus in Furs, originally devised for the 2007 Luxembourg style event dysfashional, with costumes by Japanese designer Jun Takahashi and performed here

by Alexandra Gilbert. It is followed

by Venari, performed by Jalet himself and inspired by a Greek myth. Jalet and Gilbert perform as a duo in the final piece, Aleko. Co-choreographed

by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Aleko is an homage to the legendary Marc Chagall’s 1942 backdrops for the ballet of the same name.

March 20 & 21, Grand Théâtre, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, www.theatres.lu

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Jeanne_Moutou

RAY ANDERSON’S POCKET BRASS BAND

RAUCOUS AND JOYFUL Trombonist and trumpeter extraordinaire Ray Anderson brings his Pocket Brass Band to the Philharmonie’s Salle de Musique de Chambre for a performance guaranteed to shake the room.

Anderson is a five-time winner of the best trombonist award in the DownBeat critics’ poll. The quartet comprises Lew Soloff on trumpet, Eric McPherson on drums, and Matt Perrine on sousaphone, each a master of his instrument, and together they create a funky jazz sound that is joyous and raucous and has been described as “ deeply rooted in New Orleans” even though Anderson is from Chicago.

March 29, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

EXAMPLE

BIG TIME BOY

Last year really belonged to Elliot John Gleave aka Example (the name stems from the e.g. initials of his first and last names). Single ‘Changed the Way You Kiss Me’ was a massive hit that entered the UK charts at number one and paved the way for the success of his third album, Playing In The Shadows. It was reward for an artist who has paid his dues over the past five years. Indeed, he arrives in Luxembourg as one of the biggest emerging acts in the UK and hoping to crack the notoriously difficult US market having just signed a deal with Mercury.

March 16, den Atelier, LuxembourgHollerich, www.atelier.lu

MCCOY TYNER

VETERAN OF COOL LOS VAN VAN

True veterans of the Cuban dance scene, Los Van Van appear in Luxembourg as part of the Printemps Musical festival organised by the Luxembourg City Tourist Office.

Formed in 1969 by bassist Juan Formell, the 16-piece band has won acclaim and fans by fusing the son montuno and rumba sound of Cuba with western rock and pop, disco and funk and even hip-hop elements.

March 23, den Atelier, LuxembourgHollerich, www.printempsmusical.lu

John Abbott

ALORS, ON DANSE

Undoubtedly one of the most influential jazz pianists of the 20th Century, McCoy Tyner comes to the Philharmonie at the age of 73. Tyner was already well-established on the jazz circuit when he shot to fame as a member of legendary sax player John Coltrane’s quartet, featuring on a number of now iconic albums including A Love Supreme. He has since found fame as an artist in his own right and appears here with special guest, sax player Joe Lovano.

March 17, Philharmonie, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, www.philharmonie.lu

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LIFESTYLE HUMOUR POUR LA PAIX

Piers Allardyce

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE The sixth edition of the comedy for peace festival is dedicated to Iraqi comic Walid Hassan, who was assassinated in 2006. The week-long festival includes a performance from British comedian Paul Sinha, a qualified doctor born who has received rave reviews.

Sinha has performed across the UK, but has also taken his show abroad. His second full length solo show, Saint or Sinha, was nominated for the if.comedy award (formerly the Perrier) at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then he has continued to tour and appeared frequently on television and radio and also recorded for Shane Warne’s Ashes podcasts. In The Guardian, Brian Logan said Sinha’s reputation was for “confessional and uncommonly thoughtful comedy, delivered at an upbeat pace (and with a high joke count) that offsets self-indulgence.”

RUE ROYALE

HOME SPUN One could be forgiven for dismissing Rue Royale as another of those twee Americana modern folk bands. After all the band consists of husband and wife Ruth and Brookln Dekker, who also makes their own hand-knit merchandise. And latest album Guide To An Escape features a rather näif drawing on the cover. But the music the Dekkers make is beautifully harmonious, joyous and uplifting.

March 14, d:qliq, Luxembourg-Centre, www.dqliq.com

March 22, Abbaye de Neumünster, Grund, www.ccrn.lu

PONY PONY RUN RUN

BRAZEN POP

French power-pop outfit Pony Pony Run Run returns for another Luxembourg sortie with the promise of a second album on the horizon. The trio has become the darlings of the French indie power pop scene by wearing the influences of their eclectic taste brazenly on their sleeves-taking in the likes of Kraftwerk and The Beach Boys, Steve Reich and House of Pain, The Cure and Autechre. As they say; “We like everything. We have no guilty pleasures.”

April 6, Rockhal, Esch-Belval, www.rockhal.lu

FINAL CURTAIN

THE DEAD LIST A ballet paying tribute to dead rock stars may seem a little gruesome, but the DanceXperience show promises to be a celebration of the music of the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston. With Sylvia Carmada among the four choreographers (the others are Aurélie Gelmi, Alex Lopes and Nathalie Ipatova) the show is bound to have a certain frisson.

March 22 and 23, Rockhal, Esch-Belval, www.rockhal.lu

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29.02.2012 11:25:29 Uhr

Luxembourg’s largest digital library has a new name Access for free and from home 45 000 electronic journal titles, 40 000 science eBooks and several hundred specialised databases and reference platforms in English, French and German.

More: blog.findit.lu

By Consortium Luxembourg

Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg, Université du Luxembourg, CRP Santé, CRP Henri Tudor, CRP Gabriel Lippmann

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23/11/11 15:33

13 APRIL 2012 Den Atelier Concert

SINÉAD O’CONNOR

Send an email mentioning “den Atelier/SINÉAD O’CONNOR” to contest@delano.lu Deadline for entries is 28 MARCH 2012 Winners will be notified by email

WIN RT CE C O NK E T S !

TIC

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28.02.2012 16:54:06 16:55:55 Uhr

LIFESTYLE

DULCE PINZÓN

SUPERHEROES AT WORK Mexican photographer Dulce Pinzón’s Superheroes series is an homage to the hard-working immigrants who labour under often harsh conditions in the United States to send money to their families and communities back home. She says the work was inspired after Dulce Pinzón the 9/11 tragedy when “the notion of the ‘ hero’ began to rear its head in the public consciousness more and more frequently” and she sought to show everyday heroes in a new light. Her subjects are shown at their day jobs, but dressed in the costumes of popular American and Mexican superheroes.

SINCITYPICS

STOLEN MOMENTS OF URBAN LIFE

Mike Zenari

Until April 14, Luxemburg-Centre, Galerie Clairefontaine 2, www.galerie-clairefontaine.lu

Prize-winning photographs and entrants to the Fondation de l’Architecture et de l’Ingénierie’s SinCityPics competition are on show at the foundation’s headquarters in Hollerich. The photos, by young and old, professionals and amateurs, show stolen moments, snapshots of the way people use public space and their urban environment in Luxembourg.

Four exhibitions to visit at

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

Until March 25, Luxembourg-Hollerich, Fondation de l’Architecture et de l’Ingénierie, www.sincitypics.lu

DESIGN CITY

TAKING CREATIVE STEPS

Tina Gillen

ABSTRACTING THE FAMILIAR

Laurent Julliand

The Design City biennale truly comes alive in the streets of the capital with outdoor exhibitions in April, but in the meantime two exhibitions at Mudam are well worth examining. Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman, who work together under the INTERWARE label, were Mudam’s design & food curators in charge of product lines at the Mudam Boutique and Mudam Café. An exhibition of their highly imaginative work titled Transversal Design (photo) is on show. Also currently on show is Next Cabane, a project created by designers at Fabrica, Benneton’s famous creativity think tank. The cabanes are new interpretations of use for a simple, foldable hut-like structure made of wood found in a flea market in Scotland, which was

TINA GILLEN

originally covered with a tarpaulin and used as a shelter for anglers. It has been transformed into, variously, a waiting room, a typographical maze, a comfy chill-out zone and a shelter.

Until May 13 (Transversal Design), until June 10 (Next Cabane), Luxembourg-Kirchberg, Mudam, www.mudam.lu

Few Luxembourg artists are afforded a solo exhibition at Mudam, so Tina Gillen is in rare company.

Now living and working in Brussels, her Playground exhibition includes a new work especially conceived for Mudam. Her work involves the reduction of figurative elements (sometimes from familiar images) to their simplest form, creating a delicate balance between the recognisable and the abstract.

Until May 13, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, Mudam, www.mudam.lu

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29.02.2012 11:26:32 Uhr

Oliver Polak Ich darf das, ich bin Jude ! Live ! samedi 17 mars [ 20.00 ]

Between the lines Cartooning for peace lundi 19 mars [ 20.00 ]

Le Comte de Bouderbala mardi 20 mars [ 20.00 ]

Paul Sinha

jeudi 22 mars [ 20.00 ]

La Nuit blanche de l’Humour noir

6e Festival international

Humour paix

Avec Chiche l’Afrique & Amou Tati à l’état brut samedi 24 mars [ 20.00 ]

Gëtt am Grand-Duché gelaacht ?

Mat den Makadammen, Roland Gelhausen an der Peffermill(ch)en dimanche 25 mars [ 17.00 ]

pour la

Du 17 au 25 mars 2012 Abbaye de Neumünster

www.ccrn.lu

Constanze Gabellini

DTA Cologne Qualifications

Tarif 20 �; réduit 8 � Excepté Le Comte de Bouderbala : 25 �; réduit 12 � Prévente: www.ccrn.lu - billetterie@ccrn.lu - +352 / 26 20 52 - 444

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28.02.2012 11:42:47 Uhr

28.02.2012 11:46:13 Uhr

LIFESTYLE

Four films to watch

Indigo Film

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

CURE OR CURSE Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s fi lm will surely be one of the strangest you will see in 2012--that is if you decide that Sean Penn doing an impersonation

of a child-like Robert Smith while hunting down a Nazi war criminal in the American mid-west is what you might want to watch at the cinema. Screened at Cannes last year but still not on general release in the UK or US, the fi lm is intriguing and packed with the quirky sort of moments and people with the sort of lost souls more associated with Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas than the director of the powerfully political Il Divo. Even David Byrne of Talking Heads puts in a cameo as himself, while support from the always excellent Frances McDormand and Judd Hirsch give Penn some classy actors with whom to spar. But it is Penn, all sad Goth make-up and hair and a little boy lost voice, who steals the show.

Released March 23

Fox Searchlight Pictures

ON SCREEN

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

HELP THE AGED

Gather the cream of over 60s British acting talent, transport them to India for a genteel comedy featuring the star of Slumdog Millionaire under the stewardship of Shakespeare in Love director John Madden and you would expect to have a hit film on your hands. Sadly, judging from the trailer, the script seems to employ countless clichés and even the likes of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson struggle to add anything fresh.

Released March 30

THE HUNGER GAMES

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

A sci-fi yarn that seems to mix Logan’s Run with Battle Royale, this is the first of what promises to be a trilogy based on Suzanne Collins young adult fiction books set in the near future nation of Panem. Jennifer Lawrence stars as heroine Katniss Everdeen who enters the eponymous games--a televised spectacle in which 24 young adults do battle and only one competitor comes out alive.

Released March 23

BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN

The Weinstein Company

Lionsgate

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

Simon Curtis’s fi lm is based on the diaries of Colin Clark, the younger brother of politician Alan, who in 1956 landed a job on the shoot of The Prince and the Showgirl starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. He and Monroe (Michelle Williams) had a one-week fl ing while her husband, Arthur Miller, was in Paris. Kenneth Brannagh plays Olivier and Judi Dench and Emma Watson are also on the bill in what looks like a charming yet also harrowing fi lm.

Released March 9

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29.02.2012 10:15:50 Uhr

Live HD performance transmissions at Ciné Utopia Walk In at 7.45 pm Broadcasted in English with English subtitles

In partnership with

1 March

29 March

The Comedy of Errors

She Stoops to Conquer

by William Shakespeare

Standard Price 20€ t Reduced Price 15€ www.utopolis.lu/ntlive/ t

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by Oliver Goldsmith

www.utopolis.lu

2/28/12 5:35 PM 29.02.2012 9:52:51 Uhr

MY OTHER LIFE: CLEMENT THEVENET

Extreme sports

RUNNING LIKE CRAZY

Extreme runner Clement Thevenet has run the New York Marathon, the Marathon des Sables and recently set a new record in Antarctica

SGG

Text: Tonya Stoneman

Clement Thevenet

Clement Thevenet

BRUTAL CONDITIONS

The 7th Ice Marathon was held in November 2011 just a few hundred kilometres off the South Pole. The brutal race presents a truly formidable challenge with underfoot conditions comprising snow and ice throughout, an average wind-chill temperature of –20C, and the possibility of strong Katabatic winds to contend with. Furthermore, the event takes place at an altitude of 700 metres. Nevertheless, it attracted 36 athletes from 17 countries across the globe. www.icemarathon.com

Clement Thevenet finished 2011 strong as the double winner of Antarctica’s Ice Marathon and the Antarctic 100 km race. Sponsored by SGG Administrative Services, he went to the coldest place on earth to test his metal.

Thevenet grew up in Paris, France, where he ran as a child in order to rid himself of excess energy. With the exception of a few short breaks to accommodate his work, he hasn’t slowed down since--and neither has his boundless energy. As vice president of private banking at EFG Bank, Luxembourg, Thevenet was forced to limit himself to one marathon per year just for the fun of it. But in 2009, life changes allowed him to become more intensive about his passion and he set his sights on the New York City marathon.

While competing in that race, he saw another runner wearing a t-shirt bearing the legend “Marathon des Sables”.

Known as the toughest footrace on earth, this competition covers 234 km (equivalent to 5 ½ regular marathons) in the Sahara desert and is run over six days. He caught up to the man in the t-shirt and, before the race was over, agreed to join him the following April in Morocco for the MdS. While he was sweating it out in the brutal desert heat--running in autosufficiency mode, carrying his own food, sleeping bag, and clothes--he saw another man with an interesting t-shirt.

This particular runner was fulfi lling a goal of doing a marathon a week (52 in one year) culminating with the Antarctica Ice Marathon. Even as he trudged through the earth’s most arid wilderness, Thevenet decided he would brave the race at the bottom of the world as well.

In December last year, he headed for Antarctica. He was the sole Frenchman in the competition as well as the first athlete to represent Luxembourg.

Antarctica is one of the most inhospitable environments on earth with temperatures known to plummet to -30 degrees.

With every inch of his skin protected, Thevenet began his race 600 miles from the South Pole and fi nished in 3 hours and 47 minutes, setting a new record.

“Being over there was totally crazy,” he says. “Nobody goes there by chance. You meet people from all around the world.

Only passionate people go to Antarctica.”

He hopes to return someday to ski or hike, but never again as a runner.

Right now, he’s nursing an injury and mulling over the idea of an Iron Man competition. He also supports the Defeat Cystic Fibrosis charity in order to “give back to those who don’t have the same privileges I do.” Asked what the most difficult part of ultra-running is, he responds, “The hardest part will be to quit. I’m totally addicted to extreme sensations.”

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28.02.2012 14:49:03 Uhr

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24/02/2012 11:37

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