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FRENCH TV DISAPPEARS
[EDIT: Maastricht, March 28]
Camille Oostwegel, the Honorary French Consul in Maastricht and the President of Château Hotels & Restaurants, is concerned about the policy of @Home in removing the French TV stations RTBF 1 from Belgium, and France 2 and 3 from...[more]
GOYA IN MAASTRICHT
[EDIT: Maastricht, March 25]
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the City of Maastricht held a film festival, details of which can be found at the link below. The premier, a film called Goya’s Ghosts, by Milos Forman, was introduced by Maastricht’s...[more]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
[EDIT: Maastricht, March 16]
We are reprinting this letter to the Editor that we received during the TEFAF exhibition because it does point to an issue in Meuse-Rhine, which is the general absence of comprehensive information in English in a range of areas....[more]
Top
SCANIA EXPANDS IN LIMBURG
[BIZ/LOG; Opglabbeek, March 29]
Scania the Swedish truck manufacturer has decided to centralize its European parts distribution in Belgium. This expansion program will represent an investment of EUR 12m. The new Scania Parts Logistics hub will be fully operational...[more]
DSM LOYALTY DIVIDEND RULED OUT
[BIZ: Amsterdam, March 29]
DSM’s loyalty dividend program, which was established to reward shareholders, who held on to their shares, has been judged to be in conflict with the law; this is because shareholders would not be treated equally. The decision was...[more]
TECHSPACE & COGENERATION
[BIZ: Milmort, March 28]
Techspace Aero is investing in cogeneration. This system is one of the most important in the Walloon Country in the industrial technology area which produces heat and electricity at the same time and allows savings of between 15-20%...[more]
TRIANEL ENERGY
[BIZ/INFRA: Aachen, March 28]
ENETKO GmbH, a partner of Trianel, has changed its position as of February 1 into Trianel Energy GmbH. This means synergies and a stronger linkage within the Trianel group and it strengthens the Trianel energy brand....[more]
STRATEGIC INNOVATION IN LIEGE
[BIZ/GOV: Liège, March 28]
Strategic innovation is a major, 650-Company, EUR 5.8m project in Meuse-Rhine to help the business community to innovate their work processes, products and services. It is supported by funding from the EU’s Interreg III A project....[more]
TOP HORSES UNDER THE HAMMER
[BIZ: Aachen, March 27]
There will be a major auction of warmblood horses at the CHIO in Aachen from July 3 to July 8. Horses, from foals through to seven-year-old dressage horses and show jumpers will be on offer, according to the website.
...[more]
STRONG LIEGE COMPANIES
[BIZ: Liège, March 26]
In 2006, six companies from Liège made it into the Top 15 Big Business rankings in Belgium, as revealed by the magazine Trends-Tendances. These companies, known as Gazelles, are Tailored Blank Liège, which manufactures welded blanks for...[more]
THE MECC SPRING FAIR
[BIZ/LEI: Maastricht, March 25]
The next spring fair is running from Sunday, March 25 through Sunday, April 1 in the MECC and has a range of activities, including a Theatre of Scent, various specializations in respect of food, the FreshFactory on vegetables...[more]
SAXID GMBH & CO KG AT OBERBUCH
[BIZ/IND: Heinsberg-Oberbruch, March 23]
The automobile service provider Saxid GmbH & Co KG is going to set up a production plant for brake linings and expects to have created 25 new jobs by the end of 2009. The decision to establish the plant in North-Rhine...[more]
HEIDELBERG POWER IN LIEGE
[BIZ/INFRA: Liège, March 23]
Heidelberg Cement plans to invest EUR 50m in the Liège region. The cement manufacturer wants to set up a waste processing plant which will also generate green power. Twenty-five percent of the company’s costs are for electric power...[more]
SNOWWORLD
[BIZ/LEI: Landgraaf, March 23]
Snowworld in Landgraaf is starting to build its new 400-bed hotel, which is scheduled for completion in 2008. Landgraaf is the first place in The Netherlands to offer a full range of skiing facilities. On Saturday, March 31 Snowworld...[more]
PARKSTAD MAGAZINE
[BIZ: Weert, March 23]
EFKA Publishers BV have launched a Parkstad Limburg magazine for the regional authority. It targets private and public business and local government in Parkstad; it also focuses on contacts and managers in the region; and on important...[more]
EUR 1.7M FOR BECONA
[BIZ: Hasselt, March 23]
Becona NV in Diest is a new company run by Marc Kelchtermans (47) and his son Thomas Kelchtermans (21). The general manager is Gaston Lijnen. These three Limburg businessmen are targeting the construction industry, where they have developed...[more]
LE TRAITEUR AT BATTICE
[BIZ: Battice, March 23]
Le Traiteur ‘Les Cours’, well known in the Liège region, has just opened a new business in Battice. Nathalie and Joël Rademaker are opening a large 1,800m2 building where they have products from Upignac, the bakers and patisserie Darcis,...[more]
WALLOON SOLAR POWER
[BIZ: Liège, March 22]
The Walloon minister André Antoine has announced a plan called Solwatt to encourage solar power in the region. EUR 20m from the European Structural Fund 2007-2013 will be used in the branch. Issol, a company that manufactures photovoltaic...[more]
THREE-PIN PLUG TO TWO
[BIZ: Roosteren, March 22]
Eddy Zijlstra (46) gave up his job at Philips and spent one and a half years and EUR 15,000 to develop a new type of universal plug. This plug can be converted from a two-pin plug to a three-pin plug at a press of a button, which will...[more]
EUX.TV UNIQUE EU ACCESS
[BIZ/GOV: Brussels, March 22]
EUX.TV, the webtv channel about Europe and the EU [and which also produces the Meuse-Rhine Journal’s webcasts. ED] , has nearly completed a major development phase as a result of which nearly all television programs funded by European...[more]
TECHSTART LAUNCH
[BIZ: Roosteren, March 21]
The Techstart project is designed to provide seed capital and to support people with good, innovative, ideas who are thinking about starting up a business. The project focuses on high tech start-ups in the fields of Agro-Food, Life...[more]
TECHSPACE AERO
[BIZ/SCI-TECH: Herstal, March 21]
An F16 landed in Herstal at Techspace Aero — it’s at the entrance to their premises. The aircraft is one of the 116 ordered by the Belgian Air Force in 1976, which has now been withdrawn from service. The F16 is interesting...[more]
KEMBIT: MICROSOFT SPECIALISTS
[BIZ/SCI-TECH: Wijnandsrade, March 20]
KEMBIT, a Wijnandsrade-based company, is going to train Microsoft specialists. The IT service provider from Wijnandsrade is the only Limburg company which is in at the beginning of Talent Lab (www.microsoftalentlab.nl)....[more]
NONOX IPO IN ARUBA
[BIZ: Hoensbroek, March 19]
Nonox, which manufacturers gas engines in Avantis, will go public on the Aruban stock exchange on March 31 and hopes to pick up EUR 20m. Nonox needs the money to complete two programs of research. If these are satisfactory, vehicles...[more]
THE TEFAF NETWORK
[BIZ: Maastricht, March 19]
The TEFAF Maastricht Events Foundation is a new Trust that wants to strengthen the links among TEFAF Maastricht and the region, the foundation operators and act as an intermediary between the Fine Art Fair and Maastricht. The following...[more]
TEFAF A BIG SUCCESS
[BIZ/LEI: Maastricht, March 18]
The 20th session of The Fine Arts Fair in Maastricht has been judged a success on the business front. There were many new collectors from Germany and Spain. The fair attracted 71,000 visitors, 15% fewer than last year but this...[more]
ING TO PURCHASE AZL
[BIZ: Amsterdam, March 16]
The ING banking group has announced that it is buying the local mining pension fund AZL in Heerlen for EUR 65m. The proposed acquisition of AZL will expand ING’s pension fund management activities with a prominent provider of pension ...[more]
TESSENDERLO 2006
[BIZ: Tessenderlo, March 16]
Q1, 2006 recurring operating result or REBIT total EUR 25.9m as against EUR 28.8m in the same period a year earlier.Cumulative end 2006’s REBIT of EUR 72.3m marked a 7.3 advance against 2005’s figure. This growth was thanks, above ...[more]
BELGIUM: THE PRICE OF POWER
[BIZ/INFRA: Brussels, March 16]
Belgian industrial users pay 20% more for their electricity than their German, Dutch and French colleagues, according to the weekly ‘Trends’. Both the price of electricity and that for natural gas have increased in recent months...[more]
GETRONICS CALL CENTER EXPANDS
[BIZ: Beek, March 16]
IT specialist Getronics Pinkroccade is expanding their call center at the business park at Maastricht-Aachen Airport by 80 new jobs. This brings the number of those employed to around 200. Since the opening of the call center last summer...[more]
UNDERGROUND GAS STORAGE
[BIZ: Poederlee, March 16]
The underground storage of natural gas in Poederlee can start in 2012, according to a spokesman of Fluxsys. Fluxsys has a 25% stake in the underground storage project. The rest will be in the hands of the Russian gas producer Gazprom...[more]
KPN TO BUY GETRONICS
[BIZ: Amsterdam, March 16]
Getronics, the IT service provider, is being readied for sale to the Dutch telco KPN, according to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Getronics has appointed the financial director Maarten Henderson to sell the company, according to...[more]
GIMV STAKE IN PROLYTE
[BIZ: Brussels, March 16]
The regional investment company for Flanders GIMV has acquired a majority stake in the Dutch construction company Prolyte, which is the European market leader in the area of mobile aluminum construction for events and stands. Prolyte...[more]
TRIANEL CONSULTS THE PUBLIC
[BIZ: Aachen/Lünen, March 16]
Trianel, which is building a coal-fired power station in Lünen, provided the local citizenry with the opportunity to discuss the business plans with the company on March 23....[more]
AIXTRON RESULTS 2006
[BIZ: Aachen, March 16]
Aixtron AG, a leading provider of deposition equipment to the semi-conductor industry, has announced financial results for the full year 2006. - Return to Profitability, EUR 5.9m Net Profit
- Sales Increase by 23% yoy
- Order ...[more]
LIMBURG TRAVEL BEST
[BIZ: Maastricht, March 16]
Limburg Travel, the Schoenmaeckers’ family business in Maastricht, has been designated the best travel agent in the Province of Limburg for the second year in succession in 2007. Limburg Travel can now compete for the national title,...[more]
HALFORDS MANAGEMENT CHANGE
[BIZ: Maastricht, March 16]
After a period of nine years with the company, including eight years as general manager, Mr P Burger has submitted his notice indicating that he wants to retire as general manager of Halfords Nederland BV effective as of June 1. The...[more]
MONDEO ON THE PRODUCTION LINE
[BIZ: Genk, March 16]
Production has started on the five-door Mondeo vehicle at Genk. There was a delay of 14 days for quality control but the production schedule requires 860 vehicles to be produced daily. If the S-MAX and the Galaxy are included, this means...[more]
BOSAL DIESEL FILTER
[BIZ: Lummen, March 16]
Bosal, which produces exhaust systems for automobiles, is the first Belgian company to develop an emissions filter for diesel engines. This is a filter than can be installed on current models and is in the first instance available for...[more]
Top| Logistics and Infrastructure |
BELGIAN HIGHWAY STICKER
[LOG: Brussels, March 27]
It now appears that the proposal to introduce a EUR 60 sticker for foreign cars driving through Belgium has been shelved....[more]
JET4U SUES ANTOINE
[LOG: Casablanca, March 27]
The airline Jet4U has decided to sue the Walloon minister Andre Antoine at the court in Namur for the consequences of his decision in halting the link between Liège and Casablanca. In September 2006 Jet4U announced that it was starting...[more]
LUXEMBURG AIRPORT STATION
[LOG: Luxemburg, March 26]
Following on from the development of Luxemburg’s airport, a station is to be built there. The modernization of Luxemburg’s airport will mean an investment of EUR 570m of which EUR 500,000 will come from Luxemburg City....[more]
PLANS FOR DROIXHE
[INFRA: Liège, March 23]
The district of Droixhe in Liège is about to be transformed. The 1,800 public housing units, of which half are empty, will be replaced by energy-saving, sustainable new houses, apartments, shops, companies and a senior citizens complex....[more]
TOLL ON THE A2
[LOG: Maasbracht, March 23]
There is to be a toll on part of the A2 highway in South Limburg. Limburg is the first Dutch province to have to pay this. Drivers will have to pay when the highway between Maasbracht and Geleen, close to the Belgian and German frontiers,...[more]
A2 HIGHWAY PROJECT
[INFRA: Maastricht, March 22]
Besix, the biggest construction group in Belgium, will be bidding for the contracts on the A2 tunnel that takes the highway through Maastricht. British John Laing Infrastructure Limited is part of five consortia which were admitted...[more]
BY TRAIN TO THE EAST
[LOG: Venlo, March 22]
There is to be a direct rail link between Venlo and Eastern Europe. This will strengthen the position of Venlo as a center for rail logistics as well as its assets in road and water. It will start with three trains a week and research...[more]
IRON RHINE ALTERNATIVE
[LOG: Brussels, March 16]
Although the freight trains have started running on the Iron Rhine, according to an earlier report in De Standaard, there is an alternative route for the rail link between the Port of Antwerp and the German Ruhr area, according to Oliver...[more]
ABX LOGISTICS LOOKS TO ZIEGLER
[LOG: Brussels, March 16]
ABX Logistics is looking to an alliance with its competitor Ziegler. ABX Logistics CEO Laurent Levaux made the announcement. He says that a combination of both companies in the area of international road transport would create a new...[more]
Top
SEX IN MAASTRICHT
[EDU: Maastricht, March 27]
The Dutch Association for Sexology (NVVS) is inaugurating an Extraordinary Chair in Sexology at the University of Maastricht on April 1, 2007. In the coming five years, Professor Jacques van Langveld will focus on research and education...[more]
EUPEN PARLIAMENT REQUIREMENTS
[GOV: Eupen, March 26]
The German-speaking community is renewing its demands for assured representation in the Chamber and in the Senate, the two Belgian Houses of Parliament. The parliament of the German-speaking community in Eupen has put forward a resolution...[more]
UNLIMITED LANAKEN GOES ON
[GOV: Lanaken, March 23]
Onbegrensd Lanaken (Lanaken Unlimited –without borders), a new party which was set up in Lanaken, Belgian Limburg, last year and participated in the local elections (recording 812 votes), has decided to continue its political role. Check...[more]
NEW BOSS FOR HOGESCHOOL ZUYD
[EDU: Heerlen, March 22]
Marianne Dunnewijk, the Chairman of the Board of the Hogeschool Zuyd, has stepped down as chairman and become regular asked the supervisory board. September 1, Karel van Rosmalen will become chairman of the board at Hogeschool Zuyd....[more]
GREEN CHEMISTRY
[EDU/SCI-TECH: Huy, March 21]
The Higher Institute for Industrial Agronomy (ISIa) in Huy has decided to acquaint the general public with sustainable development, which should be everybody’s concern as they say that without changing our consumer habits and way...[more]
PENSION STUDIES IN MAASTRICHT
[EDU/BIZ: Maastricht, March 19]
The University of Maastricht, in cooperation with Netspar in Tilburg, is going to offer graduate programs in pension studies. The pensions and insurance sector is in a state of flux. Retirement income used to be something that...[more]
PART TIME PHD
[EDU: Maastricht, March 16]
Fifteen participants from 14 countries are going to register for PhD degrees in the field of public policy and good governance over the next four to five years at the same time as continuing in fulltime employment. The Maastricht...[more]
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VITAMIN K2
[LIFE-SCI: Maastricht, March 26]
According to research at Maastricht University, vitamin K2 supplementation improves hipbone geometry and bone strength indices in post-menopausal women. Check the website for details....[more]
THE LIFETEC A2 AT LIOF
[LIFE-SCI: Maastricht, March 23]
In mid-January the LifeTec A2 Foundation moved into LIOF’s premises in Maastricht. LifeTec A2 was set up by Philips, Organon, Medtronic and DSM and the universities of Maastricht and Eindhoven. The foundation is intended to put...[more]
SAFETY FIRST IN PLASTIC SURGERY
[LIFE-SCI: Heerlen, March 21]
Vitrium, which is on the ground floor of the Atrium Medical Center in Parkstad (near Heerlen), has opened a new outpatient center for plastic surgery. The clinic is one of the most beautiful in The Netherlands. A great deal of attention...[more]
ALMA GRID’S VIRTUAL LAB
[LIFE-SCI: Liège/Aachen, March 21]
The Alma Grid’s virtual lab, a cooperation between the universities of Aachen, Liège, Maastricht and Hasselt, is getting closer. This cooperative network will be able to exchange biological samples and data within the network,...[more]
PRECARDIO STUDY
[LIFE-SCI: Hasselt, March 20]
In mid-December a Chair was inaugurated at the University of Hasselt. The Chair, a research project with healthcare support as its main feature, will focus on cardiovascular prevention under the heading of PreCardio [See issue 148....[more]
EUR 6M FOR MEDICAL CENTER
[LIFE-SCI: Birkesdorf, March 16]
The St Marien Hospital in Birkesdorf is developing its location and investing EUR 6m in a new medical center on the Dorfstraße. The new building is 920m2 and has four stories, reaching a height of 18m, with a shell of glass and...[more]
Top
JAZZ IN MAASTRICHT
[LEI: Maastricht, March 27]
The following concerts and jazz sessions will take place in April in Maastricht:Mondays Café de Belsj - open jam session with André de Laat & friends
Mondays Tramhalte - open jam session with Cone van Dam Combo
Tuesday ...[more]
AWARD FOR FRANK KEMPERMAN
[LEI/GOV: Aachen, March 24]
Frank Kemperman, the director of the Aachen Laurensberger Rennvereins (ALRV), the Aachen Equestrian Center, has received a Knighthood from Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands in the Order of Oranje-Nassau. Fifty-two year old Kemperman...[more]
EASTER FESTIVAL HERGENRATH
[LEI: Hergenrath, March 23]
On the Eyneburcht in Hergenrath there will be a tournament and a market to mark Easter, and it will be called ‘The Living Middle Ages in 2007’. It will run from April 7 to April 9 and Knights in Arms will allow the visitors to relive...[more]
BLOSSOM TIME IN THE HESBAYE
[LEI: St Trond, March 23]
The fruit trees are in bloom in the Hesbaye and this attracts a lot of tourists. Up to 100,000 visited this fruit-growing area in Belgium last year and there’s a lot going on this year too: there are special rickshaw taxis, local products...[more]
AACHEN IN CHINESE
[LEI: Aachen, March 23]
Now Chinese tourists and businesspeople from all over the world will be able to read the home page of Stadt Aachen on the Internet in their own language. The information is already available in English, French and Dutch, and now the basic...[more]
DOLMANS HILL COUNTRY CLASSIC
[LEI: Maastricht, March 23]
The Dolmans Landscaping Group is presenting a ladies equivalent of the Amstel Gold Race, which will take place on April 1 for the first time and will be known as the Dolmans Heuvelland Classic. This cycling race for women is an excellent...[more]
M-XPERIENCE
[MEDIA: Maastricht, March 22]
M-Xperience is the name of a new periodical for the meetings, conference and event market that will appear in the second half of April. The Editor and Publisher John Smeets wants to focus on the Euroregion in his new magazine because...[more]
THE TURN OF THE SCREW
[LEI: Liège, March 20]
The Royal Walloon Opera is presenting the ‘Turn of the Screw’ with music by Benjamin Britten after the story by Henry James. It can be seen on April 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21. The English composer Benjamin Britten marked the twentieth century ...[more]
AACHEN THEATRE AUDIENCE GROWS
[LEI: Aachen, March 16]
Udo Rüber, the director of the Aachen theatre, was delighted to see the figures for 2006, when the theatre recorded 85,000 visitors - the best result for a long time, exceeding 2002/2003. This is 9% up from that very good year....[more]
ANCIENT MUSIC
[LEI: Bilzen, March 16]
There will be a festival of ancient music on June 24 at the Fortress of Alden Biesen which will have as its heading ‘Ma Maistresse’ (Women and Music). The focus of the festival, with music from the middle ages, the renaissance and baroque,...[more]
MICHAEL MRONZ
[LEI: Aachen, March 16]
Michael Mronz was designated Sports Manager of the Year for 2006 in Frankfurt recently. The General Manager of the Aachen equestrian events company Aachener Reitturnier GmbH received the award for the organization of the world equestrian...[more]
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