Our publication schedule is changing as of this
issue. In future, we will be coming out on the 15th and 30th of each month, instead of the
9th and 27th, to ensure you of a better balanced coverage. If the Meuse-Rhine Journal is
being forwarded to you, please help us to maintain this unique service by subscribing free
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http://www.webcontentnow.com
SW
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
SAFETY FIRST
[IND: Aachen, June 28]
Aachen has an excellent profile in industrial safety, as
revealed in a report by the Association of Employers Associations in Aachen (VUV) this
week. Figures for 60 companies in Aachen were markedly better than those of 566 businesses
in North Rhine Westphalia as a whole in industrial accident risk assessment. In
cooperation with the local factory inspectorate, voluntary projects are now underway to set new standards in industrial
safety management. A round table has been established including the following companies:
Continental Tires, Gates, Hutchinson, Mitsubishi, Saint Gobain Sekurit, Rheinnadel and
Vygon. Quality checks, environmental checks and benchmarks are all on the agenda and the
automotive sector in the area is leading the way. It is not abandoning European
certification systems, but adding the dimension of flexibility needed by specific
industries.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
AUTOMOTIVE SURVEY
[IND: Maastricht, June 27]
A proposal to investigate automotive part supply networks
prior to a major 3-month survey of automotive business relations among companies in
Flanders, the southern Netherlands and North-Rhine Westphalia, is to be investigated
by the Limburg Consultancy FIER and Agiplan. It is to be sponsored by the Dutch
provinces of Brabant, Limburg and Zeeland, the Limburg and Brabant development companies
LIOF and BOM, and by Syntens in Breda, Eindhoven, Venlo and Middelburg.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
LIBERTEL BOSS GOES SOUTH
[BIZ: Maastricht, June 27]
Dutch mobile phone telco Libertel's boss John de Wit is
leaving Libertel to join another Vodafone company in Spain. He will be joining Airtel, in
which Vodafone has a 92 per cent holding. Airtel will eventually become Vodafone España
and will be concentrating on the mobile sector. Mr de Wit who gave an impression of being
well aware of everything that went on around him in Limburg apparently also speaks
excellent Spanish. He will be replaced in the interim period by David Jones of Vodafone's
UK headquarters.
http://www.libertel.nl
ON HER MAJESTY'S CONSULAR SERVICE(1)
[BIZ: Vaals, June 26]
Professor Otto Eschweiler, Consul General for the
Netherlands in Aachen and his colleague Consul General Beijer of the Federal Republic in
Maastricht spoke to a meeting of the Dutch German Business Club regaling them with the
perils and pleasures of consular service. The Business Club managed by Frans Malis of the
Aachen Chamber and by Ardy Assink, his counterpart in Maastricht, has now been in
existence for over a year and has 110 members.
Mr Eschweiler pointed first of all to the good relations
between the two countries and noted the assistance provided by Germany in times of flood
and fire, specifically in the case of the Meuse floods and the fire in Volendam. He did,
however, point out the damage caused to relations by headlines in the yellow press
on either side of the border, particularly on the heavily biased Clingendael report on
youth attitudes. There were some lighter moments too, though not for the Consul
himself, as when Dutch author Nootenboom arrived to give a talk in a room without enough
chairs and with the author having lost his voice and not wishing to talk on the chosen
subject. Looking after the interests of 10 to 15,000 Netherlanders in Aachen is not
without its ups and downs. The down side presumably includes the 500 odd prisoners who are
regularly arrested on 'prohibited substance' offences.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
ON HER MAJESTY'S CONSULAR SERVICE(2)
Consul General Beijer had another tale to tell. He chose a
linguistic theme and noted that, while the Dutch have a high regard for their own
competence in the German language; their cultural sensitivities and perceptions were
not always so well developed. The latter he felt, played a role in the failure of 75 per
cent of Dutch business initiatives in Germany within any one year. Mr Beijer added that
his Consular colleague in Koblenz put down the excellent business relations between the
business communities in that area to their use of English as a lingua franca.
Incidentally, the end of the table at which your correspondent sat at the subsequent
dinner, had a majority of German speakers, but the language spoken, with great fluency,
was in fact Dutch.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
TOURISM BRINGS IN ALMOST HALF A
BILLION EUROS
[BIZ: Valkenburg/Maastricht, June 26]
The news service of the South Limburg
Chamber of Commerce reports that last year's tourist revenues approached EURO 500,000,
approximately two thirds from the South Limburg Tourist Authority area and one third from
Maastricht.
http://www.kamerkrantzuidlimburg.com/
SZEGED COMES TO LIEGE
[BIZ: Liège, June 21]
A delegation from the Hungarian city of
Szeged visited Liège on June 22 and June 23. It included the Deputy Mayor, Dr. Laszlo
Bartha, and the Vice Rector of the University, Mr Csaba Visy. Hungarian diplomats
accredited to Belgium were also present. There were visits to the city hall, Liège's
Autonomous Port, and the University. A document professing friendship and cooperation was
drawn up. Cooperation is envisaged in the arts, on opera, orchestral music, the theatre
and museums. On the business side, the promotion of SMEs and encouragement of foreign
investment was proposed, in particular as regards reciprocal participation in
international fairs in Liège and Szeged.
http://www.liege.be
ROCKETING TO SUCCESS
[BIZ: Liège, June 21]
Forges de Zeebrugge, the Herstal based arms
manufacturer, celebrated 40 years of production of its 2.7 inch rocket. The company sells
to more than 55 countries and its product range covers the new generation rockets and
guided missiles. It has produced the 2.7 inch rocket for the US Navy since 1958. Part of a
long tradition of arms manufacture in Liège, FZ has continued to prosper through changes
of ownership. In 1974 the company was purchased by Thomson Brandt Armaments and currently
it is part of the Franco-German Thales et Eads Deutschland, employing 500 people,
specializing in land-based and airborne missiles and in guided missiles. The Liège
company employs 44 and has a turnover of EUR 11m. It is the European leader in its branch
and the second worldwide.
http://www.lalibrebelgique.be
LIEGE AND LONDON INTO EXPORTING
[BIZ: Liège, June 20]
The Eur-export web site, has been launched
by the SME and Entrepreneurship Research Center of the University of Liège and the London
Business School, with the support of the European Union, to teach people about issues
involved in exporting. It has been developed to help provide information about business
abroad and informs the visitor what he/she needs to know about marketing, finance, legal
issues and logistics in the context of exports. The site is available in English and
French versions.
http://www.eur-export.com
MISTER MAIL MAKES IT A MILLION
[BIZ: Maastricht, June 20]
Mister Mail, the Maastricht-based list
server and email business expert, now has more than a million email addresses in its
system, the majority of which belong to its paid Listhosting service (Mister Mail also
hosts the Meuse-Rhine Journal's list). The company has recently become involved in
Electronic Direct Marketing and is able to undertake direct marketing activities, such as
the personalization of email, analysis of data bases and the construction of client
profiles. Mister Mail is the first Benelux company to offer a total Listhosting,
Electronic Direct Marketing and a Redirectservice. In May 2001, it sent more than 5m email
messages.
http://www.mistermail.nl
CAR IN THE JOB MARKET
[BIZ: Aachen, June 19]
CAR, the Automotive Competence Center for
the Meuse-Rhine region, which was established in March, is growing and it is now
addressing itself to the 200 job slots that need to be filled in the industry in the
region. More news is to be expected.
http://www.rwth-aachen.de/zentral/dez4_car_car.html
NEDCAR'S ENVIRONMENT
[IND: Born, June 16]
NedCar has produced its Environmental
Report for 2000. Environmental objectives and measures taken by NedCar are made public in
this report, which is made within the context of the EMAS system. The report is verified
in terms of EU standards and vetted by Lloyds Register.
http://www.nedcar.nl
FROM MAASTRICHT TO VIETNAM
[BIZ: Maastricht, June 15]
Thomas Rapp, who set up and ran
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center in Maastricht, serving the whole of Europe, for
the last four years, is now moving to a new job as the head of Mercedes-Benz Vietnam Ltd.
His successor, as of June 1, is Mr Soenke Weichenthal.
http://www.Mercedes-Benz.com
AACHEN IN BERLIN
[BIZ: Aachen, June 13]
Aachen presented Meuse-Rhine as the
European Model Region on June 26 in the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the Potsdamer Platz in
Berlin. Part of the program was the discussion of the transformation of Aachen's economy.
Participants were Mayor Jürgen Linden, Professor Burkhard Rauhut and Professor Helmut
Breuer of the University and the discussion was moderated by Carl Graf Hohenthal of the
Die Welt newspaper. Mayor Linden pointed to the pioneering role of Meuse-Rhine in European
integration.
http://www.aachen.de
OUTLET MALL IN
MAASMECHELEN
[BIZ: Maasmechelen, June 8]
In October, a new outlet/designer mall will
be completed on the former mining site at Eisden, Maasmechelen. Maasmechelen Village
International Outlet Shopping will be the fifth center of its type, following those in
Bicester (UK), La Roca (Barcelona), Laz Rozas (Madrid) and La Vallée (Disneyland/Paris).
Another is planned for Ingolstadt and Wertheim and yet another between Milan and Bologna.
With 70 stores and a sales surface area of 14,000m2, the first phase of construction is
expected to cost EUR 45m, to provide 400 jobs and attract 3m shoppers annually. Designer
outlets will include Armani, Christian Dior, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
LOGISTICS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
AIRPORT NEWS
[INFRA: Maastricht, June 28]
Maastricht Aachen Airport annual report shows a growth in
passengers from 410,000 in 1999 to 460,000 in 2000, representing a growth of 12 per cent.
The cargo tonnage handled went from 38,100 tons in 1999 to 50,200 tons in the year 2000,
up by 32 per cent. Truck freight doubled to 5,400 tons. This as a result of the arrival of
the new airfreight division of the logistics company Frans Maas at the airport. In the
course of 2000, 23 new companies were established at the adjacent business park TechnoPort
Europe and Bamford. Employment grew with 15.6% from 2,650 employed in 1999 to 3,062 in the
year 2000, including 615 staff at Eurocontrol and DFS.
http://www.maa.nl
ETIL GOES EUROREGIONAL
[INFRA: Maastricht, June 27]
'Limburg in Beeld 2001' Limburg Economic Research
Institute (ETIL)'s annual economic survey, follows LIOF in adopting a Euroregional
emphasis. The message is that business people in Limburg should be looking across the
borders, because Meuse-Rhine offers enormous opportunities. These are the most important
conclusions drawn from the Report by Limburg Deputy Jan Tindemans of Economic Affairs. It
shows that fewer than 20 per cent of Limburg companies do business with Belgian Limburg.
Import and export to the Aachen region is between 13-15 per cent and for Liège it is between 6-7 per cent. The ETIL report provides a good start for a broad analysis of
the socio-economic developments in the region. The full text of the report is available at
http://www.limburg.nl
TALKING TRAINS
[INFRA: Kornelimünster, June 27]
Regional representatives of Kornelimünster
and Walheim will be holding a meeting on Goods and Passenger Traffic on the rail line
between Aachen and Cologne and Belgium, passing over the Vennbahntrasse. The meeting is
scheduled for Thursday June 28 at 17.00 hr. at the offices of Kornelimünster, Schulberg
20.
http://www.regioblick.de
THE IRON RHINE AGAIN
[INFRA: Moenchengladbach, June 26]
Moenchengladbach has turned down an 'Iron
Rhine' rail link to Antwerp trajectory through the city. They point to the lack of added
value from a transit line through the city and will do all they can to prevent it. They
do, however, support the route via Venlo.
http://www.presse-service.de
POWER PLAY
[INFRA: London, June 25]
The Financial Times of London, quoting the
Gas Daily Europe, writes that industrial customers in the Rhine-Ruhr area have pooled
their gas demand of more than 0.9bn cubic meters per year. Customers involved in this gas
pool are aluminum plants, a brewery, smelting works and a paper mill, giving a cross
section of demand use attractive to the supplier. The pool also wants to talk to suppliers
in Norway and the Netherlands. German natural gas imports between January and April 2001
reached 27.4bn cubic meters. The same paper also reports that the 5 intercommunal
utilities in Belgium are unbundling their marketing and supply as part of the electricity
market deregulation. The utilities involved are Interelectra, IVEG, PBE, VEM and WVEM.
Markets will be fully liberalized on July 1, 2003.
http://www.news.ft.com
200 YEARS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS
[INFRA: Aachen, June 25]
The 200th anniversary of the North
Rhine-Westphalian Topographical Survey Institute was held on June 29 at their offices in
Aachen in Hause des Kloster der Schwestern vom armen Kinde Jesus, Jakobstraße on the
corner of the Klappergasse. The celebratory speech was given by the Home Minister, Dr.
Fritz Behrens. Their first office was in Aachen.
http://www.lverma.nrw.de
PROVINCE INFO ON TV
[INFRA: Maastricht, June 20]
The Province of Limburg/NL has started to
present provincial government information in radio and TV advertisements on L1 TV.
http://www.limburg.nl
A STATION'S PROGRESS
[INFRA: Liège, June 20]
The first phase of the Calatrava-designed
Liège TGV station will be completed this year, entailing 5 new platforms for 9 tracks, 2
of which will be 450 m long. The station is scheduled for completion by the end of 2005.
The project is expected to cost EUR 2.48bn. Euro Liège TGV has produced a special
brochure on the project.
http://www.euro-liege-tgv.be
SERVICE SECTOR POLICY
[INFRA: Maastricht, June 19]
The Province of Limburg is going to
investigate the options in the service economy area and the need for office space.
Research will be carried out in cooperation with Maastricht, Parkstad, Sittard-Geleen,
Roermond, Venlo, Weert and Venray. The Province notes that the service sector makes up 66%
of the labor market volume in the province, which is somewhat behind the rest of the
Netherlands at 73%. 260,000 people are working in the service sector in Limburg, 100,000
of whom work in offices. This research is part of the Province's environmental plan for
Limburg (POL).
http://www.limburg.nl
CALL CENTER FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
[INFRA: Heerlen, June 16]
The Financial Affairs Department of the
City of Heerlen operates a call center which provides information on tax and social
security issues. The team cooperates closely with the Belgian authorities so that German
and Belgian migrant workers can be helped.
http://www.brf.be
TOPPING OUT THE CENTIPEDES
[INFRA: Aachen/Heerlen, June 15]
The topping out ceremony for the Centipedes
building on the transfrontier Avantis business park took place on Friday June 15.
Centipedes is the first building to be completed at the site. It is a joint project of
Limburg Development Company LIOF and NIB Capital NV. It covers 6,400m2 and has four
stories. LIOF and NIB invested more than EUR 9m in the building. Contractors are Nelissen
& Van Egteren. The first tenant will be Syntrack, which will be developing its
emergency, test and training center for mobile telecommunications. Syntrack is a joint
centure of Libertel, Ericsson and LIOF and will use 2,000 m2. Another 4,000 m2 remain to
be rented.
http://www.liof.nl
PROPERTY TAXES GROW SLOWEST IN
LIMBURG
[INFRA: Maastricht, June 14]
Although property taxes have risen sharply
recently, Limburg's property tax levels are behind those of the rest of the country. The
value of housing in Limburg has increased on average by 50 per cent and in some cases by
100 per cent. Property taxes have risen in the municipalities on average, but in
Maastricht they have gone down by the princely sum of EUR 4.5.
http://www.limburger.nl
MONEY FOR BOTTLENECK
[INFRA: Sittard, June 14]
The Province of Limburg (NL) and the
Ministry of Transport and Waterways yesterday reached agreement on the funding of
Operation Bottleneck, which is designed to improve the infrastructure of the narrowest
part of Limburg around Sittard and to allow the project to take its effect on the traffic
flows. The costs of the operation are EUR 96.7m. This operation which should be completed
by 2013 and starts in 2003 should also guarantee the future of NedCar and allow for the
development of the new business park for suppliers. There will be a new connection between
Born, the A2 and the German highway system. A bridge over the Juliana Canal will be raised
allowing containers up to 4 high to pass below it and there will be access to the A2 at
the Holtum-North business park.
http://www.limburger.nl
EUREGIONALE 2008
[INFRA: Aachen, June 12]
Discussions on attracting the promotional
budget of between EUR 125 and 200m which accrues to the EuRegionale 2008 project are still
going on in Meuse-Rhine. The operation has its own website.
http://www.euregionale2008.de.
JOURNALISTS GET TOGETHER
[INFRA: Lanaken, June 12]
Meuse-Rhine's press community foregathered at Slot
Pietersheim, Lanaken, for its second annual meeting. The first having been held at the
Blaosbalg at Wahlwiller last year. TV, radio and print media from all parts of Meuse-Rhine
were well represented. There was, of course, strong representation from Freundship,
the Meuse-Rhine PR/journalists club. The evening was organized by a distinguished Belgian
colleague, Jempi Welkenhuyzen, with Deputy Sylvain Sleypen and Maastricht's Deputy
Eurlings. Guests included Jo Spaubeck, Toon Voorjans, Johnny Blenco, Johan Luyckx, Paul 't
Lam, Philippe Leruth, Daniel Conraads, Jan Colla, Sabien Tiels, Jos Ghysen, Hugo Coomans,
Paul Engelen, Wim Swerts, Evert Sante and Joan Roell.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
HIKERS GUIDE
[INFRA: Aachen, June 12]
A Hikers Guide to the tri-country triangle
between Aachen-Hitfeld, Moresnet, Mechelen, Gemmenich and Epen is now available for EUR 4
at tourist offices in the region.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
BETTER BUS SERVICES IN MEUSE-RHINE
[INFRA: Heerlen, June 9]
Better bus services in Meuse-Rhine for
areas that are not easily accessible by train is needed. Dutch Railways Market Research
has pointed out that the Valkenburg/Hoensbroek/Ubach Palenberg route should be covered and
the area between Heerlen, Sittard, Aachen and Liège too. The proposal is to put bus
stations next to the train stations and there should also be ample parking in these
areas.
http://www.ld.nl
LIMBURG(B) LEFT OUT OF RAIL
INFRASTRUCTURE
[INFRA: Hasselt, June 1]
In an article by Yves Lambrix in Het
Belang van Limburg the point is made that as the Hasselt-Maastricht line is not to be
reactivated, Belgian Limburg is likely to disappear from the Euroregional rail
infrastructure. This is quoted as what Jos Digneffe of the ACOD trade union believes. As a
result of the absence of this connection the Eurogional train plan will link Aachen,
Heerlen, Maastricht, Liège, Verviers and Aachen, but the Hasselt- Maastricht link will be
missing. Comments on the Belgian government side were that there was not enough traffic
for this line, but they omitted to say that it could have been part of the route from
Kortrijk-Gent-Antwerp-Hasselt-Maastricht-Aachen and Cologne.
http://www.hbvl.be
NEW BUILDING FOR SPI+
[INFRA: Liège, June]
Liège's development agency, Spi+ services,
moves to a new building at rue du Vertbois 11, Liège at the beginning of July. Three
floors of office space look out over the central concourse and 6,500 m2 of space not only
provides a home for SPI+'s services, but also for its subsidiary, SORASI, a company that
specializes in the reclamation of industrial sites. On the ground floor, there are
business facilities for SMEs. Business real estate services are also available.
http://www.liegeonline.be
GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION
MAs GRADUATE AT EIPA
[EDU: Maastricht, June 27]
A class of graduate students in Public
Administration graduated at the European Institute of Public Administration June 28.
Topics have included the expansion of the EU and also the communal problems in
Meuse-Rhine's bilingual Fourons area.
http://www.eipa.nl
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE ACADEMY
[EDU: Aachen, June 27]
Aachen's Mayor Dr Juergen Linden is
proposing the establishment of a Euroregional Academy for Language and Culture. Among the
70 Euroregions, there is probably none with a mix to equal that of Meuse-Rhine. The
Mayor of Aachen advocates the establishment of this Academy which will highlight the
importance of Meuse-Rhine as a model region in Europe. Dr Linden will be explaining his
ideas at the Aachen City Hall on Thursday July 5 at 14.00 hrs.
http://www.aachen.de
MSM NEWS
[EDU: Maastricht, June 25]
Maastricht School of Management reports that it has
concluded contracts with Shanghai Maritime University, CIRD (Haikou China), the
International Center for Higher Education (Teheran, Iran) and Hunan Economic Management
College (Changsha, China). June 26, 24 students from Haikou graduated as MBAs on the
Outreach Program in Maastricht. Twelve Korean journalists and editors also visited
the School and talked to Dean Luc Soete about the Netherlands economy and way of doing
business. The visit was sponsored by Samsung Electronics.
http://www.msm.nl
WEBSTER TO GO TO THE AIRPORT
[EDU: Maastricht, June]
Webster University, which is opening a branch in Maastricht
in September of this year will be hiring accommodation at the Triceps Consultancy Bureau's
building at Maastricht/Aachen Airport.
http://www.kamerkrantzuidlimburg.com
MORE FRENCH AT PRIMARY
LEVEL
[EDU: Maastricht, June 14]
The Maastricht primary school De Perroen is starting to
teach children French in class 2, using the direct method and employing the French
language in the class room. There will also be exchanges with schools in northern France.
All classes will receive 2.5 hours of French a week.
http://www.limburger.nl
MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY
MORE NEUTRONS
[TECH: Juelich, June 27]
The European Spallation neutron source ESS, the world's
most powerful pulse neutron source, which may be located at the Juelich Research Center,
reports on new developments from a conference held in England. Two target stations with 40
measuring stations are planned. The two target stations will beat at a different rhytm
fast and short, which will considerably expand the bandwith of possible experiments. Short
pulses are used for material science for ceramics, metals and in geology. Using the short
together with the long pulses, it should be possible to develop a new style linear
accelerator. The decision on construction of the ESS will be taken by the European
Government at the end of 2003 at the latest in the beginning of 2004. This means that the
plant should be operational in 2010.
http://www.fz-juelich.de
WIRELESS CAMERAS BY ELSA
[TECH: Aachen, June 27]
Aachen-based ELSA AG demonstrated wireless camera use at a
sporting event in Aachen on June 27 using the WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) radio standard. The
camera has a range of 400 m; 50 m indoors. This allows a wireless communication with the
internet.
http://www.elsa.de/elsa/sponsoring/champion/index.htm
http://www.regioblick.de
LILLE CALL CENTER FOR CYCOS
[TECH: Aachen, June 25]
Together with its French partner Hoctoplus, Cycos is
setting up a multi-media call center in August for window shade and blinds producer
Filtrasol, a member of the Hunter Douglas Group in Lille France. The center will have
Unified Messaging (Fax, E-mail, Voicemail,SMS) + Computer telephony (CTI) for 50
workstations. Automatic Call Distribution will also be implemented for 20 call
center agents.
http://www.cycos.com
http://www.hoctoplus.fr
BIOTECHNOLOGY AT UNU/INTECH
[MED: Maastricht, June 22]
The United Nations University/Institute for
New Technologies (UNU/INTECH) will be hosting a presentation by Professor Paolo Saviotti,
Director of Research at SERD/INRA, Grenoble on 'Knowledge Dynamics and the Mergers of
Firms in the Pharmaceutical Industry' on Tuesday July 3, 2001. The lecture will deal with
the analysis of the knowledge base of firms, based on the study of their patents, and will
concentrate on the biotechnology in the pharmaceutical or agrochemical sectors. The
seminar starts at 15.00 hrs and will be held at UNU/INTECH, Keizer Karelplein 19,
Maastricht, Conference Room 1.
http://www.intech.unu.edu/events/index.htm
BIOTECH CENTER AT JUELICH
[MED: Juelich, June 15]
An informative meeting was held on June 27
in the hall of the Technology Center in Juelich on the construction of a biotechnology
center in Juelich in the Koeningskamp II business park. Building owners of the Center will
be the Promotion and Development Company of the Kreis Dueren.
http://www.presse-service.de
CAREERS IN AACHEN
[TECH: Aachen, June 15]
The Aachen Chamber and Cycos AG organize
panel discussions on 'Careers in Aachen'. Among the companies participating are the
exchange-quoted Aachen Muenchener Informatik, Aixtron AG,, arxes AG, Cycos AG, Elsa AG,
Parsytec AG and Utimaco Safeware AG, who are potential employers. They will pointing to
the advantages of Aachen which is increasingly seen as a global player in high-tech
business. This discussion is part of an ongoing series. As Bernd Steinbrecher of the
Aachen Chamber said, 'our objective is to demonstrate that Aachen is a preferred location
for major high-tech operations'.
http://ww.aachen.de
BEAM ME UP TCHANTCHES
[TECH: Liège, June]
The Liège Spatiopôle will be opened on July 5,
2001 by Walloon Minister of Economic Affairs, Serge Kubla. This is a new space science and
business center at the Sart Tilman Science Park close to the University of Liège. The
building complex, next to the existing Liège Space Center (CSL), will provide facilities
for promising new space technology developments in the region. In particular, they will be
a first base for SME spin-offs from the University and for Wallonia Space Logistics, which
provides start-up support. The complex includes a 1,200-m2 enterprise center and two
further 900-m2 buildings built by SPI+ with the assistance of the Walloon Region and EFRD
(the European Fund for Regional Development).
http://www.liegeonline.be
FOOD SAFETY FROM LIEGE
[TECH: Liège, June]
Quality Partner S.A. is an SME spin-off 'graduate' of the
distinguished School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège. Accredited in
1998 by Beltest, pursuant to the European EN45001 standard - a requirement for
organizations involved in the analysis of food products - the company specializes in food
and animal feed testing for both the public and private sectors. Stakeholders (EUR
185,644) in the company, in addition to private investors, include GESVAL S.A. and
SPINVENTURE S.A. In these days of BSE and other threats to the food chain, this company is
making a name for itself in agri-food quality analysis. It was also the first company to
produce a BSE test on time and to European specifications.A current hot issue is
meat traceability and the detection of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).
http://www.quality-partner.be/pres_uk.html
VIRTUAL MEDICAL RECORDS
[MED: Liège, June]
Euro 112 is a system for making medical records available
'any time, any place' by storing them in virtual space. It was developed by a Liège SME,
ACCES2WEB.COM S.A. Once you have a 'Life Badge' at the cost of EUR 12.00, it's valid for
life and it can be modified at any time by its owner, who retains total control over this
virtual medical record card. You can enter your records directly via the internet from
your own home, from your doctor's office or you can print out a blank record sheet and
take it to your doctor to complete.
http://www.acces2web.com/
LEISURE
THE END OF CIVILIZATION
[LEI: Eijsden, June 30]
Bernard Pivot's estimable TV program 'Bouillon
de Culture' covering books and the arts was shown for the last time today. It brings
to an end 28 years of unparalleled excellence in this branch of entertainment. The failure
of Maastricht's cable company to relay the France 2 network has meant that your
correspondent had to wait until the end of Saturday afternoon to view the whole program.
Pivot closed by answering questions that he himself had put to other participants in the
program's 407-edition run. The last question was to recount the conversation that would
take place when Pivot arrived at the Pearly Gates. Bernard Pivot switched into English, on
being welcomed by God in English and explained that he only spoke French; whereupon God
replied, 'Well, Mr Pivot we have an excellent teacher and all eternity for you to learn
in. Call Mr William Shakespeare', said God... There must be a moral in this
somewhere.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
OPERA AT THE PALACE
[LEI: Liège, June 29]
Verdi's Rigoletto will be put on in the courtyard of the
Episcopal Palace Place St.Lambert in Liège and will run from August 30 through
September 1. The project, the third opera production in the palace courtyard, is to be
organized by the IDEE-Fixe company and Gestion du Centre-Ville. Information and
reservation is available from IDEE-Fixe at 00.32.70222007 and Gestion du Centre-Volle
00.32.42222242. Performances start at 21.00 and last for 2 hours and 20 minutes.
http://www.proxiliege.net
LIEGE IN THE XIXth CENTURY
[LEI: Liège, June 29]
A major exhibition 'Vers la modernite. Le XIXe siecle au
Pays de Liège' will be held in Liège between October 5 of this year and
January 20, 2002. The exhibition is a joint project of the University and the City
of Liège which will revive one of the most prestigious periods in the history of
the city. From 1830 to 1900, Liège was considered the second economic power in the world.
The exhibition will be held at the Musee de l'Art wallon and la Salle Saint-Georges,
Feronstree 86 Liège.
http://www.proxiliege.net
FETES DE WALLONIE START IN VERVIERS
[LEI: Liège,
June 15]
The annual Fetes de Wallonie which run the
gamut from music to gastronomy starting on Friday August 24 will be extended to August 26,
especially to cover the annual meeting of the gastronomic confrerie of the Walloon country
and Brussels. This year the whole party begins in Verviers.
http://www.verviers.be
HAGGA BUEHLER'S SCULPTURES
[LEI: Thimister-Clermont, June 17]
The Clermont Gallery at Place de la Halle,
Thimister-Clermont is holding an exhibition of the sculptures of Hagga Buehler, often
referred to as poetry in wood and stone. The exhibition runs through July 8. Surf for the
website for further information
http://www.galerie-clermont.com/hagga.buehler
PLAY BASE VERVIERS
[LEI: Verviers, June 15]
In the Rue de Limbourg in Verviers an old warehouse, which
belonged to the Solvant Belge company, is to be changed into one of the fifth
largest children's play centers in Europe. Children up to the age of 12 will be able to
play and learn at the center which has 1,800 square meters space and opens in October. It
expects 120,000 visitors annually.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
18TH CENTURY INTERIORS
[LEI; Maastricht, June]
The Spaans Gouvernement Museum in Maastricht will be
holding an exhibition on the 18th century interior September 8 through February 3, 2002.
In addition to the 18th century interior in the broadest sense, the decors will be used
for cultural programs, including concerts, readings, plays and musical and literary
salons. There will also be a number of themes in the exhibition, including the Marriage
Feast, Christmas and the Restoration of Historic Interiors in cooperation with the
Restoration Atelier Limburg.
http://www.museumspaansgouvernement.nl
MAASTRICHT HARBOR OPENS
[LEI: Maastricht, June]
On Friday July 6 the Bassin, the inner harbor of
Maastricht, will be opened by the Dutch secretary of state for Economic Affairs, Mr Ybema.
This harbor is the first part of a major tourist project, known as Belvedere. Mr Landuyt,
the Flemish minister of Employment and Tourism will also announce the renovation of the
historic canal route through Flanders at the same time.
http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl
FASHION IN HASSELT
[LEI: Hasselt, June]
The Fashion Museum in Hasselt has produced an attractive
booklet, called 'Hasselt Modestad, Moderoute', which gives a route through the city that
takes the visitor to the jewelers, the milliners, the shoeshop, brings him or her
up-to-date with lingerie, stockings, handbags and a great deal more besides. The booklet
is available at the Fashion Museum.
http://www.trabel.com/hasselt-museums.htm
HASSELT MUSEUMS
[LEI: Hasselt, June]
The Hasselt museums also present a range of interesting
articles in their Newsletter, which deals with the recognition of the Gin Museum, a
place that habituees recognized a long time ago. It also lists concerts at the
Stellingwerff-Waerdenhof Stedelijk Museum and an exhibition of the works of Godfried
Guffens, Limburg's most important 19th century painter, to be held from October 13 through
December 30.
http://www.trabel.com/hasselt-museums.htm
'OSCAR' FOR ORW
[LEI: Liège,
June]
The Royal Walloon Opera (ORW)'s Singin'
in the Rain won the 15th annual Molière award for the best musical show in
Paris this year. After a long run at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin and in
Avignon, it attracted a total audience of 80,000. The Molière is a French media 'Oscar'.
ORW also recently presented its program for the 2001-2002 season - works from Mozart's Die
Entfuehrung aus dem Serail to Brundibar by Hans Krasa. The information is
available on the website.
http://www.orw.be
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