BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
LOW REVENUES FOR MONDEO
[IND: Genk, November 5]
In recent weeks Ford has recruited 850 temporary staff for
the new Mondeo line. Another 400 have already been employed on short-term contracts,
making a total of 1250. If all goes well, Ford Genk hopes to produce 77,600 new Mondeos by
the end of 2000. However, automotive consultant Gary Beecroft claims that the Ford Mondeo
scarcely returned EUR 12.3m on a EUR 4.9bn investment from 1993 through 2000. Ford Genk
disputes the findings. An interesting aspect of the Mondeo is that three new models may be
produced on its platform: the Mondeo itself, the small X-type Jaguar and the successor to
the Galaxy. Together these would add up to 400,000 units annually. These upmarket brands
are grouped together in the Premier Auto Group, headed by Wolfgang Reitzle, who was
responsible for product development at BMW 1983 through 1998.
http://www.just-auto.com
http://www.hbvl.be
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING
[BIZ: Maastricht, November]
Andrei Poskakukhin, director of the Russian press bureau
Ria Novosti, was in Maastricht recently visiting companies that do business with Russia.
Russian journalists are keen to visit Meuse-Rhine in early 2001. A delegation of
representatives of the most important media in Russia are planning a trip to Maastricht
and the Aachen region to report on business. Media included are Izvestiya, Rossiyskaya,
Moskovskaya Pravda and various other press bureaus. KLM will be sponsoring their tickets
and they are looking for Limburg companies to sponsor the rest of the trip.
http://www.kamerkrant.com
THE MECC EXPANDS
[BIZ: Maastricht, October 31]
Mayor Philip Houben opened the MECC's new west hall, on
October 31 on the occasion of the Business Contact Days Fair. The hall has a capacity of
7,000m² and is flexible, offering floor space areas varying from 2,500m² to 30,000m².
In money terms too, the MECC is doing well. Expenditure by visitors and exhibitors at the
MECC in 1999 was ca. EUR 45.4m. In world rankings Maastricht was 42nd in 1998
and now it is 27th, above a city like Munich for example. In the Netherlands it
is second to Amsterdam. Turnover generated by the MECC in 1994 was EUR 56.8m, in 1999 EUR
75.9m. In 1994, the complex employed 525 and in 1999 700. The number of visitors rose from
540,000 to 660,000 for the same period.
http://www.mecc.nl
STARTER SHOP WINDOW
[BIZ: Maastricht, October 31]
One part of the Business Contact Fair, recently held at the
MECC in Maastricht, was the associated Internet fair, where LIOF also offered space to
starter companies. They included 'Not The Fly', which has been selected as the only
company in the Netherlands to participate in the SIMagine 2001 SIM card programming
competition. Selection took place at the smartcard fair at "salon des cartes" in
Paris, October 24 through 26. SIMagine 2001 was organized by BULL and relates to the GSM
smartcard (SIM) applications.
http://www.smartcard.bull.com/sct/uk/simagine/page/c_simagine_2001.html
http://www.notthefly.com
http://www.liof.nl
E-PURCHASING FOR AACHEN
[BIZ: Aachen, October 26]
The City of Aachen's purchasing volumes have reached EUR
122m annually. The city believes that it can save 1%, or EUR 1.22m, by doing its
purchasing on line. A congress was held in October to introduce city authorities in the
region to the concept of on line purchasing; all the way from stationery through to a fire
engine.
http://www.aachen.de
ON-LINE CHAMBER NEWS
[BIZ: Maastricht, October]
The South Limburg Chamber of Commerce newspaper is also
available on the web at the link recorded below and is starting to list web sites in South
Limburg and their associated business activities. Businesses can have their own links on
the site and the editorial staff has a news section which is updated regularly.
http://www.kamerkrant.com
3 MARQUES FOR
NEDCAR
[IND: Born, October]
With the purchase of Volvo by Ford, the Volvo S40/V40 will
disappear from the Nedcar factory in Born, South Limburg. Volvo's share in Nedcar has been
sold to Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler has a strategic stake in this company. This means
that DaimlerChrysler will be building its new four-seater Smart car at Nedcar. This will
require new technology for the polymer-based Smart chassis and it looks as if Nedcar will
be the only plant worldwide to produce three different marques on its production line: the
Mitsubishi Carisma, the Hyundai Compact car and the Smart, the latter two may share the
same platform. Coincidentally, DaimlerChrysler's new fuel-cell-powered vehicle is to be
called Necar.
http://www.nedcar.nl
LOGISTICS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
BERLIN AND BACK 4x DAILY
[LOG: Maastricht, November 8]
KLM Exel will be flying four times daily, on weekdays, from
Maastricht-Aachen airport to Berlin Tempelhof, a separate schedule will be used at the
weekends. The aircraft used will be a 49-seater Embraer 145 regional jet, which takes 65
minutes for the trip. Fares through the February 28, 2001 will include a special weekend
tarif of EUR 114, exclusive of airport tax. KLM Exel is expecting to get a 4% market share
of the total passenger volume, which would be 60,000 passengers in the first year. This is
the third new route for KLM Exel in seven months, following Munich and Milan.
http://www.klm-exel.nl
THE IRON RHINE AGAIN
[LOG: Roermond, October 31]
The Iron Rhine, a rail connection between the port of
Antwerp and the Rhine-Ruhr area, which would cut through Limburg, is currently a hotly
debated issue. A proposal was made recently by the German cities of Krefeld,
Moenchengladbach, Nettetal and Viersen and the Dutch city of Venlo, to avoid the Dutch
national park 'de Meinweg', near Roermond. The proposal is to follow the A67
Eindhoven-Venlo highway and to continue the link on the German side, parallel to the A40
through to Duisburg. The advantages of this new proposal would be the combination of rail
and highway modes, currently popular in France and Germany.
http://www.presse-service.de
BY BUS AND TRAIN
[LOG: Aachen, October 30]
The mayors of five Euroregional partner cities, Aachen,
Hasselt, Heerlen, Liège and Maastricht, welcomed plans for an integrated bus and train
timetable for the Euroregion, to be developed by Dutch and Belgian railways. However, they
regretted the delay in implementing this welcome proposal. This delay was caused by
problems relating to fares. The proposal currently only covers the Dutch-German
trajectory.
http://www.presse.de
LONGER RUNWAY IN LIÈGE
[LOG: Liège, October 27]
The Walloon minister responsible for airports is not
expecting an increase in the noise problem with the proposed extension to the runway at
Liège airport. He regards the environmental impact of the extension to the runway as weak
and said if there were need for a correction, allowances would be made. According to Èric
Renette in Le Soir, this suggests that the 400 meters of extra runway will be used
exclusively for the take-off of intercontinental flights carrying a maximum payload of
cargo and fuel. The implication is an increase in noise, which is already causing problems
in the area.
http://www.lesoir.be
WINTER SPORTS FLIGHTS
[LOG: Maastricht, October 25]
Austrian airline, Welcome Air, is to fly winter sport
vacationers to Innsbruck and Graz from Maastricht. The Dornier 328 twin-engine, turbo-prop
aircraft will carry 31 passengers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, December 19, 2000 through
March 23, 2001. Flights will arrive in Maastricht at 10.40hrs and depart for Austria at
16.45hrs. Time of arrival in Innsbruck will be 18.10hrs and Graz 19.35hrs.
http://www.welcomeair.com
GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION
AACHEN GETS A MEDAL
[GOV: Aachen, November 7]
The Europa Union Deutschland has awarded Aachen the cross
of honor of the land of North-Rhine-Westphalia, on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary of its membership of the Europa Union. On the award certificate, the great
efforts made by Aachen to develop its European role were mentioned. Mayor, Dr Juergen
Linden, received the medal at the city hall from Dr Heinrich Hoffschulte.
http://www.aachen.de
CITIES ON THE DRAWING BOARD
[GOV: Maastricht, November 3]
Plans were presented at Government House, Maastricht, of a
long-term view through to the year 2030 for three urban areas in Limburg: Venlo, Roermond
and Parkstad. The basic idea was to turn Venlo into a logistical mainport, to relate
Roermond to its riverside environment and to develop the network function of Parkstad. The
proposals were drawn up by Professors Christian Kieckens, Pieter Bongaerts, Bernd Borghoff
and their staff and students, with the cooperation of educational institutions in Germany,
Belgium and the Netherlands. The volume was edited by Jan Houwen and Karel Farber;
summaries in English, French and German by InterPunct Maastricht.
http://www.limburg.nl
WORK IN MEUSE-RHINE
[EDU: Aachen, October 30]
The ALMA universities of Aachen, Liège and Maastricht are
getting together to discuss 'the future of work in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion'. The talks
are in English, the next one will be December 12 at 18.00hrs in room Fo3 of the Kármán
Auditorium at the Aachen university. The topic will be 'from Euroregion to E-region' and
on January 23 at 18.00hrs at the AGIT Technology Center on the Europaplatz, where the
topic will be 'E-business opportunities and methodology for SME's'. Information is
available from Ilke Jackel on 0049 241 804803.
http://www.iaw.rwth-aachen.de/
MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY
LIFE SCIENCE POTENTIAL
[MED: Aachen, November 9]
The Euroregional Working Group on Technology Transfer
(EWGTT) held a one-day seminar entitled 'Life sciences in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion - the
potential of a region'. The event was held at the Juelich Technology Center and provided
an opportunity to discuss recent developments in the region. Key speakers were Professor
Horst Domdey from BioRegio, Munich - Martinesried and Dr Leonard Bull from North Carolina
State University. The state of the art survey focused on genomics and bioinformatics,
cancer research and biomaterials. There was also a focus on business with special
reference to starters and SME's.
http://www.zhv.rwth-aachen.de
ORACLE-ANAXIS ROAD-SHOW
[TECH: Hasselt, November 5]
Hasselt IT corporation Anaxis, developer of virtual office
facilitator EYES E-tools for SMEs and local government, is to work with Oracle. This move
is on target for Oracle's new SME strategy. The two companies will be holding a road-show
in Hasselt, November 16.
http://www.anaxis.be
TWO TO TANGO IN SPACE
[TECH: Liège, November 4]
The Liège Space Center (CSL) will be cooperating with the
Argentinian Space Authority, CONAE, on a new SAOCOM satellite. The Argentinian space
program has a EUR 5.7bn budget for the period 1995 through 2006. The contract is worth EUR
1.98m. CSL will be developing software to interpret the information gathered by the
satellite. SAOCOM is a low-powered radar satellite, which monitors natural disasters,
among other things.
http://www.ulg.ac.be/cslulg/
http://www.conae.gov.ar
TRANSPLANTATIONAL IMMUNOGENETICS
[MED: Maastricht, November 3]
The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Maastricht has
established an extraordinary professorship in the immunogenetics of transplantation. The
focus will be on the blood groups important for transplantation because of their role in
rejecting transplanted organs. Dr Ella van den Berg-Loonen, head of the department of
tissue typing at the Maastricht University hospital (AZM) is to be the new professor.
http://www.pers.unimaas.nl
INTERPORT IN IT TOP 50
[TECH: Maastricht, October 30]
Interport Information Technology in Echt has been nominated
as one of the top 50 among the Dutch technology companies for its mission to improve the
business returns with the assistance of innovative web technology. The list of top Dutch
ICT companies is produced by Quote and Deloitte and Touche each year. Criteria are that
the company should develop its own technology which makes a real contribution to the
business result or it should make a technology-related product or do research and
development in ICT.
http://www.interport.nl
SYNTRACK BACKS AVANTIS
[TECH: Heerlen, October 28]
Syntrack, a joint venture by Libertel and Eriksson, will be
moving into the Centipede building on the cross-border business park, Avantis, located on
the border between Heerlen and Aachen. Syntrack will be setting up a test and training
center at Avantis and providing emergency facilities for Libertel, should they be
required. Construction starts at Avantis with a ceremony November 17.
http://www.internetnews.com/intl-news/article/0,,6_132851,00.htm
http://www.avantis.org
GREENHOUSE GAS ATTACK
[TECH: Juelich, October 26]
Juelich scientist, Dr Andreas Hofzumahaus and British
professor Dr Gus Hancock, have received this year's prize for technology research from
ITALGAS energy in Turin, Italy. The prize, worth EUR 81,600, was awarded for their
discovery that more greenhouse gases can be dispersed naturally than had hitherto been
thought. Greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere and cause global warming.
However, nature is not entirely defenceless. A highly reactive compond of oxygen and
hydrogen, the hydroxyl radical, can break these greenhouse gases down. Thirty to forty
percent more hydroxyl radicals are developed in the summer, as a result of the production
of ozone and ozone breakdown produces the hydroxyl particles which attack the greenhouse
gases.
http://www.fz-juelich.de
LEISURE
DON PASQUALE IN MAASTRICHT
[LEI: Maastricht, November 9]
The premiere of Donizetti's opera, Don Pasquale, will be
held on Saturday November 18 at 20.15hrs at the Theater aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht.
The opera is a production of Opera Zuid and the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, under its
conductor Junichi Hirokami, will be providing the accompaniment. The director is Dalia
Ibelhauptaite. In the title role is Henk Smit, who also played Scarpia in Tosca with Opera
Zuid. An evening of Belcanto and humor marks the start of Opera Zuid's new season.
http://www.operazuid.nl
TOUR DE FRANCE IN LIÈGE
[LEI: Liège, November 7]
Plans for the 2001 Tour de France were unveiled in October.
This 88th edition of the great race will run from Saturday July 7 through
Sunday 29, starting in Dunkirk and ending on the Champs-Elysées. The third stage, on July
10, is from Antwerp to Seraing, near Liège, and will take in Mont Theux, les Forges and
Sart-Tilman. The final of the stage is in the streets of Seraing, once the summer home of
the prince bishops of Liège. The tour then continues from Huy to Verdun (210 km) through
the Belgian and French Ardennes.
http://www.letour.fr
ARCHITECTURE WEEK IN LIÈGE
[LEI: Liège, November 7]
A Euroregional architecture week will be held at the Halles
aux Viandes in Liège, November 27 through December 3, 13.00 to 17.00hrs. This
architecture week takes a look at projects developed by students of architecture in
Meuse-Rhine. There will be a Euroregional architecture prize, to be awarded on December 1.
The show will take a look at the architecture of the cities of Aachen, Hasselt, Liège and
Maastricht.
http://www.eap-pea.org
NATHAN THE WISE IN AACHEN
[LEI: Aachen, November 5]
'Nathan the Wise', by the 18th century German
dramatist Lessing, started at the Grenzland Theater in Aachen on November 5 and will run
until December 3. The run will then be continued in the Aachen region through December 14.
This famous work deals with shared humanity and makes a noble plea for tolerance among
people of different religious beliefs. Tickets can be ordered by phone on 00 49 241
4746111.
http://www.grenzecho.be
SINGSONG IN AACHEN
[LEI: Aachen, November 5]
The traditional French-language Café Chantant, a
forerunner of the karaoke craze and not to be compared with a singsong in a British pub,
has arrived in Aachen. On November 15, 22 and 29, there will be a Café Chantant in the
Café Egmont, Pontstrasse 1 to the accompaniment of a piano and double bass, visitors will
be able to sing their hearts out until midnight.
http://www.grenzecho.be
BELGIAN JAZZ IN HEERLEN
[LEI: Heerlen, November 3]
The "Carnaval du Jazz" jazz club, at Massimos,
will be hosting Hilde Vanhove on Monday November 13. This jazz club is a new venture by
Marc Bosch of Limburg Wide Web Award Fame. Hilde Vanhove completed her jazz vocal studies
at the Maastricht conservatory in 1997 and she works with a range of jazz bands, ranging
from duets to big bands. She works in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy.
You can reserve tickets for this concert at http://www.carnavaldujazz.com or by phone on 0455714121.
ASTERIX COMES TO TONGEREN
[LEI: Tongeren, November 1]
A major exhibition about the comic strip character Asterix,
called 'Asterix in Europa', will be held February through August 2001 at the Provincial
Gallo-Romeins Museum in Tongeren. The museum itself is worth a visit.
http://www.limburg.be/galloromeinsmuseum/asterixeneuropaframe.htm
JIM'S BACK IN MAASTRICHT
[LEI: Maastricht, November]
Jumping Indoor Maastricht (JIM), the annual show jumping
and dressage event held at the MECC, will be back again November 24 through 26. It will
feature a goodbye to the great Olympic champion dressage horse, Bonfire. He has reached
the age of 17 and is going into retirement. Bonfire will make his entrance on November 26
during the Essent dressage matinee on the Sunday morning. The Grand Prix will be on Sunday
afternoon, with an Audi automobile as the major prize. The MECC stands have also been
improved for the occasion.
http://www.bcm.nl/events/jumpingindoormaastricht
MAASTRICHT 1500
[LEI: Maastricht, November]
Maastricht is one of the many European cities to celebrate
the 500th anniversary of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, who ruled from
Brussels. The Maastricht Spaans Gouvernement museum and the Bonnefanten museum are
organizing an event called Maastricht 1500. It focuses on the city between the Middle Ages
and modern times and includes drama, lectures, courses, walks, etc. The Charles V
exhibition at the Spaans Gouvernement runs from November 18 through February 11.
http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl
WALKING AROUND LIÈGE
[LEI: Liège, November]
The tourist office in Liège organizes excellent guided
walks around the city on the first Sunday of the month, from November through March. Time
of departure at the tourist office on Féronstrée 92 is 14.00hrs. The walks last for two
hours and are provided with a commentary in Dutch. They cost EUR 4.5, EUR 3.5 for
pensioners and EUR 2 for students and children. Reservation is necessary, phone
003242219221 or fax 003242219222. Sunday November 13 takes you to the historic heart of
the old city; and December 16 behind the scenes at the opera. This latter walk takes an
extra half-hour.
http://www.liege.be
ANDRÉ RIEU AT HOME
[LEI: Maastricht, November]
André Rieu will be giving a benefit concert at the MECC in
Maastricht on Friday, November 10 and Saturday 11. The proceeds of this benefit will go to
the Toon Hermans Trust drop-in houses. These are designed for cancer sufferers and those
close to them, giving them a place where they can drop in for psychological support. The
concerts by André Rieu are the premier of his new world tour "La vie est
belle", they are also part of the MECC's new expansion program.
http://www.theater.nl
http://www.andrerieu.com
http://www.mecc.nl
EUPEN'S NAUGHTY NINETIES
[LEI: Eupen, November]
The long-awaited retrospective exhibition of the 'enfant
terrible' of Belgian art is on at IKOB, the international arts center in Eupen at In den
Loten 3, from November 19 through January 21, 2001. In honor of the opening on November 19
at 15.00hrs, Charlier is presenting a tableau vivant called 'Novissima verba', which will
recall the well known painting 'Pornocrates or the lady with the pig', by Félicien Rops,
1878.
http://www.exporevue.com/magazine/fr/interview_charlier.html
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