BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
SPA CASINO FOR SALE
[BIZ: Liège, November 18]
The Casino at Spa, 60 per cent owned by l'Europeenne des
Casinos and 40 per cent by the Verdonck Group, is to be sold to Belcasinos. The sale is
expected to take place in January 2001. The Casino attracts about 100 visitors daily,
largely from Germany.
http://www.europeenne-casinos.fr/spa.html
NEW DSM PLANT
[IND: Geleen, November 15]
Dutch chemicals giant, DSM is to build a
new melamine plant in Geleen at the cost of EUR 90m. Melamine is used in coatings and
adhesives. It is already produced by three existing plants in Geleen, Indonesia and the
US, where they produce 237,000 tons per annum. The new plant will produce 30,000 tons in
its first phase.
http://www.dsm.nl
OUTLET MALLS IN LIEGE
[BIZ: Liège, November 13]
Outlet malls, large-scale retail outlets
for factory stock, usually sold at discount prices, and designer outlet malls, which
provide designer goods on the same basis, are a hot issue in Meuse-Rhine at the present
time. Traditional retail trade is hostile to them for obvious reasons. Permission has been
granted to Ikea in Awans to develop something along these lines (approx. 20,000 m² on two
stories) close to their current site, even closer to the highway. Whether this will
develop beyond Ikea remains to be seen.
Source: Eric Renette
http://www.lesoir.be
ARTHUR ANDERSEN IN LIEGE
[BIZ: Liège, November]
For the second year in succession, Arthur Andersen held a
recruitment campaign at the Kinepolis in Roucourt near Liège. The company is continually
growing and they employ around 150 young people each year in Belgium and Luxemburg.
http:/www.arthurandersen.com
LOGISTICS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
VISITORS TO AVANTIS
[INFRA: Aachen, November 22]
A political delegation of Turkish economic specialists was
briefed in Aachen by Olaf Müller of the Business Promotion Department about cooperation
in the border region. They visited the Dutch/German Science and Business Park Avantis.The
visitors were invited by the Friedrich-Naumann Foundation and related to the planned
privatization of Turkish state businesses.
http://www.presse-service.de
FREE BUSES IN LIEGE
[LOG: Liège,
November 18]
As compensation for the recent bus strike, the board of
TEC, the transport company in Liège and Verviers,
has decided to offer free transport for Christmas to its clients. Free rides will be
available on December 22 from 18.00 hrs on and all day on Christmas eve. This applies to
all services in the Province of Liège.
http://www.lesoir.be
http://www.lameuse.be
1.2 M CARGO TONS IN 2020
[LOG: Liège, November 18]
Liège Airport, currently moving more than 200,000 tons of
air cargo annually, is expected to increase the tonnage to 800,000 tons by 2010 and 1.2
million tons in 2020. This is expected to produce 12,250 jobs, either directly or
indirectly. In order to handle the mammoth development, a plan is being developed by the
Walloon government to re-zone the area and produce 600+ hectares of space for various
categories of business activity. The logistics center will see the development of
multimodal facilities for air/ highway and air/ TGV cargo; Noise abatement will
receive attention in the area zoning; and the E40, E42 and
A602 highways will go to six lanes. All in all, the plan means big changes.
http://www.liegeairport.be
AVANTIS GOES LIVE
[INFRA: Heerlen, November 17]
Avantis, the European science and business
park, astride the border between Germany and the Netherlands, held its launch party on
November 17. Aachen's Mayor, Juergen Linden, praised the development as a step on the road
to a new Europe. Key players at Avantis are LIOF, with a 25 per cent stake in Syntrack,
and Libertel and Ericsson whose joint venture will develop a test, training,
development and emergency center for mobile telephony. This last is a mobile unit that
will be used in testing activities, but can also be used as a trouble-shooting mobile
exchange/base station, if any of Libertel's exchanges go off the air, as the result of a
disaster. LIOF and Netherlands Investment Bank's Centipede Building will be first at
Avantis. Construction has already started. The building will have 6,400 m² of gross
surface area. Syntrack will be renting 2,050 m².
http://www.avantis.org
MORE MECC PARKING
[INFRA: Maastricht, November 16]
The Maastricht Conference Center in
Maastricht, MECC, is building an additional parking garage of 800-900 cars that will be
accessible via a pedestrian bridge. Construction starts at the beginning of 2001.
http://www.mecc.nl
FREE WEB ACCESS IN LANAKEN
[INFRA: Lanaken, November 13]
Lanaken's town council is offering all those living in
Lanaken free access to the web in cooperation with the firms Anaxis and Planet Internet.
Everyone will be provided with a free CD-rom giving them 24 hour 7 days a week free
access. They will also be given a Lanaken e-mail address @lanaken.be. They will have to
pay their own telephone charges, but will also be given 20Mb of web space for their own
websites and access to a free telephone helpdesk. The offer is made in the context of the
refurbished town hall and the roll out of municipal digital services.
http://www.lanaken.com
HIGH STACKERS
[LOG: Herzogenrath, October]
Savoye Logistics N.E., subsidiary of the French company
Savoye Logistics, and a European provider of computerized warehouse management
technologies and software, has established an operation in Herzogenrath with the support
of AGIT, the Aachen region's institute for innovation and technology. They will be
providing German/Austrian and Benelux markets and later Scandinavian clients software and
hardware for logistics systems. Savoye Logistics is the third largest European provider of
automatic order preparation systems. The parent group Groupe Legris Industries employs
5,700 in 30 countries. Sales for 1999 were EUR 67m. Clients include Coca-Cola, Bayer and
Nikon. It also specializes in climate controled warehousing for the pharmaceutical and
cosmetic industries.
http://www.agit.de/Presse/presseinformation.php3?date=2000=10=1
GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION
SPANISH HONOR
[GOV: Aachen, November 24]
Aachen's mayor Dr Juergen Linden was awarded a high Spanish
honor by Jose-Pedro Sebastian de Erice at the Spanish Embassy last week. The ambassador
referred in his address to the mayor's contribution to closer German-Spanish relations and
his contribution to European unity and understanding. King Juan Carlos I, winner of the
Charlemagne prize in 1982, had also expressed a strong attachment for the city of Aachen,
he added.
http://www.press-service.de
BORDER-FRIENDLY LAWS
[GOV:Clingendael, November 23]
Limburg's Governor, Baron Van Voorst tot
Voorst repeated a plea for border-friendly legislation at a Clingendael seminar. National
legislation should be tested to take account of its consequences in border areas, he said.
There should be reciprocal recognition of legislation on either side of Euroregional
borders. This would involve a range of activities in the areas of construction, the
environment, planning, safety and healthcare. Such matters would not affect the proper
interests of the national states. Fields such as criminal law and defence would of course
be excluded, he concluded.
http://www.limburg.nl
CROSS-BORDER POLICING
[GOV: Duesseldorf, November 16]
North Rhine Westphalian (NRW) Minister for Home Affairs, Dr
Fritz Behrens, met his Dutch counterpart Klaas de Vries to take measures to improve border
region security. "We need more Dutch/German police stations", said Behrens. An
existing Dutch/German police station at Dinxperlo-Suderwick has been a success for
more than a year. Messrs de Vries and Behrens and Undersecretary Gijs de Vries signed the
joint Dutch/NRW declaration on cross border cooperation for 2000 in the context of the
increasing Europeanization. An annual meeting between the ministers has been recommended.
Additionally, a joint disaster prevention exercise is planned for Meuse/Rhine in Aachen
and Heerlen in the coming year. The Dutch and NRW governments will be providing financial
support. Joint police training has also been mooted elsewhere.
http:/www.nrw.de/aktuell/presse/pm2000/ken20001116_1.htm
REFERENDUM IN E. BELGIUM?
[GOV: Eupen, November 16]
The premier of the German-speaking
community in East Belgium, Karl-Heinz Lambertz proposed referendums on important local
issues. The topics envisaged include the recruitment of skilled foreign workers and the
re-organization of the educational system. The issue was raised on the German-speaking
Community's day, attended by Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt, Flemish premier Patrick
Dewael and the President of the Walloon parliament, Robert Collignon. Cologne governor
Juergen Roters, Limburg governor Baron Van Voorst tot Voorst and Governor Paul Bolland of
Liège were also present.
http://www.brf.be
EAST BELGIUM IN MEUSE-RHINE
[GOV: Eupen, November 3]
The Economic Development Agency for German-speaking East
Belgium, WFG Ostbelgien, is holding a conference on 'the Belgian German-speaking community
- Partner in the Euroregion' in the Quartum-Center in Eupen on November 29, 2000 from
14.30 - 17.30 hrs. Speakers include Mr Daniels of the Belgian province of Limburg,
Karl-Heinz Lambertz, premier of the German-speaking community, Volker Klinges, general
manager of the Eupen-Malmedy-Sankt Vith Chamber of Commerce, Axel Boursaux, general
manager of the Eupen Cable works, Oliver Raudszus and Marc Langohr of WFG.
http://www.wfg.be
BELGIAN HONOR
[GOV: Maastricht, November]
His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium has
appointed Mr A.F.Gehlen, resident in Heerlen, a retired legal historian, former
extraordinary professor in the legal history of the Limburg Territories at the University
of Maastricht, an Officer in the Order of Leopold II, for his services, in particular for
his great efforts in the field of legal history for Dutch and Belgian legal historians.
Source: Belgian Consulate
http://diplobel.fgov.be/Atlas/atlas_location.asp?Ing=NL&Location=MST
TINDEMANS AEBR V.P.
[GOV: Maastricht, November]
The Annual General Meeting of the
Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) elected Limburg provincial parliamentarian,
Jan Tindemans, Vice President of their association. AEBR represents the interests of the
81 border regions in Europe. The AGM was held in October in the Nestos-Mesta Euroregion on
the Greek-Bulgarian border, the only Euroregion which takes in a part of the Balkans. Mr
Tindemans represents the three Euroregions, of which Limburg is a member, on the board of
the AEBR. At the AGM he asked for special attention to be paid to: decision-making at
Euroregional level, an expertise center for border regions to be established in Maastricht
and Interreg III.
http://www.aebr-ageg.de
MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY
FORUM TELECOM TO MEET [TECH: Liège, November 20]
Forum Telecom, an association of companies in information
technology and telecommunications, whose activities parallel those of Regina in the Aachen
region, and Regitel in South Limburg, will be holding a meeting on December 14, 13.30
through 18.00 hrs at the Chateau de Colonster. Topics to be discussed will be : the
security of information in SMEs, permanent connection to the internet, personalizing of
security levels and online payment.
http://www.liegeonline.be
EUR 12.4 M FOR R&D IN LIEGE
[TECH: Liège, November 18]
Dyax, specializing in technology and products to accelerate
drug discovery and development, is to invest EUR 12.4m in a new R&D unit at Liège
University, Sart Tilman. The Liège operation will focus on phage display binding
technology which involves the rapid identification of proteins, peptides and human
antibodies for all applications, here primarily for new cancer treatments. The unit will
employ 45, twenty of whom will come from Target Quest, a Maastricht company acquired by
Dyax in 1999. Target Quest's Professor Henny Hoogenboom will occupy a Dyax Chair of
Biomolecular Evolution at Liège. Dyax chose Liège because of the local synergies in
biotechnology. Supported by the Walloon region, the University and Meusinvest, Dyax
will be housed in a refurbished Botanical Institute at a cost of around EUR
744,000. The company has achieved sales of around EUR 25m and doubled its value on
the Nasdaq in three months.
http://www.dyax.com
BITS & CHIPS
[TECH: Eindhoven, November 17]
Bits & Chips will host an embedded
communications, telecom & Java event in Gladbeck, Germany on December 7 and
Eindhoven, NL on December 28. Speakers will include Henning Reich of Siemens, Colin Turfus
of Symbian, Vincent Perrier of Wind River and many others. For details see:
http://www.bits-chips.nl/event
ON-LINE PAYMENT
[TECH: Vaals, November 16]
Ultradocs International BV, based in Heerlen, is one of the
first West European countries to focus on electronic billing and payment as its core
business, using proven technology for invoicing and payment via the internet, particularly
for large clients (telcos, banks, brokers, credit card organizations and government
depts). The company held a major European conference at Vaalsbroek November 15 - 16
and presented the state-of-the-art in the business. Keynote speaker was former FT telecoms
managing editor and OVUM consultant Keith Brody. IBM's content management system was also
presented. Papers can be seen at
http://www.ultradocs.com
51 MILLION MONTHLY HITS
[TECH: Heerlen, November 16]
Heerlen-based online game site, clanbase, attracts 51
million monthly hits and provides an environment for team war games played by 40,000
registered members. Though unconnected, 19 Antonov aircraft full of Sony PlayStation2's
are on their way to Maastricht-Aachen Airport. This, and the reputation of game software
as being highly innovative in a multimedia context, indicates an area that is clearly more
than mere play.
http://www.clanbase.nl
- TECH-ACTIVATED SPAGHETTI
- [Tech: Zolder, November 15]
Alfa-Zet Systems from Heusden-Zolder in
Belgian Limburg produces speech-activated cash register systems for restaurants, which
simultaneously send bills to the bar and orders to the kitchen. A mini-transmitter also
allows the waiter to communicate with the cash register at a distance. The system costs
just over EUR 3,700. Alfa-Zet was established four years ago with ten employees and has a
turnover of ca. EUR 1.5m.
http://www.alfa-zet.be
WALLOON ICT DATABASE
[TECH: Liège, November 11]
The Walloon telecommunications agency is going to establish
an on-line database for all businesses active in the ICT sector in Wallonia. Companies are
invited to register. SPI+, the Liège Economic Development Company, will be organizing a
meeting of the 16 members of its ICT group on Thursday December 14.
http://www.liegeonline.be/fr/soin/news.htm
REGITEL TO MEET
[TECH: Maastricht, November 10]
The Limburg ICT group, Regitel is meeting
on Tuesday November 28, 16.30 hrs. at Kasteelhoeve De Grote Hegge in Thorn. There will be
a presentation by Harrie Crijns, Syntrack's MD. He will discuss the Libertel, Ericsson and
LIOF joint venture at Avantis. There will also be a presentation by Professor Moerman of
the Erasmus University Rotterdam on 'Truth and Fiction in ICT'.
http://www.regitel.nl
BUDDING BIOTECH IN JUELICH
[TECH: Juelich, November]
Twelve years of technology development in Juelich is
producing interesting developments, one of which is the firm of Papaspyrou biotechnology
GmbH which specializes in the cultivation of human and animal cells, using fluidized bed
bioreactors. They are able to offer cheap and rapid contract production of monoclonal
antibodies and recombinant proteins for research and development of a high quality and
quantity value.
http://www.papaspyrou.de
ELECTRALIS 2001 LIEGE
[TECH: Liège, November]
A range of exhibitions focusing on electricity will be held
in Liège from March 10 through November 18, 2001. The exhibitions and sub-exhibitions
will cover a journey into the 21st century and include items such as fuel cell technology
and will also take a look at history in the city that gave the world the dynamo, thanks to
Zénobe Gramme. Curiously enough, it will take place in the ice-rink at the Palais des
Sports.
http://www.electralis.com
EVS BELGIAN TOP BIZ IN 2000
[TECH: Liège, November]
The Liège company, EVS Broadcast Equipment is the Belgian company
of the year 2000 in a competition organized by Ernst and Young, the newspaper l'Echo and
Fortis Bank. Six finalists were chosen from a group of 400 rapidly growing organizations.
EVS is one of the world's top suppliers of instant replay systems for broadcasters and the
undisputed leader in its core market of live slow motion. The company currently employs
150 in 12 locations throughout the world and its products are sold in more than 60
countries. Founded in 1994, it went public in 1998 and provided all the disk recorders for
the Sydney Olympic Games and Euro 2000.
http://www.be.evs-broadcast.com
MEDTECH TOPPER IN AACHEN
[MED: Aachen, October 25]
The Aachen Competence Center for Medical Technology AKM is
one of the eight winners selected from 80 projects by the German Ministry for Education
and Research. AKM has had its office at the Technology Center at the Europaplatz in Aachen
since October 1. General Manager is Dr Dieter Westphal, who will be coordinating
activities. One of its first activities will be the presentation at this year's MEDICA
fair in Dusseldorf.
http:/www.agit.de/Presse/presseinformation.php3?date=2000-10-2
MARIANNE FOR
EUROGENTEC
[MED: Liège, October]
Eurogentec was awarded the crystal Marianne prize of the
French Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Liège
and Luxembourg for its commercial collaboration with France. Eurogentec founded in 1985, a
spin off of the University of Liège, has focused on
the development, marketing and distribution of a wide range of products and services in
molecular biology and research, development and services for the biopharmaceutical
industry. Among its manufacturing capabilities are DNA synthesis capacity - real-time
polymerase chain reaction.
http://www.eurogentec.be
LEISURE
NATURAL HAZARDS
[LEI: Eijsden, November 27]
Following the depredations caused by a plague of invisible
killer hamsters on the German/Dutch border, a new natural menace has raised its head, or
opened its shell. A miniscule river mussel has occasioned restrictions to be imposed on
those enjoying Kayak facilities in parts of the Ardennes. This, combined with decrees to
the shooting fraternity on how to comport themselves (sitting, standing or on the run) in
the Ardennes' underbrush, reveal once more that nature has lost her innocence.
http://www.webcontentnow.com
MUSICAL FIREWORKS IN AACHEN
[LEI: Aachen, November 22]
As part of Aachen 2000, a concert is being held by the
Conservatory focusing on works relating to the city and its history. The concert will be
in the Aula, the great hall of the University, at Templergraben on Monday November 27 at
20.00 hrs. It will begin with Handel's Fireworks Music composed on the Peace of Aachen in
1748, which brought an end to the War of the Austrian Succession. The Flower Suite by
Theodor Bernhard Rehmann in Aachen between 1924 and 1963 is on the program and finally,
César Franck's Symphony in d-minor. Although César Franck is a Liège composer, his
parents were born in Aachen.
http://www.presse-service.de
MULTIMEDIA ART IN HASSELT
[LEI: Hasselt, November 21]
The Provincial Center for the Arts has opened a number of
exhibitions, one of which is Mondophrenetic, an interactive multimedia installation by
Herman Asselberghs, Els Opsomer and Rony Vissers. It can be seen in the Begijnhof in
Hasselt.
http:/www.hbvl/be
CORONATION FILLS THE TILLS
[LEI: Aachen, November 17]
Current figures on Aachen's Coronation Exhibition show
sales of ca.EUR 4.14m, ca.EUR 766,900 of which was tax revenue. "The exhibition
was a great success, both in an economic and cultural sense", said chamber president
Michael Wirtz, who is also president of the exhibition's board. Wirtz encouraged the
acquisition of similar exhibitions for Aachen in the future. Between June and October the
exhibition had attracted 150,000 visitors and produced EUR 3.7m. It certainly contributed
to the additional 20,000 overnight stays in Aachen hotels between June and October, which
in itself represented ca. EUR 409,000.
http:/www.ihk-aachen.de/Presse/pre00133.ht
POLISH WEEKS IN MAASTRICHT
[LEI: Maastricht, November 15]
A celebration of the Polish presence in
South Limburg is being held from November 15 through December 3. Thousands of Polish
miners came to South Limburg and the Euroregion in the late 19th/early 20th century and
there is still a major Polish community in the area. In the Rijksarchief in Maastricht,
there will be a joint exhibition on 'Restoration'. On November 26 the book For bread
and freedom - 100 years of Polish life in South Limburg was presented by Dr
F.Wojciechowski. There are exhibitions, which take in Polish literature and Poland as a
vacation destination. One of the most important of Poland's poets, Ewa Lipska, will also
be present at the Centre Ceramique in Maastricht on December 3.
http://www.centreceramique.nl
http://www.plonia.nl
SKIING IN LANDGRAAF
[LEI: Landgraaf, November 10]
The Landgraaf Skicenter, the Stadspark Gravenrode in
Landgraaf is to be transformed into a covered ski slope with real snow and extensive
facilities.
The Center will be transformed into one of the longest and
biggest indoor ski slopes in Europe. 'SnowWorld Landgraaf' will open October 1, 2001 and
expects to host 175,000 visitors annually.
http:/www.landgraaf.nl
AVANT-GARDE NEAR LIEGE
[LEI: Liège, November]
An exhibition of avant-gardes artistique activities will be
held at La Châtaigneraie, 19 chaussée de Ramioul, in Flémalle through December 23 from
l5.00 - 18.00 hrs, except for Mondays and holidays. A whole range of poets and painters
who filled exhibitions for 40 years will be represented: art, photographs and documents
perhaps not exhaustive, but certainly interesting. Among the painters represented are
Léopold Plomteux, Armand Silvestre, José Picon, José Delhaye, Nelly Sauvage, Joseph
Koenig and many others.
http://www.lesoir.be
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