F R A N C E I N M A L T A

Bonj(o)u(r) 1

Bonj(o)u(r)

The first weeks are the most crucial ones for a diplomat posted in a country. It is during this period that our ideas on the country based on research and exchange of ideas are confronted with the realities on the ground. I have always relished this intense period of introductions and interactions in all my previous postings.

In Malta, I must say that it is unique. Since my arrival here in February, I have this feeling of familiarity blended with singularity. From my presentation of credentials to President George

Abela, my meeting with Prime minister Lawrence Gonzi, Deputy Prime minister Tonio Borg, other minsters, mayors, artists, etc. I retain the same impression : an island-nation with a distinct identity based on its unique history but intimately similar at times to Mediterranean nations such as France.

Between Malta and France, we have more in common than our shared destinies thorough the EU, the Euro and the Shenghen area. We have a common history since Malta was part of the Anjou possessions, the arrival of Villiers d’Isle-Adam, the commerce with the Mediterranean or the eventful six days of Napoleon Bonaparte. We also share the same vision for the Mediterranean rim especially when it comes to the importance of democracy and rule of law, the reason why we see eye to eye on

events in Syria. On the international scene, our nations firmly believe that an increase of multilateralism is an inevitable and welcome feature of our times that opens up new fields of action for diplomacy.

The Rio+20 conference to be held next week is an example of this shared vision where France will seek to garner support for the creation of a UN agency for the environment that will be responsible for coordinating all of the environmental conventions that currently coexist in order to strengthen and stabilize international environmental law. We need to make progress as we owe our children a safer and cleaner planet.

Michel Vandepoorter

French Ambassador to Malta

The glocal news magazine on France

FranceNew President sworn in at the Elysée Palace Page 2

Art Great exhibition at the Musée d’OrsayPage 3

Special eventFrance bestows highest civilan honour on ex-UN Assistant Secretary GeneralPage 5

In-depthTARA Oceans, a scientific adventure to save the planet’s oceansPage 8

June 2012

CalendarA quick look at the Maltese-French calendar

Page 10

France and MaltaCultural and personal links that have built strong bonds across the ages. Page 4

N A T I O N

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François Hollande Elected President of the Republic

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A R T

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Degas and the Nude This is the first major exhibition to be devoted to Edgar Degas (1834-1917) in P a r i s s i n c e t h e 1 9 8 8 retrospective at the Grand Palais. Degas and the nude t ies in with the Musée d ' O r s a y ' s a m b i t i o n t o publicise the latest teachings on the great masters of the late nineteenth century, and fol lows the institution's homage to Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Edouard Manet (1832-1883).

This exhibition explores the evolution of Degas in the p r a c t i c e o f t h e n u d e throughout the artist's long career, from an academic approach and the history of its beginnings to the point at which the body shifts into modernity.

O c c u p y i n g w i t h h i s dance rs and ho rses a prominent position in the work of the artist, the nude is presented in al l of the techniques practiced by the artist, painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and especially pastel, in which he would achieve his highest degree of perfection.

Take this opportunity to see in one place a selection of some of the very best works of this much-loved artist, works which have been lent by some of the greatest museums all around the world.

For more information, please visit: www.musee-orsay.fr

All images protected by copyright of respective owners

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/http://www.musee-orsay.fr/

M A L T A & F R A N C E

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During the period of the Order of the Knights of St John in Malta, France was a single nation. However, there were three-French speaking communities grouped under three different Langues: Auvergne, France and Provence.

When the Knights settled in Birgu and made it their capital city, the auberges were built along or close to the main street called Strada della Castiglia (now Hilda Tabone Street).

The Auberge de France with its ornate façade by Bartolomeo Genga has a Renaissance-style ceiling and a very sophisticated staircase.

The first structural adaptations to the Auberge de France are attributed to Nicolo Flavari, the

architect accompanying the Order in Malta.

On the front door of the Auberge de France, the fleur de lys, the of original emblem depicting the French royalty that sent its sons to serve the Order can still be seen.

After the Knights left Birgu for Valletta in 1571, the French Langue built a larger auberge. Soon the Auberge in Birgu became a private property, then used as a communal school in the first years of the British period and finally declared a state property. During the Second World War, the Auberge de France in Valletta was destroyed.

The remarkably restored Auberge de France in Birgu now houses the Birgu local Council and hosts now and then art exhibitions.

French ConnectionA quick look at a part of the French history in Malta, the Auberge de France in Birgu

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E M B A S S Y N E W S

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Michael Zammit Cutajar received on Tuesday 5th of June, the highest decoration in France, for his international engagement on climate change. Malta’s former Ambassador for Climate Change was made a Knight of the Légion d’honneur by Ambassador Michel Vandepoorter, at his residence in !ebbu", where about 130 people attended the ceremony.

The French Ambassador reminded in his speech that “The Government of Malta, the EU Commission, the World Bank, have all benefitted from his advice and recommendation to address climate change”. Indeed, Mr. Zammit Cutajar devoted most of his career to work in and around the United Nations on international cooperation for development and environment. In 1991, he set up the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and headed it until his retirement in 2002, holding the rank of Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations.

“It is for this resolved engagement, for your tenacity and the talent with which you helped the difficult cause of the climatic change to progress on the international scene, that the President of the French Republic has decided to confer on you the distinction of Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur”, Mr Vandepoorter added at the end of his speech.

The Légion d’honneur ceremony coincided with the 40th anniversary of the UN Conference on the Human Environment that opened on June 5, 1972, in Stockholm, which Mr. Zammit Cutajar had attended. This day is now celebrated as World Environment Day, as the French Ambassador said, adding that it was hence very fitting that this day was the day Mr Zammit Cutajar becomes a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur. The ceremony was graced by the presence of President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami, who holds the rank of Commander in the Légion d’honneur and ministers George Pullicino and Mario de Marco. It was extensively covered in English-language and Maltese-language newspapers.

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H:5#))#,0"'-&*%0:&)'+(&'E#*+&)&C!"&$%('R(#:5&"'01'R0::&"%&The newly-elected bureau of the Maltese-French Chamber of Commerce, headed by former Ambassador to France

Mark Miggiani, paid a visit to Ambassador Michel Vandepoorter soon after he presented his credentials. The meeting focussed on innovative ways to improve commercial links between the two countries. The Ambassador congratulated the members of the bureau on their election and assured them of his full support to intensify economic ties across the Mediterranean. France is Malta’s fourth important trade partner and a sizeable number of French companies have invested in Malta over the years especially in the field of electronic components, shipping, financial services and tourism.

© French Embassy

© French Embassy

S P O R T S A N D L E I S U R E

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Paris Ranked Best Student city in the World

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T E C H , S C I E N C E & E N V I R O N M E N T

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Broad Array of French Companies Push for Global ReachIn the face of high global demand, French companies are expanding operations overseas in sectors such as agribusiness, aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, and information technology. French firms today are experiencing heightened success by providing technology and expertise within global markets that offer them immense room for growth. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), France’s net outflow of foreign direct investment totaled over €75 billion in 2010.

A recent survey has shown that a large majority of French business executives rate international development as a key strategic priority for growth. French innovation abroad is especially developing in the environment, energy, and information and communications technology (ICT) fields. The increasing global presence of French enterprises can be felt in a diverse range of industries, from financial services and transportation to gastronomy and construction.While major French groups like Électricité de France (EDF) and Total help to meet the world’s energy needs while others like Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) satiate global demand for luxury goods, companies like Orange continue to lead in global telecommunications.French businesses have embraced the potential to increase competitiveness through international expansion. Thierry Courtaigne, Vice President and Director General of MEDEF International, a firm that represents the interests of top French businesses and corporations worldwide, said, “Globalization is a reality and French companies have to place their investments in buoyant markets.”

French Eco-Bus inesses Growing , In -Country and AbroadIn the past decade, French “eco-industries,” or environmentally-friendly sectors, have become a force to be reckoned with in the French economy. Protecting the environment has surfaced as a key issue in France, and the French government has encouraged the emergence of “green” industries by promoting their visibility and strength in the export sector. The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) ranks France as the fourth-largest eco-industry market worldwide. French eco-businesses now employ approximately 300,000 people in France and are projected to add 10,000 to 15,000 jobs annually in coming years.On an average, French eco-industries spend 3% of their revenue on research and development. The French government has also allocated a total of 6 billion euros for the development of green industries. In response, French companies have shown a significant amount of green initiative that has increased their competitive advantage globally. Research has focused primarily in the fields of biofuels, sources of alternative energy, water and waste management, and energy storage. Innovations include gas treatment plants for incineration and a technique to bind gas molecules to solids to clean post-industrial emissions.

France has also taken its green-technology expertise abroad. In the Chinese city of Wuhan, many of the 80 French companies that have invested in the area have adopted green technologies. In Shanghai, where China is looking to mitigate the effects of heavy industry, French companies have introduced efficient and eco-friendly manufacturing techniques to the highly industrial area.

France, UK Partner in C i v i l i a n N u c l e a r Development

France has partnered with Great Britain to bolster each countries’ civilian nuclear industry—while at the same time creating jobs at home and abroad. Following a meeting between two countries in February, the leaders unveiled an ambitious bilateral project that will strengthen the Franco-British energy partnership.

The nuclear branch of France’s main electricity firm, EDF Energy, will be developing plans to build four European pressurised reactors (EPRs) in the UK, organised in pairs at the country’s Sizewell and Hinkley Point sites.

The plans enhance each nation’s already-strong reputation as a nuclear leader. Together, they possess 76 reactors and operate cutting-edge facilities covering the whole fuel cycle, a status unique among European civilian nuclear powers.

To support the new plans, EDF Energy projects hiring 6,000 employees in the next four years. Once in full swing, the four EPR sites between Hinkley Point and Sizewell will require 20,000 workers between on- and off-site staff.

By comparison, the United States provided 19.6 percent of its domestic energy needs via nuclear production in 2010, according to the Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI).

The deal comes as the fruition of an initial cooperation agreement signed between Areva and Rolls-Royce, which are leading French and British manufacturers in the energy sector, in March 2011.

The business district of La Défense just outside Paris

© AREVA

I N D E P T H

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TA R A O c e a n s : M a r i n e Research for the Planet’s Good What brings together marine biologists, the head of the United Nations, and a major fashion mogul? The answer is TARA Oceans, a French research ship that has been traversing 70,000 miles of the world’s oceans for two and a half years as it studies marine life, ecosystems, environmental change—and the delicate balance between the two.

The ship, a 118-foot schooner equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and research technology, that came to Malta in 2009 was in New York City this Spring to promote its cause at the United Nations and elsewhere. An affiliate of the UN’s Programme for the Environment, the TARA Oceans project combines a network of seven laboratories and the partnership of several American researchers in their efforts to make new discoveries about the world’s ocean life, and raise awareness of issues affecting the world’s greatest bodies of water.

!*/1$"&+./*(2(3$4"&564*6'$*2#"&)./7'$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$The objective of the TARA Oceans expedition is to “identify the effects of global warming on planktonic and coral reef systems, and the consequences on food webs and marine life,” according to an official document from the group’s website. TARA’s researchers have focused their research on plankton for the singularly important role this kind of organism plays. These tiny organisms, the scientists say, supply roughly half of the world’s oxygen supply. This means that variations in the amount of plankton living in the world’s oceans could fundamentally impact how much oxygen is available to living things worldwide—including humans—and could impose sweeping changes on a planet in climate flux, which could affect everything from endangered species to global air quality.

89:;",/6$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Not least among TARA Oceans’ multiple goals is outreach to people unaware of the issues the ship’s team seeks is researching. During its port call in New York City, UNSG Ban-Ki Moon, came aboard to visit the team. The crew took Mr. Moon on a tour of the

Manhattan coast while various specialists gave a tour of the ship’s “dry lab” for field research as well as the boat’s living space, which is specially outfitted for travel through polar climates. Mr. Moon said he was “very moved” by his visit, and stressed his personal commitment to ocean issues and to the related initiatives undertaken by UN

agencies. A different but equally enthusiastic visitor also came to see TARA at port. The businesswoman Agnès b., from whom the global fashion brand gets its name (and fashionable spelling), attended the ceremonies at the UN and aboard the TARA, and wished the research team her very best.!

S P O R T S & L E I S U R E

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The Parc André-Citroën, situated on the banks of the River Seine in Paris, will be marking its 20th birthday with the unveiling of an ambitious remodeling and expansion effort to be completed by the summer of 2013. The park, a stone’s throw away from the Eiffel Tower, is a contemporary landscape with postmodern art and architecture combining geometric design with aquatic elements.The 3.9 million euro plan to rejuvenate the park involves increasing recreational capacity and turning the park into a more family-friendly space. The west side of the park is specifically dedicated to picnics and a playground equipped with swings and table tennis facilities will be installed for children. The number of benches and chess tables will also increase, and food stalls will be added. Roughly three-quarters of the expanded space will feature plant life, with various sections of the park incorporating different varieties of

plants. Throughout the park certain gardens are dedicated to styles of landscaping, such as the six Serial Gardens that consist of one colour combined with a related metal, planet, week, and water feature. The renewal efforts will inject new energy into an already bustling tourism zone. A favourite spot of locals and Eiffel Tower visitors alike, the park, situated where the original Citroën car factory once stood, features a hot-air balloon station, which takes sightseers some 500 feet above the Parisian skyline. From there visitors can take in a panoramic view of the entire city, including some of its best-known landmarks such as Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame.

Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus often come to mind when thinking of famous modern French authors. FranceLivre, a new online portal published in April by France’s National Centre for Books, is looking to expand your French-lit vocabulary with their new online portal that brings the country’s best contemporary literature to the mostly anglophone internet. The new web location acts to promote new French literature, as well as figures from all sides of related industries. It is divided into five categories according to profession: publisher, author, translator, bookseller and librarian. Each section offers a gold mine of information on professional services, partner institutions and groups that, with the site as a shared resource, can work together to keep France’s book world going strong.And that’s not to say FranceLivre is focused only on French works, only in

France. The site stresses its commitment to “fairness and reciprocity” as it tries to advance “French literature on the international stage and foreign literature in France in return.” Recent posts have included a profile of the book business in Senegal and the evolution of exporting French books to francophone and non-francophone countries alike.A part of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the National Centre for Books has since 1946 worked to “ support all actors in the book publishing chain, including authors, broadcasters, publishers, bookshops, libraries, and literary events organisers,” according to the site. The agency offers some 42 million euros each year in subsidies, credits, grants and zero-interest loans.

New Website Opens Window to Finest French Literature

Record exports for French Wines and SpiritsFrench liquor exports reached record-high sales of 10 billion euros in 2011, a 10.5 percent increase from 2010, according to the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters. Despite an increase in prices, exports of trademark French alcohols have seen boosts in both the United States and Asia over the past year. Europe remains the largest market for French wine, but demand has especially increased in the Asian sector. Sales to China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore in 2011 collectively accounted for 29 percent of the total increase in French wine exports, and exports to the Asian market hit 2.5 billion euros. After the United States and Britain, China is the third-largest importer of French alcohol.European countries imported a total of 4.1 billion euros of French wine in 2011 (up 3 percent from 2010), and North and South America imported 2.1 billion euros of French wine this past year, a 9 percent increase. French wine has remained a strong export despite the rough waters of global finance. Louis Fabrice Retour, president of the federation, said, “The sector has weathered the [last few years] fairly well.” With a total trade surplus of 8.6 billion euros, the French wine and spirits industry is a significant contributor to France’s trade balance.

Parc André-Citroën Marks 20 Years with New Expansion

© L'Internaute Magazine / Agathe Azzis

A G E N D A

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A selection of events that highlighted Franco-Maltese relations so far this year For more information, please visit www.ambafrance-mt.org

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