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COLUMN
Our first column, by the distinguished Maastricht Economist, Luc Soete, one
of the architects of Europe's Information Society (Lisbon 2000) will be available
at the link below from November 7.
http://www.webcontentnow.com/Column.htm
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
WHAT THE BANKS SAY
[BIZ: Brussels, October 29]
European bankers claim to have produced, in their own words, "a far-reaching proposal
leading to substantially lower prices for cross-border transfers and cross-border
cash-withdrawals, resulting for example as from January 1, 2006 in prices equal to
domestic prices for the same transactions (except in those countries where the domestic
price is zero or close to zero). Of course, the proposal will only be implemented if
the European Commission and, where necessary, national competition authorities approve it.
The EBF proposal will achieve better results than the planned price regulation on
cross-border payments since it constitutes a voluntary commitment by the industry. If
banks are allowed to implement the proposal, the planned regulation which the European
banks consider to be an unprecedented de-facto intervention in price determination, on a
doubtful legal basis, is no longer necessary."
http://www.fbe.be/f_e_news.htm
JUNIOR CHAMBER AT 50
[BIZ: Liège, October 26]
The Junior Chamber of Commerce in Liège held its 50th anniversary party at La Violette, the city hall, on Friday October
26 where they were addressed by Georges A. Bouverat, World President of the 2001 Junior
Chamber International, by Mayor Willy Demeyer and Carine Jobé, 2001 President of the
Junior Chamber in Liège, who espoused the learning of foreign languages.
http://www.liege.be
DSM
IN THE NEWS
[BIZ: Heerlen, October 25]
DSM's operating profit was down 13% at Q2 2001 at EUR 130m. Its net profit was EUR 101m,
down 5%. The fall in operating profits was due to deteriorating market conditions,
aggravated by the tragic events of September 11. Performance materials and petrochemicals
showed a downturn which is expected to continue. Life Science Products in Q3 did well and
are expected to do well in Q4. Forecast operating profit for 2001 should be well above EUR
500m. On the petrochemical front, the rumor is that ExxonMobil would like to take over
DSM’s petrochemical activities which they want to get rid of. On the successful life
science front, there are also rumors that DSM would like to take over the former
Rhône-Poulenc subsidiary Rhodia.
http://www.dsm.com
http://www.limburg.nl
NEW
TOP MAN AT AGORIA
[BIZ: Hasselt, October 24]
Agoria, the former Fabrimetal and a prime mover in Flandersdrive, will have a new top man
as of November 1. This is Paul Soete, currently number two in the Agoria organization.
Soete succeeds Philippe de Buck van Overstraeten, who will become Secretary General of
Unice, the European employers’ umbrella organization.
http://www.hbvl.be
25
WALLOON BUSINESS PARKS
[BIZ: Hasselt, October 22]
25 New business parks are to be established in the Walloon region according to an
announcement made by the Walloon Economics Minister Serge Kubla in Mons. He says that this
is necessary because of the rapid take up in Walloon-Brabant, Luxemburg and Liège and
also because of demand exceeding supply in Flanders, the Netherlands and northern France.
http://www.hbvl.be
NEDCAR
TOP TOGETHER
[IND: Born, October 20]
The meeting of the supervisory board of NedCar: Messrs Hiroshi Toyama, Kazuo Yoshida and
André Deleye took place at NedCar in late September. The composition of the board has
changed and items on the agenda included internal developments at NedCar, production data,
the outsourcing of information services, the current financial situation and the status of
the Z-car project. Also on the agenda were the new business plan and investment plans for
the coming quarter.
http://www.nedcar.nl
AUTOLIV
TIGHTENS ITS BELT
[IND: Stockholm, October 19]
Reuters, quoted by just-auto.com, reports that automotive safety specialist Autoliv, a
pioneer in both seatbelts and airbags with a plant in Limburg, has reported a slightly
better than expected Q3 profit and announced a cost cutting scheme to save between USD20
and 25m in 2002. They have announced that they do not expect a turn around in European
markets before Q4 2002.
http:///www.autoliv.com
http://www.just-auto.com
FEV
NEWS
[IND: Aachen, October 12]
The Ford Motor Company and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announce a cooperative
effort to develop a unique high-efficiency ‘hydraulic hybrid’ automotive power
train. They will be working with FEV, one of the world’s leading advanced automotive
engine and power train research and development firms from Aachen and Eaton, a major Tier
1 supplier to the worldwide automotive industry, to build and test the new technology with
the goal of integrating it into future products.
http://www.fev-et.com
TENNECO
GREEN TECHNOLOGY
[IND: Frankfurt, September 11]
Tenneco Automotive, which has its engineering center (Monroe shock absorbers) in St.
Truiden in Belgian Limburg, is introducing three new products and systems to help original
equipment manufacturers to meet and exceed new regulations and requirements i.e. the more
rigorous Euro 4 and Euro 5 air quality regulations that become mandatory in 2005 and 2008
as well as voluntary environmental commitments under the Kyoto protocol. The innovations
include: diesel particulate filter for passenger cars that virtually eliminates carbon and
hydrocarbon emissions with minimum impact on engine performance; a tubular integrated
converter that reduces both weight and cost; and a combined
particulate filter and De-NOx converter that meets 2005 Euro 4 and 2008 Euro 5 standards
for reducing particulate emissions by up to 90 percent and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions
by up to 70 percent in medium and heavy duty trucks.
http://www.tenneco-automotive.com
LOGISTICS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
MAASTRICHT PULLS THEM IN
[INFRA: Maastricht, October 30]
Maastricht has again confirmed its status as a major international convention venue. In
the year 2000, the Netherlands ranked 7th worldwide as a convention center.
Maastricht was the most popular destination in the Netherlands after Amsterdam.
Limburg’s capital leaves others, including Tokyo, Moscow and San Francisco far
behind. Prospects for 2001 are encouraging.
http://www.mecc.nl
retail
infrastructure
[INFRA: Hasselt, October 29]
The recently open Value Retail mall, a designer mall in Maasmechelen, is to expand by
9,000 m² this year. This was announced at the opening of the designer mall. The mall is
attracting attention in the border regions of Germany and the Netherlands too.
http://www.hbvl.be
LIege airport preferred
[INFRA: Liège, October 25]
In response to the questionnaire by Test Achats, a consumer interest association,
23,000 passengers including 3,418 Belgians gave their assessment of 30 airports.
Liège Airport was rank first. Plus points were the parking, car hire facilities,
facilities for the handicapped and the lay out of the airport, the good sign posting, the
efficiency and friendliness of the staff. Liège Airport knocked Zaventem, Brussels
into fourth place. Luc Partoune, airport director says "it is the sum of the efforts
that we make in response to client needs, in particular, access facilities, fast
embarkation etc.", reported in La Libre Belgique.
http://www.lalibre.be
Longest steel rail VIADUCT
[INFRA: Liège, October 25]
Galère, a Belgian subsidiary of HBG, has with others acquired the contract to restore the
Moresnet rail bridge between Liège and Aachen, a few kilometers to the south of
Vaals. The contract is worth EUR 23.50m. The bridge is 1,107m long and the longest steel
structure of its type in Europe. Work is to be completed by end 2004. The bridge
provides the rail connection between Antwerp and the German Ruhr, the Montzen route, an
alternative to the Iron Rhine. It is one of the most impressive and best known bridges in
Belgium.
http://www.hbg.nl
Limburg comments on iron Rhine decision
[INFRA: Maastricht, October 25]
In a letter to the relevant director general at the Dutch Ministry of Transport, the
Province of Limburg expressed its astonishment that no account had been taken of its
response to the environmental impact report on the Iron Rhine and of that of the public
and other organs of government. There was also inadequate time allowed to take account of
the response; though the committee was duty bound to take notice of these protests. [In
the intervening period, a decision on the Iron Rhine has been postponed and nobody yet has
looked into the issue of whether there is a budget in Belgium to cover the proposed
expenditure. ed]
http://www.limburg.nl
Rail plans
[INFRA: Genk, October 25]
The Genk section of the Flemish green party Agalev wants to put a rail tunnel under the
Europalaan in Genk making possible a connection with Maasmechelen. The Genk opposition
party also wants a light rail connection between Genk Center and Hasselt Center.
http://www. hbvl.be
Highway infrastructure
[INFRA: Aachen, October 24]
"The planned East-West Highway between the A1 at Blankenheim and the Belgian E42 at
St. Vith will make a clear improvement in the Eifel as a location for business" said
Chamber Vice president Rolf Rainer-Brinkmann at an autumn meeting of the regional
committee for the Eifel. The link would shorten the route to important West European
markets and provide favorable conditions for inbound investment. Problems in the attempt
to get BMW to locate in Euskirchen illustrated how important the infrastructure was.
http://www.aachen.ihk.de
EWMR joins Trianel
[INFRA: Aachen, October 22]
The EWMR energy company (Energie- und Wasserversorgung Mittleres Rurhgebiet) has
joined Trianel, the utility trading company. EWMR is based in Bochum, Herne and Witten,
serving a population of 675,000 and has taken a 47.3 percent stake in Trianel. Trianel has
the contract for 2002 to optimize the structure and delivery of electricity to the Bochum,
Herne and Witten area of Germany. Trianel's members are the energy companies of
Maastricht, Schiedam, the Stadtwerke Aachen, Aseag Energie and Niederrheinwerke in
Viersen. The new partner means that reinvestment in the company's equity can be quadrupled
to EUR 6.65m.
http://www.trinel.nl
Belgian site gets priority
[INFRA: Eupen, October 20]
The director of SPI+ André Lacroix has given priority to developments of the
Kaiserbaracke Industrial Site in the Eifel.
http://www.grenz-echo.be
POWER CUTS
[INFRA: Maastricht, October 17]
Dutch power company Essent has signed a collective agreement with 160 Dutch companies to
supply them with a 100 kilowatts electricity at a 30 percent discount on their current
billing. This anticipates the liberalization of the power market for medium-sized
companies which comes in effect on January 1, 2002.
http://www.essent.nl
Steam trains
[INFRA: Simpelveld, October 13]
The South Limburg Steam Train Company (ZLSM) wants to expand its facilities workshops at
the sites on the Stationsstraat in Simpelveld. The site which was taken over five years
ago is already too small. The company runs train trips through the hill country.
Activities are increasing by 10 percent per year. Last year they carried 118.000
passengers, and are looking forward to running a restaurant car on their trips through the
hill country.
http://www.limburg.nl
EXEL LOGISTICS AT MAA
[LOG: Maastricht, September 4]
Exel, a world leader in supply chain management, has opened a new office at Maastricht
Aachen Airport. The new branch will focus on delivering freight management solutions for
companies based in Southern Limburg.
“Exel offers a range of freight management and contract logistics solutions to
customers in the Netherlands” explains Exel’s Managing Director in the
Netherlands, Ed Meijer. Exel is now represented at the four most important airports in The
Netherlands. The new branch located at Horsterweg 31 is the 16th Exel office in The
Netherlands.
http://www.exel.com
Kabelcom increases stake in essent
Benelux
[INFRA: Amsterdam, August 30]
Essent Kabelcom has taken over the shares of the other two share holders in @Home Benelux,
the shares of Excite@Home
and Intel. Currently it holds 90 percent of the shares. The company in the United States
has been in considerable financial trouble recently.
http://www.essent.nl
GOVERNMENT
AND EDUCATION
Belgian award to Aachen lawyer
[GOV: Eupen, October 24]
The former district attorney of Aachen, Herbert Klein, has received a Belgian decoration
as an officer in the Order of the Crown. The award was presented by East Belgian Minister
Hans Niessen in Eupen for Klein's contribution to good relations between Belgian and
German legal authorities.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
Market-friendly
innovation
[EDU: Maastricht, October
24]
The United Nations University Institute for New Technologies will be holding an
international workshop on "Market-Friendly Innovation Policies in Developing
Countries" on November 5 and 6, 2001. Proceedings of the workshop will appear in a
publication entitled "Government, Innovation and Technology Policy, An International
Comparative Analysis" published by Edward Elgar in 2002 [clearly another Elgar ed.]
Dr Sunil Mani will be coordinating the event in which cases will be analyzed from
developing countries, including Brazil, India, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore and South
Africa, all of which have the potential to create new technologies.
http://www.intech.unu.edu
LIMBURG IN THE
CARPATHIANS
[GOV: Maastricht, October 20]
The province of Limburg, as part of the Meuse Rhine Euroregion, has started a pilot
project with a Hungarian partner in the Carpathian Euroregion to strengthen local and
regional government and information transfer in the area of environment and water policy.
The project will be an example for the other Carpathian partners from Rumania, Slovakia,
Poland and the Ukraine.
http://www.limburg.nl
EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP
[EDU: Bilzen, October]
The Meuse-Rhine Euroregion and European citizenship"" is the title of a
colloquim to be held in Alden Biesen on November 26 and 27 and December 3, 2001. This
replaces a colloquium scheduled for earlier in the year which did not attract sufficient
attention. It is sponsored by Alden Biesen, the Flemish Ministry, the Meuse-Rhine
Euroregion, the helpdesk for Social Cultural Work, the Foundation of Christians for Europe
and information bureaus of the European Parlement for Belgium, Germany and the
Netherlands. Among the speakers will be Thijs Wöltgens, Dutch senator, now to head the
South Limburg's Chamber of Commerce; Professor Helmut Breuer and Professor Luc
Soete. There will also be an address by Dr. Otto von Habsburg. December 3, the regions'
leading politicians will take the stand with the governors or the deputies for the five
regions and Mayor Jürgen Linden of Aachen, councilor William Ancion of Liège, Jürgen
Drewes, general manager of the Aachen Chamber of Commerce, and many other celebrities.
http://www.flanders.be
ALMA'S 10TH
ANNIVERSARY
[EDU: Lanaken, October 19]
Alma is a cross-border network of the universities in Meuse-Rhine. On October 19 they
celebrated their 10th anniversary. An overview of activities was given by Ger Kockelkorn,
Mayor of Meerssen, and former ALMA-coordinator. Mr Kockelkorn felt 'europhoric' about ALMA
as a child of the Euroregion himself and indeed there were a number of developments to
celebrate. These were introduced by Ted Versteegh the current ALMA-coordinator. Activities
included the health care system; on-line university calendars; the Night of the Euregional
web - the team general knowledge game about the region; the Life Sciences Scene by
professor Kreuzaler of Aachen; and the perception of Meuse-Rhine in the press presented by
Dr. Suzy Pasleau of Liège. Reference was also made to the regional cultural scene and to
Eureview, the handbook put out by the ALMA-organization giving a student guide to the main
cities. October 19 is seen as the renewal of the vows taken and an opportunity to draw on
the synergies. Future opportunities would also be available with Interreg funding in the
areas of Health Care, Life Sciences, mobility, IT and cultural heritage in addition
to the prospect of extending the network within the North-West to Louvain, Münster,
Eindhoven and Lille.
http://www.alma.unimaas.nl
ADVANCED MANAGEMENT
[EDU: Lanaken, October 18]
The Limburg Employers' Association VKW and the Dutch associations LWV and BZW held an
information meeting on the top management program to be given by the Vlerick Leuven Ghent
Management School. The advanced management program will be held at La Butte aux Bois in
Lanaken as a result of the cooperation between the three organizations and the school. The
objective is to respond to the need for top management education in Meuse-Rhine. From
2003, there will also be a middle management program.
http://www.vkw-limburg.be
LIEGE JOINS SPACE CLUB
[GOV: Liège, October 18]
At the proposal of the mayor, the council of the city of Liège decided to join an
association called the 'Community of Ariane Towns' CVA. This was created at Evry in France
July 17, 1998 and includes 29 members, with the European space agency as an honorary
member. Among the members are Turin which is twinned with Liège and Charleroi, the only
Belgian member, and businesses, including SNECMA, which is a 51 percent stakeholder in
Techspace Aero, also located in Liège. Membership of this organization would emphasize
the role of Liège in the aerospace industry.
http://www.liège.be
EUREGIONALE 2008
[GOV: Drielandenpunt, October 15]
The presentation on behalf of Meuse-Rhine was made to the representatives of
North-Rhine-Westphalia on October 15 at the Drielandenpunt. The company was greeted by
Monique Quint, Mayor of Vaals. Speeches were made by Jürgen Linden Mayor of Aachen - the
only person present to address the group in French - and others, including Minister
Niessen of East-Belgium. Ralf Meyer of the 'EuRegionale 2008' organization expressed his
pleasure at the opportunity of making the presentation at this historic spot and, on the
basis of the geographical metaphor, Mr Meyer discussed the rich cultural variety that
existed in this area. The time when traditional boundaries were disappearing was the time
to define the European city landscape anew. A public use center could become a center of a
tricountry dialogue network in business, science and society. A second element in the
region's offering was a virtual one, which would be found on the Internet, as an
interactive website for new ideas. In a response, Minister Michael Vesper, the Minister of
Culture in North-Rhine Westphalia, expressed optimism and wished the association good luck
and success. The decision will be taken at the beginning of 2002.
http://www.euregionale2008.de
MAASTRICHT DECLARATION
[EDU: Maastricht, October 12]
50 Top researchers and high-level policymakers from 26 developing countries gathered in
Maastricht on October 10-12 for a conference entitled 'Demanding Innovation' and produced
a declaration which, after a preamble of 12 recitals, resolved that researchers and
representatives of the private sector, donors, intermediaries and policymakers in the
seminar should build a constituency for demand-led research, committed to the production
of knowledge that can address poverty, inequality and environmental degradation as well as
the overall development and social transformation of Southern societies. They further
resolved that the Seminar would refine and ratify a Platform of Action that aims to cover
the responsibilities, objectives, strategies and activities of stakeholders of demand-led
research. The statement is not at a loss for words but does make an important point.
http://www.oneworld.org/ecdpm
LIFE
SCIENCE AND SCI-TECH
50 PERCENT GROWTH AT WEB3
[TECH: Sittard, October 29]
In a period when the Internet sector is under pressure, Sittards' Web3 has recorded a 50
percent rise in turnover for the third year in succession. Part of the success is owed to
the regional site 'Limburg OnLine'. This portal is visited daily by more than 2,500
Limburgers and has become one of the most successful regional sites in Limburg within a period of one year. Web3 has now moved from Limbricht
Castle to its own premises on the Handelsstraat in Sittard.
http://www.web3.nl
ADVANCED SILICON CARBIDE PRODUCTION
PROCESSES
[TECH: Aachen, October 29]
OKMETIC AB, a member of the OKMETIC Group and EPIGRESS AB, a member of the AIXTRON Group,
today announced the establishment of a collaboration in the field of developing advanced
SiC epi-production process technologies. EPIGRESS also announced the sale of a VP508 Gas
Foil Rotation system to OKMETIC. OKMETIC has developed a radically new method for SiC
crystal growth, jointly with Linköping University and ABB Corporate Research. The method
based on the HTCVD technique enables the growth of semi-insulating SiC substrates of very
high purity.
http://www.aixtron.com
ZINC COATED REINFORCEMENT
[TECH: Aachen, October 28]
Professor Michael Raupach of the Institute for Construction Research at the University of
Aachen is working on a procedure to coat the steel reinforcements in concrete with zinc by
injection or using plates and foils. Although zinc rusts more easily than steel, it acts
as a sacrificial victim and protects the steel from ten to twenty years which is good from
a price and time point of view.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
FREE WORKSHOPS
[TECH: Liège, October 24]
Technifutur is organizing two free workshops on November 26 and December 11. Technifutur
is an educational association at the Walloon region. http://www.technifutur.be
RAPID PROTOTYPING
[TECH: Aachen, October 23]
The Supplied Science University presented the system of rapid prototyping at the
International Plastics Fair K2001 in Düsseldorf which runs from October 25 to November 1.
It allows the production of 3D colored plastic parts directly from the computer. The
Rapid Prototyping Laboratory at the engineering department has one of the first of these
complex machines.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
NON-PHYSICAL REMAILING
[TECH: Heerlen, October 22]
At the end of July, the European Commission emphasized the importance of a free postal
market among EU member states and acted against the German Post Office, Deutsche Post for
exercising a monopoly in the remail market which means more opportunities for
international post transmission and Ultradocs.
http://www.ultradocs.com
AIXTRON IN TOP 10
[TECH: Aachen, October 22]
With an installed base of over 500 systems worldwide, AIXTRON is represented in over 15
countries. The company provides an extensive service and support for maintenance as well
as upgrading of systems. The high level of AIXTRON's service and the close relatonship
with its stakeholders is reflected in the VLSI Research Inc's Customer Satisfaction
Survey, in which AIXTRON was once more among the 2001 10 BEST in its category an by the
inclusion of AIXTRON's shares in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World.
http://www.vlsiresearch.com
ENGLISH ONLY
[TECH: Aachen, October 21]
Cycos AG in Aachen is asking the readers of its newsletters whether they would be
satisfied with a purely English language Knowledge-base on the German Internet site
http://www.cycos.de
DISPLAY FROM HEERLEN
[TECH: Heerlen, October 21]
Limburgs' fastest growing tech company is the Heerlen-based Professional Display Systems
(PDS). With growth and turnover of 600 percent over the past three years, the producer of
special screens is now fourth in the Deloitte & Touche Fast 50.
http://www.limburger.nl
APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
[SCI: Aachen, October 19]
With an advisory board and a council, seven coordinators and seven specialisms, the
Applied Life Sciences Aachen Foundation (ALSA) hopes to provide a structural and
administrative platform. Cooperation is projected between ALSA, the Fraunhofer Society,
LifeTec Aachen-Juelich and the BioRegio as well as ALMA. universities. The association has
seven focal points: the stereoselective synthesis of effective substances and
combinatorial chemistry; cellular signal transduction; biotechnology/molecular
biotechnology, gene technology; bio materials and biomedical techniques; molecular
neurobiology; environmental sciences; informatics and bioinformatics.
http://www.rwth-aachen.de
THUMB DRIVE
[TECH: Kerkrade, October 19]
A cyber weekend business to business meeting was held at the Industrion museum at Kerkrade
by the IT & Web-developing company The Other Site BV. Among the interesting new
developments was the ThumbDrive, the world's first revolutionary portable storage device,
that's smaller than your thumb. Handling from 8 MB to whopping 256 MB, the USB plug and
play makes connection of the ThumbDrive to the desktop or laptop fast and free. There is
no software, no connection wires, no batteries. You just plug it in and the ThumbDrive
will show up on your desktop screen.
http://www.industrion.nl
BERNARD RENTIER EFB PRESIDENT
[LIFESCI: Liège, October 16]
Bernard Rentier has just been elected vice-president of the European Federation of
Biotechnology for 2001 to 2004. The EFB is one of the largest scientific associations in
Europe. The association promotes biotechnology and supports fundamental research.
http://www.efweb.org
http://www.ulg.ac.be/le15jour/
WIRELESS RADIATION
[TECH: Juelich, October 11]
Is it possible to get cancer from a mobile telephone? There is no evidence of health
dangers, but the effects of high frequency radiation does raise questions. Care would seem
advisable and people are concerned. Scientists at the Juelich Research Center have
developed an option for protection against the 'electro smog' and are paying attention to
health care and also disagreements on the location of masts. 40,000 Masts will be needed
for the development of the German UMTS-network. The Bavarian State Ministry for
Environmental Issues has charged Juelich with monitoring and developing preventive
measures.
http://www.umwelministerium.bayern.de/bereiche/mobilf/vorsorge.htm
FRENCH CAD TAKEOVER
[TECH: Paris, July 1]
France's 8th best tech co, the IGE+XAO Group, has taken control of the Hoensbroek,
Limburg-based, electricity dedicated, CAD software publishers TessDATA BV (Netherlands)
and CAE Development Aps (Denmark); in addition to 49% of the capital of the software
distribution company CADdy Danmark A/s (Denmark). These companies, all profitable,
represent a consolidated sales turnover of close to EUR 1.37m (more than 50% of
IGE+XAO’s export sales turnover in 2000/2001 and 11% of total sales turnover) and
allow IGE+XAO to reinforce its Europe and worldwide position, by enhancing its customer
base with 4,000 + users. Already uncontested n°1 in France with more than 60% of market
share, IGE+XAO now ranks first in the Belgium, Holland and Denmark zone. The Group has
also reinforced its presence in Italy, Spain and, significantly in Germany, with more than
1,000 additional users for this country alone.
http://www.ige-xao.com
LEISURE
533 YEARS ON
[LEI: Liège, October 30]
Proxi-Liège reminds us that 533 years ago, when the Burgundians laid siege to Liège, 600
men of Franchimont came to the aid of the city. To no avail, because Liège was sacked and
burned by the troops of Charles the Bold of Burgundy and his cousin Louis XI of France -
the city was always caught between France and the predecessors of the Sainte Empire.
Fires raged for three days and could be seen as far away as Aachen and the Liégeois were
dropped into the river like bunches of grapes trussed up in chains. This is one of the
incidents remembered in the serialization of La cité Ardente by Henry Carton de
Wiart which is to be found on the Proxi-Liège site.
http://www.proxiliege.net
NEW MAN FOR LUDWIG FORUM
[LEI: Aachen, October 28]
39 Year old Harald Kunde is to become the new head of Aachen's Ludwig Forum for
International Art. Mr Kunde has been director of the Kunsthaus Dresden since 1995. He
graduated from the University of Leipzig and became a member of staff at the same city's
office for the arts before succeeding to the directorship of the Kunsthaus.
http://www.grenzecho.de
REPRIEVE FOR TELEVESDRE
[LEI: Verviers, October 28]
The regional television station Télévesdre has been reprieved. It was in financial
difficulties and has received the sum of close to EUR 300,000 to get it out of trouble.
The rescue does however depend on the acceptance of a degree of political control.
http://www.grenz-echo.be
PUB SCENE
[LEI: Maastricht, October 28]
Galerie Manjefiek in Maastricht is holding an exhibition of paintings by four artists
portraying their favorite pubs. The exhibition runs from November 4 to December 30 at the
Galerie on the Rijksweg in the direction of Gronsveld. It features Robert Alonzi from
Soumagne with 'Cafés Liégeois'; Henri Caps from Oupeye with 'Bruine kroegen in
Maastricht'; Guy Olivier from Maastricht with 'Impressions of food and drink' and Maria
Schuurman from Noordeloos with 'Voluptuous characters'. The exhibition is to be opened
appropriately enough by Jan Hoen, chairman of the South Limburg Region of Koninklijke
Horeca Netherlands, the association which looks after the interests of pubs and
restaurants.
http://www.manjefiek.nl
SKIING IN LANDGRAAF
[LEI: Aachen, October 24]
Snowworld in Landgraaf is starting a training course for ski teachers in January. The
covered ski slope is expected to be employing some 200 ski teachers in future. At the end
of January the first 60 will get their diplomas and another 30 will start. The first
part of the slope will be opened in December and the opening of the rest is due for the
end of 2002.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
ABOARD THE JEKERVALLEI
[LEI: Maastricht, October 22]
Rederij Stiphout, Maastricht's own shipping line, has taken a new ship into service. With
the opening of the Bassin harbor in Maastricht and the historical routes to Flanders, the
company has decided that there is room for another vessel. A low silhouette of below 3.15
m will enable the vessel to take advantage of the connection to the Zuid-Willemsvaart
canal that will open in the course of 2002. The ship is 33.75 meters in length and 6.50
meter in the beam. It will have 90 seats with luxury fittings and a well stocked bar.
http://www.stiphout.nl
IN VINO VERITAS
[LEI: Kerkrade, October 22]
In our last issue, we mentioned that Pirandello had won the competition for the best wine
list, but that the names of the wines had not been ...... A recent press release has
solved the problem and the wines are Collioure Domaine du Traginer 1997 (Roussillon,
Grenache), Ladoix Premier Cru 1997 Claude Chevalier (Bourgogne, Pinot Noir), Château La
Joya Gran Reserva 1997 (Colchagua Valley, Chile, Cabernet Sauvignon), Beaujolais a.c. 1999
Cuvée à l' Ancienne J.P. Brun (Beaujolais, Gamay), Macon Charnay a.c. 1999 Verget
(Bourgogne, Chardonnay), DOC Sauvignon Kirchleiten 2000, Schlosserei Turmhof,
Tiefenbrunner (Alto Adige, Sauvignon), DOC Collio Orientale Pinot Grigia 2000 Azienda
Agricole Visitine (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Pinot Gricio), DOC Sangiovese Di Romagna
Superiore 'Aulente' 1999 (Emilia Romagna, Sangiovese).
http://www.erenstein.com
LIEGE WALKS REMINDER
[LEI: Liège, October 21 ]
The traditional walks in Liège will be 'Old Walls and Bell Towers' on Sunday November 4;
'The Historic Center' on Sunday December 2; 'Outremeuse' on Sunday January 6; 'The
Cathedral area' on Sunday, February 3 2002; 'Hills between the city and the country'
Sunday March 3 2002; 'From behind the opera to the shadow of the cathedral' Saturday
December 22, Saturday February 16 2002 and Saturday March 16 2002. The walks start at the
tourist office at 14.00 hrs and should be reserved.
http://www.liege.be
RADIO HIT IN MEUSE-RHINE
[LEI: Eupen, October 21]
The Aachener Zeitung informs us that 'Hitradio' is the most popular in the Euroregion -
100.5 on your dial apparently.
http://www.aachener-zeitung.de
INDUSTRION
[LEI: Kerkrade, October 20]
The industrial museum in Kerkrade, known as Industrion, is certainly well worth a visit.
It gives an introduction to a range of industries and presents the visitors with an
interesting visual experience: ceramics, mining, metal industry, chemicals, steam trains.
It is 2,500 square meters and shows what happened at the heart of the Euroregion at the
beginning of our industrial era.
http://www.industrion.nl
SOMETHING TO READ
[LEI: Aachen, October 18]
When you have exhausted the possibilities of Simenon or perhaps before, you could start to
read another detective author from the Euroregion, Jacques Berndorf. His most recent story
'Eifel-Wasser' is top of the paperback list currently. Berndorf has been giving readings
from the book at Aachen's Eurogress.
http://www.regioblick.de
GOURMET WORLD OF THE ARDENNES
[LEI: Eupen, October 18]
The tourist authorities of East Belgium published a gourmet journal which tells you where
to spend your time at the weekends during this time of the year.
http:/www.eastbelgium.com
THE RING FROM LIEGE
[LEI: Liège, October 17]
Jean-Louis Grinda, the director of the Royal Walloon Opera, who has been very successful
and won a number of prizes, including the Molière recently for his musicals, is about to
embark on Wagner's Ring Cycle. His new contract starts in January 2002 and runs to through
2007. The schedule is not yet fixed. The prospect is an interesting one.
http://www.proxiliege.net
IS SMOKING GOOD FOR YOU?
[LEI: Liège, October 16]
Liège U's Quinzième Jour magazine reports on research that says that broadly
speaking nicotine has a beneficial effect on the intelligence...- shocked horror on the
part of everyone of course, including this strictly non-smoking editor. The article does
not say whether smoking made its addicts more aware of its dangers however.
http://www.ulg.ac.be/le15jour/107/fUne.html
DEATH IN VENICE
[LEI: Maastricht, October 6]
Britten's two act opera 'Death in Venice' based on the novel by Thomas Mann will be
premiering in Maastricht on November 24 at the Theater aan het Vrijthof. On Tuesday
November 27 it will be on at Parkstad Limburg Theaters in Heerlen.
http://www.lso.nl
PASSION AND DRAMA IN BERINGEN
[LEI: Beringen, October 6]
As part of a move for Euroregional involvement on the part of the Limburg Symphony
Orchestra, they will be accompanying singers at the Beringen Casino in Beringen on
Wednesday October 21 at 20.00 hrs in a concert of songs by Mozart, Berliot, de Falla,
Alban Berg, Richard Strauss, Delibes, Mahler, Verdi, Donizetti and Saint-Saens.
http://www.lso.nl
BONNEFANTEN
[LEI: Maastricht, October]
The Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht has produced the first volume of its new magazine. It
also contains information in English and some splendid photography of marine life. This
ambitious and interesting project is edited by Alexander van Grevenstein and Esther Saris.
http://www.bonnefanten.nl
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