Joint press release - Commission for Franco-Monégasque Cooperation

The two delegations during the meeting

The ninth meeting of the Commission for Franco-Monegasque Cooperation was held at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development on 31 May 2016, under the joint chairmanship of Mr Christian Masset, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, and H.E. Mr Serge Telle, Minister of State of the Principality of Monaco.

The Commission, which held its last session in April 2015 in Monaco, was set up by the friendship treaty concluded on 24 October 2002, according to which the close and privileged relationship between the Principality of Monaco and the French Republic is part of the “common destiny” shared by the two nations.

The Monegasque delegation included the five government ministers and Monaco’s Ambassador to France, while the French Ambassador to Monaco and the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes were part of the French delegation.

The two sides discussed the negotiations to conclude an association agreement between the Principality and the European Union, which began on 18 March 2015. In particular, the parties consulted each other on the impact of these negotiations on existing bilateral treaties and areas of common interest.

The agenda for this ninth meeting also afforded an opportunity to review Franco-Monegasque cooperation on health and social affairs and on transport issues, all areas where progress was noted (the prospect of the entry into force of the Teleworking Agreement once ratification procedures have been completed, strengthening of cooperation on health issues, the progress of studies relating to upgrading the A8 motorway, among other things). It was also an opportunity to discuss prospects for improving cooperation to prevent traffic offences, with Mr Emmanuel Barbe, Interministerial Delegate for Road Safety, and the Minister of the Interior both in attendance.

The Commission meeting also covered the economic and social situation of French citizens living in the Principality, economic issues of interest to both sides (Monaco’s offshore urban extension project, the tourist appeal of the Côte d’Azur) and international issues (the French-speaking world, the Principality's commitment to protecting the environment and COP 21 follow-up work).

Annex: Delegation list 

Monegasque delegation: H.E. Mr Serge TELLE, Minister of State; Mr Stéphane VALERI, Minister of Health and Social Affairs; Ms Marie-Pierre GRAMAGLIA, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development; Mr Jean CASTELLINI, Minister of Finance and Economy; Mr Gilles TONELLI, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Mr Patrice CELLARIO, Minister of the Interior; H.E. Mr Claude COTTALORDA, Ambassador of Monaco to France; Mr Robert COLLE, Secretary-General of the Government; Ms Isabelle ROSABRUNETTO, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; Ms Elisabeth LANTERI MINET, Director of International Relations; Mr Alexis POYET, Secretary for External Relations.

French delegation: Mr Christian MASSET, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI); H.E. Mr Hadelin de la TOUR DU PIN, Ambassador of France to Monaco; Mr Adolphe COLRAT, Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes; Mr Emmanuel BARBE, Interministerial Delegate for Road Safety; Mr Pierre LEVY, Director for the European Union (MAEDI); Ms Anne-Marie DESCOTES, Director General for Globalisation and International Development (MAEDI); Mr Frédéric MAC KAIN, Deputy Prefect, Secretary-General of the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes; Ms Véronique LAURENT-ALBESA, Deputy Prefect of Nice-Montagne; Nathalie NIKITENKO, Representative for European and International Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; Mr Diégo COLAS, Deputy Director of European Law and International Economic Law, MAEDI; Mr Bertrand BUCHWALTER, Deputy Director for Mediterranean Europe, MAEDI; Mr Yannick ANDRIANARAHINJAKA, Assistant to the Head of Internal Policy and Institutional Issues, MAEDI; Mr Jean LOHEST, First Counsellor at the Embassy of France in Monaco; Mr Guillaume DINH, Special Advisor to the Diplomatic Counsellor, Ministry of the Interior; Ms Magali MARTIN, Head of the Office of Community Law and Special Arrangements at the Ministry of the Interior; Mr Cyril VINSONNAUD, Representative, European Affairs Department, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; Mr Raphaël CAPIAN, Section Head, Directorate General for Health, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; Mr Paul AVRILLIER, Assistant to the Deputy Director for Management of the Concessionary Road Network, Transport Infrastructure Department, Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea (MEEM); Paulo LOPES BERNARDO, Representative, European Affairs Department, MEEM; Ms Sabine SCIORTINO, Representative of the Office of the Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development; Ms Aude POTTIER, Counsellor at France’s Permanent Representation to the European Union; Ms Marine BOUYSSOU, Drafter, Sub-Directorate for Mediterranean Europe, MAEDI; Mr Raphaël METAIS, Drafter, Sub-Directorate for Internal Policy, MAEDI.