' Sophia is a breeding ground of creativity and innovation that Europe, and even the United States envy us it', the European Vice-President of Lucent Technologies says.

Jean-Claude Guibal, Mayor and Deputy of Menton, Patrick Césari, Mayor of Roquebrune-Cap Martin and Gérard Spinelli, Mayor of Beausoleil will present on August 30th at 10:30 a.m. in Menton at Villa Serena, the new local initiative platform, the three towns have launched together.The local initiative platforms are structures which were created in 1987. Their aim is to favor the settlement of very small craft industry, commercial or industrial or even services firms thanks to a financial support and pieces of advice.

For its fourth edition, the festival is partner with 'Tatoo'. More fun. But in spite of this element, will the FIMM (International Festival of Military Music) which will take place in Nice from Sept 7 to 10, be able to justify the engaged expenses (about 2 million francs for the 2000 edition). Does it generate economic consequences at least as important as expenses? In Nice people wonder. To give some answer elements, some Ceram students (Sophia Antipolis trade school) will be in charge to estimate the economic consequences of the event.

Looking for activities with a high added value, the principality wants to develop services in touch with the Internet. She gave to herself the means to reach her project.

Fabien Monteils for Altheis.com, Laure Leblanc and Stéphane Lebailly for the gate WAP Sowap, and the Saint-Laurent-du-Var of the leisure webzine B2M, were appreciated for the quality of their project.

Les chiffres des concours d'entrée du Ceram, qui nous avaient été communiqués début août faisaient état d'un nombre de 2.500 candidats. Il s'agissait des candidats admissibles aux épreuves orales.

'Depuis huit mois on a l'impression que Sophia Antipolis et les acteurs clé sont en train de se réveiller et reviennent à grande vitesse…'

ViaNice.fr is from now on accessible from cellular phones WAP. Whereas WAP services remain rare, the Nice local information newspaper has decided to play WAP by creating 'wapanice.com'. From one's WAP cellular phone, it is possible to consult the daily weather report, the schedule of cinemas in Nice, the dates of concerts, shows, exhibitions, events, meetings in Nice. It is the first local site in France which has a WAP content updated daily.

Almost a 5 billion franc turnover! This is what the Monegasque industry reached in 1999 in activities like cosmetic, pharmacology, chemistry, electronic components manufacturing, etc…Right in the middle of the town, over a territory covering less than 200 hectares (half of the city of Cannes). The Principality wants to continue the works of this industrial development which was built essentially from Fontvieille.

The cross-border economy is starting slowly. But it is progressing directly on the ground, with the Franco-Italian Day of Agribusiness that took place on Thursday, March16th in the Palais Européen in Menton. Organized by the Union of the firms on the French Riviera, the Unione Industriale della Provincia di Cuneo and the Unione Industriale degli Industriali della Provincia di Imperia (the three professional associations had signed an agreement in 1998), this day allowed the agribusiness Italian producers to get in touch with the mass marketing leaders on the French Riviera.

The Monaco civil court demanded the sale by auction of the Monacan agency Merrill Lynch business, settled in the Principality since 1980. The agency was at the heart of several disputes for some years. A Greek businessman, Dimitri Mefalopoulos, is asking 10 million francs for sums that might have been invested without his knowledge by a financial adviser of the bank. In Paris two Italian businessmen have them lodged a complaint against the bank for the illegal practice of banking and illegal practice in the Monaco Stock-Exchange.

The renewed growth and the increasing number of billionaires have provoked a boost in the firm from Cannes, which is the world leader in open de luxe boats.

3i, leader européen du capital investissement, a parié sur cette start-up de la région niçoise spécialisée dans l'édition de logiciels pour les professionnels du football et les médias sportifs.

It is Christian Haneuse who created the Monegasque union chamber of IT and telecommunication companies (CSMEIT). It was in March 1999, 'a well chosen moment, at the time of Monaco Telecom privatisation.

The fabulous France Telecom building in Sophia Antipolis, the Agora is for sale. The Agora was built at the end of the 80s, when the group was still national and had the monopole. The building was a great Riviera window for the operator technologies. But because of the purchase of Orange and UMTS licenses, France Telecom has launched a property reorganization policy, which also touches the technopole. The Agora is for sale from 120 million francs.The CCI (Chamber of commerce) which would like to widen the Ceram, its business school, had thought to buy the building.

For the 7th meeting of Sophia Start-Up, about ten projects pending or about to begin were presented. With an enormous choice in the Internet services.

Created last January in Sophia, the wireless division, presented a 'sticker' system dedicated to chips makers for wireless applications

Auchan has begun works of a 'third millennium hypermarket' in Grasse. This new hypermarket (4,340 m² of market area) will also have a 12 stores shopping mall and a 800 places parking lot. The complex settles on the Sodial commercial site (3,200 m²) Auchan bought in 1996, in the Paoute district, road RN 98 between Grasse and Mouans-Sartoux. The amount of the works reaches 100 million francs. The opening is planned for June 2001. About 100 jobs should be created, one half for the hypermarket and the other half for the shopping mall.

L'European IT Forum, du 11 au 13 septembre au Forum Grimaldi, témoigne de l'orientation donnée par un nouveau palais des congrès monégasque qui a décidé de jouer à fond les congrès et salons liés à la nouvelle économie. Cette manifestation, dont c'est la dixième édition, se tenait habituellement à Paris.

The Menton town council has adopted the idea of a towns community of regions at the East of the French Riviera, gathering together the districts around and until Tende.