Opinion poll in Monaco 12th and 13th March 2007
The Monaco Government held its traditional press briefing on Monday 12th February. A dossier regarding the modernisation of the public services featured as number one priority amongst the issues raised. The Minister of State announced that an opinion poll involving 400 people (residents of the Principality, including Monegasque and non Monegasque citizens) would take place on 12th and 13th March 2007 in order to get their opinion on the public services. This is a first for Monaco. Individuals will be contacted by telephone and asked fifteen questions regarding their views on the public services. This poll, which has been entrusted to the company Arsh Opinion, will be backed by a series of street surveys of non resident employees (100 individuals will be questioned). “I’m asking all participants to reply frankly to the questions asked” said the Minister of State. “We cannot improve our public services unless everybody takes part” insisted H.E. Jean-Paul Proust. Training, development of work schedules, consideration of the status of the civil service,… are all issues on which civil servants in Monaco have been asked to think for the last few months, as part of the plan to modernise the public services. Between September and December 2006, 42 meetings were held, 100 contributions in writing and 28,000 visits to the discussion forum were counted. A staging brief in the presence of members of the Government is planned on 11th April in the Grimaldi Forum to examine the initial results of these consultations. During the press briefing on 12th February, the Minister of State also underlined the good financial health of the State and the Monegasque economy. “The Principality continues to grow rich” he stated. We will be given specific details on the Principality’s actual deficit at the end of February. However, Jean-Paul Proust was keen to communicate the 2006 deficit immediately: 50 million euros (stable compared to 2005) but above all inferior to the revenue generated by UCITS investments from the Reserve Fund which generated 73 million euros. Economic expansion continues in Monaco, with a global increase in activities (+20 % between 2006 and 2005) in terms of turnover. Of particular note are figures pertaining to financial activities (+29%) and the hotel industry (+18%), whereas industry has remained more or less stable (-0.2%). Furthermore, 1,400 new jobs were created (net figures in 2006) and there was an increase in the number of companies set up between 2006 and 2005: +5% (for S.A.M. companies) and +13% (i.e. 350 companies in another form set up).