The world leader of Open ships in Cannes progressed of 300% at the Second Market since January 1st 2000 and announces an order book worth more than a billion francs.

A global budget of 4.805 billion francs that is divided into 1.160 billion francs of investment and 3.645 billion francs of functioning : this is the amount of the budget project which has been presented to the Nice municipal council by the first deputy-mayor, Gilbert Stellardo, during the budgetary orientation debate. A budget 2000 which is decreasing (minus 2.7%) compared with the one of this year and which is characterized by a uniform fall of the local taxation (minus 2% for the four taxes).

It was the last French independent biggest website in Europe. Multimania, like Respublica.fr which was bought by LibertySurf last year, is bought by a biggest website too, Lycos Europe. The giant portal, subsidiary of the Iberian-American Terra-Lycos and of the German Bertelsmann, had previously bought the Swedish Spray, who had acquired Caramail itself... a real food chain.

The actors the traditional economy who have come into the new economy are at the head of the medias, underlines Toutsurlacom.comwhich uses a survey of Infusion, a diagnosis-consulting company in communication. 'Over the 30 most mediatised actors of the new economy, 14 ones are big companies coming from the traditional economy (France Telecom and Vivendi at the head, just before AOL and Liberty Surf)', it is written. After all, start-ups are not among the leaders.

The admission of Monaco to the Council of Europe seems still so problematic. The demand, issued two years and half ago, is still blocked on the question of the reform of the electoral law.

Winter sales were supposed to be shortened and to cover 4 weeks instead of six, like this year. This matter should be met halfway then: five weeks of winter sales for 2002. It is the wish of François Patriat anyway, State secretary in charge of commerce, who suggested the following dates: from January 9th to February 17th 2002. At the beginning of the month, Laurent Fabius, minister of the Economy, already announced he was in favour of setting the same date for the end of the period of sales and the end of the use of the franc planned on February 17th.

World leader in software allowing the spreading of services in mobile telecommunication networks, wireline telephone and Internet networks, Ulticom set up in Sophia Antipolis last year. The company, listed at the Nasdaq, has its head office in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and an establishment in Dallas, Texas. By opening a development and support centre at the heart of the first French research park, Ulticom was aiming to strengthen its presence through Europe. This strategy revealed to be beneficial. Ulticom Europe has then grown.

In the Alpes-Maritimes 111.000 people are living in precarious financial conditions : that's the assessment that has been done by Prefect Jean-René Garnier during the month meeting organized with services which are struggling against exclusion. More in details, 99.000 people are living under the poverty line (3.650 francs per month), that is to say a bit less than 10% of the population. This percentage may be favourable to the Riviera (the national rate is 15%). But, you have to add 12.000 pensioners of more than 65 years old living in precarious financial conditions.

As for those who would like to know the project of /www.alpes-maritimes.pref.gouv.fr/pages/dossier_mois/_frame_dossier.html">Territorial Development Directiveof the French Riviera in the details, the whole provisory document (it is said that the directive is not ready yet) is published on the site of the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture. Divided in three chapters (positioning, environment, development), you will find all the options that will orientate the evolution of the department until year 2020.

The latest eye restructuring laser techniques will be presented at the Noga Hilton on March 24th during the Schwind symposium which gathers the best European ophthalmologists together.

The consensus for the distribution of the State-Region planning contract budgets seems to conclude. That's what can be said about the recent meeting of presidents of council of department of the PACA region (Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur) in Marseilles with the president of the Regional Council Michel Vauzelle as well as the prefect of the region, Yvon Ollivier.

/www.lefigaro.fr/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FutureTense/Apps/Xcelerate/View&c=figArticle&cid=FIG2UGPR8FC&live=true&Site=true&gCurChannel=ZZZXG1K648C&gCurRubrique=FIG8PCSQW8C&gCurSubRubrique=">'Cinq portails domineront l'internet européen'(Five portals will rule the Internet in Europe), is the title of Le Figaro, which took up a survey recently published by the research institute /www.forrester.com/Home/0,3257,1,FF.html">Forrester Research.

The site of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, launched around the promotion of business tourism, will also deal with economy on the French Riviera and tries to market services.

A new record for the airport with a progression of 7.1%, mainly due to the increase of European traffic. Air littoral (+33%) becomes the second company.

- INSEE: http://www.insee.frDemography, occupation, unemployment, health of French people, etc. : the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Surveys doesn't forget anything. The site is provided with general pieces of information. For further details, the INSEE offers a whole range of publications.- Eurostat:http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/eurostat/eurostat.htmlThe official site of the Statistic Office of European communities, an office created in 1953 in charge of collecting figured data to National Institutes of 15 Union member countries.

A new thing in the new phone directories of France Telecom to come: telephone numbers of mobile phones are going to be listed for the first time. The historic operator announced it on March 21st and then comes to fill a gap on the market. Indeed, despite the boom of mobile phones, FT's directories were still not including mobile phone numbers. The list won't only include subscribers of Itineris-Orange but also customers of mobile networks of SFR and Cegetel.

As at Telecom Geneva last year, there was a sole slogan at a mobile phone Fair which welcomed more than 10 000 visitors: Internet and the mobility.

L'Euro-American Institute of Technology propose une formation post-bac originale : préparer sur place le diplôme américain Bachelor Degree et partir à l'étranger dans les meilleurs conditions.

Il avait été question un moment de raccourcir les soldes d'hiver à 4 semaines au lieu de six comme cette année. La poire devrait être coupée en deux : cinq semaines de soldes d'hiver pour 2002. C'est en tout cas le souhait de François Patriat, secrétaire d'Etat chargé du Commerce, qui a proposé les dates du 9 janvier au 17 février 2002. Déjà en début de mois, Laurent Fabius, ministre de l'Economie, s'était déclaré favorable à ce que la fin de la période des soldes puisse coïncider avec le retrait de circulation du franc fixé au 17 février.

L'assemblée générale de la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Nice Côte d'Azur aura lieu le lundi 26 mars 2001 à 15 heures, à Nice, dans les locaux de la CCI, 20, boulevard Carabacel. A l'ordre du jour, notamment :- Sécurisation des transactions sur le Web : exposé et démonstration par M.