INTERNATIONAL

Hanover: World Exposition 2000 in Germany

From June 1 to 31 October 2000, a universal World Exposition is being held in Germany for the first time. Ten years after its unification, the Federal Republic of Germany has the opportunity to present itself to the world and, together with the other nations of the world, search for avenues to a more livable future. Under the theme "Humankind"-Nature-Technology", Expo 2000 will point out the ways in which the global community can master the ecological and economic challenges of the present century.

The World exposition in Hanover consequently will not be a showcase for technical superlatives as was the case with previous World Expositions. Rather, it is designed to show how modern developments can be utilized to create harmony between technical advances and nature.

The idea of hosting a universal world exposition in Hanover was first considered as early as 1987. One a half years later the Federal Government officially submitted its bid to organize EXPO2000. Competition from other states was stiff, but in June 1990 Hanover was selected as the Expo 2000 site. With the theme, "Humankind-Nature-Technology", which provides a framework for presentation of a exceedingly wide range of achievements and solutions, Germany’s EXPO concept proved most convincing. Since then, the Federal Republic had been preparing itself for its role as the organized and host of this World Exposition.

The EXPO 2000 is currently on and Nepal’s Prime Minister Koirala is all set to visit Hanover.

"At Expo 2000 we can show our real nature-cosmopolitan, with real humanity, with a talent for international solidarity as one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We will present ourselves as a land, which is aware of its responsibility for creation. We will present ourselves as a land of culture, of inventors, as a land of people who can get things off the ground. I hope that Expo will also show that Germans can be cheerful. Expo can provide a picture of Germany, a respected calling card for entering the new millennium"’, said former Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

Expo 2000 in Hanover is taking place on a vast site covering 170 hectares. Unlike other world expositions, it is utilizing existing exhibition areas and fair installations. Very little space was required which mean those natural resources of life were preserved and resources conserved. Ecological considerations played prominent roles in the construction of all new buildings and in the realization of infrastructure projects.

The host of EXPO 2000 is the FRG: It invited the nations and international organizations to Hanover. According to the regulations of the Bureau International des Expositions, which awards the World Expositions on the basis of international conventions, the Federal Government is obligated to appoint a Commissioner General. The Commissioner General represents the Federal government in all matters pertaining to Expo 2000.

As from June 1998 it became possible to reach Expo 2000 from anywhere in the world under the telephone number 2000. The starting dates for ticket advance sales were set since then. Approximately 100,000 oversight guests are expected daily. Cities such as Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt am Main as well as Ruhr area have been integrated into the Expo tourism concept. A supra-regional reservation system has guaranteed that enough accommodations be available within this region to enable guests to reach the Expo site by high-speed ICE trains in less than two hours.

Arrangements have been made in such a manner that visitors will be brought to the Expo grounds in the most environmentally sound manner possible. Existing transport connections have been improved: The Hanover metropolitan railway network has been enlarged by a new line. New S-Bahn train connections will whisk visitors from the Hanover airport to the Expo site via the Hanover main train station in just 20 minutes. ICE trains will be able to stop at the new-main railway station built directly adjacent to the Expo grounds.

The thematic area: The Thematic area is a novelty in the history of World expositions. With this core element of the exposition, Expo 2000 Hanover GmbH is providing a platform for international institutions, scientific centers, firms and individuals to present their ideas and blueprints for a future in which humankind can live in harmony with nature. In the Thematic Area, the EXPO keynote theme "humankind-nature-technology"’ is being illustrated in an accessible and memorable manner.

Contributions to the Thematic Area have such themes as environmental protection, human health and nutrition, future source of energy, communications and mobility. The suggestions presented in the context of these contributions had clearly been oriented toward the goal of sustainable development. The Thematic area affords supposedly business and industry an extraordinary opportunity to show how the problems to today and tomorrow can be resolved with the aid of new techniques and technologies.

The spectrum of possible involvement by business and industry in Expo 2000 ranges from the role of an exclusive "World Partner" or product or project partner to direct participation as a license or concessionaire. A comprehensive "Partner handbook" describes the various possibilities in detail.

Projects all over the world: For the first time in the history of World Expositions, Expo 2000 has linked the central venue of the world exposition in Hanover with projects in the Hanover region, in Germany and all over the world. It will thus showcase practical initiatives which are being undertaken in all parts of the world to master the global challenges facing humankind and which can point out the way to a new relationship between humankind, nature and technology. The limelight will be on innovative projects and integrated economic solutions, which take into, account the ecological and economic imperatives as well as cultural and social interests of the respective society. All Expo 2000 International projects will be collected, thematically arranged in handbooks and included in the overall catalogue of events of the World Expositions, thus creating a unique reference work containing the world’s best solutions and ideas for mastering the challenges of the continuing millennium.

Culture and events program: The list of cultural projects is long and ranges from an international choral encounter, a youth orchestra competition and a joint performance by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scorpions to participation in the founding of an orchestra for 20th century music:; from Peter Stein’s Hanover dance festival to an international theatre festival which will take place under the name "Theatre forms"’. This largest German festival, which will feature performances spanning the theatrical spectrum from classical drama to the avant-garde, will involve the stages of the cities of Hanover and Brunswick as well as the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture.

ALCATEL is weaving its web

-Paul Cambon, Journalist, France

The French group. Already one of the world’s major telecom players has recently multiplied targeted corporate acquisitions in North America in order to respond even more effectively to the challenge of the tremendous world-wide growth in the Internet.

With a turnover in 1999 of over 23 billion Eoros, the French group Alcatel is one of the world’s top telecommunications equipment manufacturers after the American Lucent and the Canadian Nortel. Now a distant heir to CGE, founded in 1898, and which, throughout its long industrial venture, developed activities as diverse as electrical engineering, railway construction, nuclear technology and, of course, telecommunications, Alcatel has been refocusing on the telecom sector for over five years now. In 1995, this represented only approximately 45% of its turnover. 1998 was a crucial year with a heavily modified area of activities, due in particular to its reduced stake in Alstom’s capital and its withdrawal from Framatome-nuclear technology.

From electricity to telecommunications: "The refocusing of our activities has been a success"’, comments Jacques Dunogue, the group’s Secretary General. "In 1995 less than half our world turnover was in telecommunications. Four years later, telecommunications have increased their contribution to 85% in a turnover of a comparable amount. This strategic choice has therefore proved to be right inasmuch as telecommunications across the world have experienced a particularly strong average annual growth rate in recent years of 15%. And the trend is not flagging, particularly with the spectacular explosion of mobile telephones and the Internet, where Alcatel likes to think of itself today as one of the major "architects" on the world stage. In the 1980s, CGE had realized they needed to acquire an international dimension and get a foothold in the American telecom market, which seemed to be opening up with the AT&T monopoly ending on January 1, 1984. Three years later, it took over ITTs activities in Europe at the end of long bitter negotiations, GEC thus got over a decisive hurdle and became one of the biggest telecommunications players on the planet.

Alcatel has not forgotten this episode in the American venture. In October 1998, the group acquired DSC, a manufaturer in the United States of equipment for public telecommunications networks, at a price of 4.4 billion Euros. In March 1999, it took over Assured Access, specialists in Internet works technologies, for 350 million Euros, and Xylan, also an American company producing voice and data business equipment, for 2 billion Euros. In the autumn of the same year, it was the turn of the California company Genesys Telecommunications laboratories, software publishers for call centers- a heavily expanding market-to join Alcatel. The operation cost 1.5 billion Euros. Packet engines, manufacturer of high throughput routers, have also been taken over for 315 million euros.

The harvest does not stop there. In February Alcatel pulled out all the stops by announcing an agreement to acquire the Canadian Newbridge, which makes various items of the equipment for the mobile telephone network for Internet access providers or cable television, at a sum of over 7 billion euros. As the number one in the world in ATM, the Canadian firm also brings to Alcatel its ADSL technologies, fast Internet access via the telephone.

"This agreement is an important step in Alcatel’s strategy of positioning itself as a world leader in new generation networks capable of carrying an exploding volume of data, while providing an impeccable quality of service. With this operation we are adding to Alcatel’s top position in fast Internet access the considerable experience of Newbridge in ATM" explains Serge Tchruk, Chairman and managing director.

These various operations totaling investments of some 16 billion euros can also be explained by the influence of the Unites States with 40% of the world market that is 1312 billion francs in telecom equipment and half that of the voice and business data networks. Not forgetting the US qualities of dynamism and innovation, states Jacques Dunogue.

Established in 130 countries, Alcatel intends to develop in three areas:; the US, which have become its top market, since 1998, with almost 20% turnover, Europe over 60% turnover and the Pacific basin with 7.9% turnover. "Since the beginning of this year, we have been reorganizing our operation in this area, whose headquarters of activities are now in Sanghai. A world first"’, Jacques Dunogue points out.

Alcatel is present with twenty or so joint ventures in China-top world market for mobile telephones-where the authorities have announced their desire to open the country up to e-commerce. (Label France. Number 40.July, 2000)