NEWSPAPER

The European Casino Association detailed the “devastating” effect of COVID-19 on the region’s gaming industry, saying the land-based casino industry has suffered the brunt of the impact.

Detailing the results of a member survey, the association says European casinos were closed on average 136 days in 2020, with the vast majority not having been able to accommodate customers in 2021 so far.

It is added that 70% of casinos in Europe remain closed with exceptions, such as Luxembourg, Spain and Monaco, having reopened in 2021 under specific restrictions, while the most affected casinos, such as in Sweden, have been closed. for a whole year. .

Other findings indicate that European land operators have seen their revenues fall by more than 50% in the past year and that the majority of ECA members do not have a clear timeline for the official reopening of their businesses. .

Employment in the sector is also expected to be seriously affected, with the 900 casinos of ECA members employing more than 70,000 before the pandemic, a figure expected to rise to 50,000.

“This is the deepest trough the European land-based casino industry has ever seen. The financial impact of the pandemic on the land-based casino industry has been extreme, and these figures show the economic realities of COVID-19 on the European land-based casino industry, ”said Per Jaldung, President of the ECA.

“Some casinos have closed permanently and many casino employees have lost their jobs. We are under no illusions that the industry may soon return to “business as usual”. We are, in fact, very far from the status quo ”.

Restricted hours of operation, maximum occupancy and amenity limitations, social distancing protocols, restricted gaming offerings, protective measures including plexiglass, masks and on-site testing are just a few of the barriers that l The land-based casino business is currently facing.

Country-to-country variations in restrictions and mandates have also been compounded by regional variations within national borders, with these restrictions seen as the next major challenge for the industry.

“Customers want to visit the casinos again,” added Hermann Pamminger, Secretary General of the ECA. “The easing and tightening of many bottlenecks in 2020 demonstrated the ability of the land sector to resume operations in a safe and responsible manner.

“Customer registration has enabled quick and convenient social distancing measures, and casinos have implemented comprehensive hygiene initiatives, far exceeding local requirements, ensuring our customers feel comfortable and safe. security.

“Our industry is part of the service and tourism sector in which we employ a large number of highly qualified and motivated people. The closures affected 130,000 direct and indirect employees, not only in our gaming facilities, but also in our restaurants and entertainment areas.

“Our employees cannot wait for the day business is back to normal and they can once again welcome guests to their casinos and entertainment venues, but our industry continues to need support to make this happen for an extremely long time. hard.”

– The new Eurasian land bridge is an international passage connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic. The bridge connects the Chinese coastal towns of Lianyungang and Rizhao with Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Antwerp in Belgium, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. It serves more than 30 countries and regions.

– Over the past 28 years, the land bridge has undergone various changes, including the trains traveling on the route and the goods carried by the trains.

– The land bridge has helped to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe.

NANJING / BERLIN, February 8 – At Lianyungang Port in east China’s Jiangsu Province, several cranes slowly lift colorful containers and arrange them in a row, ready to be transported by China-Europe freight trains .

The products, including face masks, elevators and building materials, will be shipped to Asian and European destinations ahead of the Spring Festival, which falls on February 12 this year.

The city of Lianyungang is the eastern terminal of the 10,900 km New Eurasian Land Bridge (NELB), an international passage connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic. The bridge connects the Chinese coastal towns of Lianyungang and Rizhao with Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Antwerp in Belgium, passing through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. It serves more than 30 countries and regions.

In the past five years, international freight trains have made about 4,000 trips from Lianyungang Port.

“In January alone, 32 China-Europe freight trains passed through Lianyungang Port, and 23 freight trains are expected to depart in February,” said Zuo Xuemei, deputy general manager of Lianyungang China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Co., Ltd.

YEARS OF CHANGE

On December 1, 1992, a locomotive pulled the first international freight train to Central Asia and Europe from Lianyungang, marking the official opening of the NELB. The locomotive has been preserved to this day in Lianyungang Port, testifying to the transformation of economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe.

Shen Gang, along with Sinotrans Land Bridge Transportation Co., Ltd., said the company is the pioneer in providing transportation services on the NELB.

“The first international train was loaded with 30 containers and 15 bulk freight cars,” Shen said. “Initially, it was an internal combustion locomotive with an average speed of 40 km / h. Today, the railway is electrified, with an average speed of 80 to 120 km / h.

Last year, 554 China-Europe freight trains left and arrived in Lianyungang.

Recalling the good old days, Shen said previous workers had to accompany trains to ensure the safe arrival of goods. “However, now we can get logistics information through the Internet at any time, which makes the whole process more convenient and efficient,” Shen added.

Bruce Wei, Managing Director of World Jaguar Logistics Inc., Lianyungang Branch, began engaging in rail transport services along the NELB in 2012. The products delivered via this route have undergone significant changes over the years. , did he declare.

“In the past, the main products were used automobiles and building materials. But now elevators, electronics and solar panels are also being shipped, reflecting the improved standard of living of people. people along the NELB, ”Wei said.

The NELB is not only a simple transport corridor, it also connects China’s interior provinces with Europe and connects all the interior countries with each other, said Li Yuan, professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

When the pandemic hit global maritime logistics hard, medical supplies made in China were routinely shipped to Europe via the Eurasian Continental Bridge. This signifies the importance of the land transport corridor, Li said.

Last year, China-Europe freight trains carried 5,580 tons of anti-epidemic supplies to European countries, including Germany, Serbia, Poland and Austria from the Chinese city of Wuhan alone, have the authorities announced in December.

CLOSER COOPERATION

China has become the EU’s largest trading partner, while the EU is now China’s second largest trading partner. The EU is also China’s third-largest source and destination for investment.

On December 30, it was announced that China and the European Union had completed negotiations for an investment agreement as scheduled after 35 rounds of negotiations, a milestone in the development of China-EU relations. The agreement will provide better market access, a better business environment, stronger institutional guarantees and better prospects for cooperation for mutual investment.

“The strengthening of economic ties, in particular the elimination of investment and trade barriers between China and Europe, will lead to the steady recovery and growth of the world economy in the post-pandemic era,” he said Li said.

Over the years, the land bridge has helped to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe.

In the German inland port city of Duisburg, containers specially designed for China-Europe freight trains are often seen at various transfer centers. They are used to export clothing, electronics and household appliances from China to Europe. Meanwhile, more and more cars, machinery and food continue to enter China from Europe via the land bridge.

Xavier Wanderpepen, head of China-Europe rail freight activities at Forwardis, a subsidiary of national rail company SNCF Logistics, was impressed by the boom in freight train operations between China and Europe in the first half of 2020 .

“In my company, since April 2020, the demand for trains has increased significantly. The increase is over 20% compared to 2019,” said Wanderpepen.

According to official figures, a record 12,400 China-Europe freight train trips were made in 2020, up 50 percent from the previous year. It is also the first time that freight train travel between China and Europe has exceeded 10,000 per year.

Building on the success of a booming cooperation, Chinese and European companies are also seeing their exchanges increase. In Duisburg, for example, more than 100 Chinese companies have started doing business, up from just 40 in 2014, according to official figures. An investment center and a trade association have also been established there.

Even during the COVID-19 outbreak, China and Europe saw growth in bilateral trade, with imports and exports between China and 27 European Union member countries increasing by around 2.6% in year-on-year change in the first seven months of 2020.

“China-Europe freight trains have played an important role in economic development along the New Eurasian Land Bridge and in the growth of China-Europe bilateral trade in 2020,” said Chen Fengying, researcher at China Institutes of International Relations contemporary. .

Strengthening bilateral economic ties between the two sides would generate more business opportunities, create new jobs and increase confidence in the economic recovery of China, Europe and the rest of the world, Li Yuan said.

Chinese and European companies have enormous opportunities for cooperation to build new economic corridors along the NELB, Li added.

Logistical diversification is an advantage, and good land connections, such as the NELB, will make connections “wider and stronger,” said Dr Michael Borchmann, former ministerial director of the state of Hesse, Germany, and Senior Advisor of the China International Investment Promotion Agency.

Petaluma, California – For eight weeks starting January 13, 2020, Eataly NYC will share with the world why Asiago PDO, Speck Alto Adige IGP and Pecorino Romano PDO are the undisputed “Rare Flavors of Europe” through exhibitions, tastings and special events. and menus throughout the Epicurean Mecca’s Flatiron location.

The promotional period begins with special restaurant menus on January 13, followed by dedicated retail exhibitions, staff training and a consumer class, open to the public on January 17, 2020 from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“We are delighted to have our product at Eataly where American buyers can taste the flavor of our product, just like Italian consumers do every day,” said Luca Cracco, director of Consorzio Asiago AOP.

As part of the “Enjoy, it’s from Europe” campaign adopted by the European Union, the “Uncommon Flavors of Europe” program, which is in its third year, brings together these three typically Italian foods by highlighting their closely related distinctive qualities. to their unique places of origin. .

After opening its first American site in New York in 2010, Eataly now has six sites in the United States, 37 of which are worldwide, and is the undisputed first Italian supplier of food products dedicated to small producers and of exquisite quality.

“Eataly is the perfect partner to help share the extraordinary flavors of Speck Alto Adige, Pecorino Romano and Asiago cheese with American consumers,” said Danielle Caponi Bolla, founder of Ponte Collaborative who is responsible for organizing the program. three years. “These three regional dishes from Italy are steeped in history and are largely still prepared the same way they were centuries ago. It is an honor to represent the families and farmers who make these special products and to work with Eataly on their behalf.

The “Enjoy, it’s from Europe” program promotes Europe’s protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI) foods and provides information on the EU’s quality system which strives to protect the names of quality agricultural products.

About partner products
Asiago PDO is made from the milk of cows that graze in lush fields in the provinces of Trento and Vicenza and parts of the provinces of Padua and Treviso. Fresh Asiago tastes like creamy milk and melts easily on the tongue while aged Asiago ranges from sweet and yeasty to hints of hazelnut and even salted caramel, all depending on age ranging from 4 months to 15 months or more.

The Speck Alto Adige IGP, made exclusively in the Italian province of Alto Adige, is a unique ham that combines the traditions of curing in the air of the Mediterranean with the traditions of smoking in the Alps. The process begins with the careful selection of high quality lean pork thighs.

Pecorino Romano PDO dates back 2,000 years and proudly carries on the rich and long history of the ancient Roman sheep’s milk cheeses in Italy. Sheep still graze in wild pastures filled with native flora on the island of Sardinia, the Lazio region and the province of Grosseto. It is only there that Pecorino Romano PDO can be made from fresh whole sheep’s milk from October to July.

About PDO and IGP
Among the EU quality certifications, PDO certified foods have the strongest possible link with original historical practices, as their ingredients must come from and their production must take place in the natural environment in which the product has grown. developed. IGP foods are made with traditional production methods in their historic places of origin. While the raw ingredients can come from outside the production area but within the EU, all ingredients are scrupulously checked for quality.