Activities

At the initiative of Gaël de Maisonneuve, the Consul General of France in Stuttgart, the French National Day was celebrated at Freiburg im Breisgau for the first time.

French citizens living in Ortenau were again able to cast their votes in the snap parliamentary election held on 30. June and 7. July 2024.

Five French and German school classes came together, having been invited by Michael Mack, to share their experiences working on the theme of fairy tales through the course of a year.

Nearly 90,000 French people living in Germany were called to the ballot boxes on 9. June 2024 for the European election. For the first time, a polling station was set up in Offenburg.

Over 100 school pupils from the Joseph Storck and JBS Chardin vocational schools in Guebwiller and Gérardmer respectively took part in a discovery day organised by the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW). This concerned getting to grips with the hotel and restaurant industry.

Since 2014, Michael Mack has sponsored the Prix Bartholdi, a unique kind of international university prize. On 26th November 2021, the 21st ceremony for the Prix Bartholdi was held, allowing an opportunity to draw attention to outstanding students from the French-German-Swiss Upper Rhine region.

The Prix Bartholdi, a unique international academic award, afforded the opportunity to draw attention to outstanding students from the French, German and Swiss regions of the Upper Rhine.

Gaël de Maisonneuve, Consul General of France in Stuttgart, has officially extended the term of Michael Mack as French Honorary Consul for a further five years.

Two school classes focussing on architecture and construction have joined together in Franco-German teams inside Europa-Park to seek distinguishing features of European architecture.

Invited by Michael Mack, important decision makers from Germany, France and Switzerland came together at the Europa-Park theme park for the first time on the occasion of the ‘RheinForum 182’.

Alongside numerous personalities at Europa-Park, Michael Mack celebrated the 11th Alsace Day, a true highlight of the year presenting the cultural riches and traditions of the neighbouring border region.

Alongside other personalities from France, Germany and the rest of Europe, Michael Mack took part in the 30th anniversary of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) at the Strasbourg headquarters of Franco-German TV channel ARTE.

Having been invited by Michael Mack, six French and German school classes came together to present the results of their work on the topic of fairy tales they had carried out over the course of one year.

Michael Mack welcome around 60 young people from French and German secondary schools to a new kind of school event about onomatopoeia and the transcription of sounds in the German and French languages.

After three years of the pandemic, the Honorary Consul was keen to resume student exchanges between France and Germany. About forty secondary school students from the Collège de Coutances in Normandy and the Gymnasium of Ettenheim could therefore get acquainted with the cultural diversity of Europe together.

Around 50 students from the Alexandre Dumas hotel industry school in Illkirch-Graffenstaden took part in a discovery day organised by the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW) to gain insights into the hotel and restaurant industries.

The honorary consulate had the honour of awarding the first prizes in the Cross-Border Oratory Competition, organised by the Lower Rhine chapter of the Association of Members of the Ordre des Palmes académiques (AMOPA, a union of those awarded an honour by the French Ministry of Education) and the AMOPA Süddeutschland e.V. in Strasbourg, the capital of the Grand Est region.

After three years of the pandemic, the Honorary Consul was keen to resume student exchanges between France and Germany. About forty secondary school students from the Collège de Coutances in Normandy and the Gymnasium of Ettenheim could therefore get acquainted with the cultural diversity of Europe together.

The French Cultural Centre in Freiburg (CCFF), the Southern Upper Rhine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Craftspeople’s Guild of Freiburg have invited three businesses from the border regions to report on their experiences there. Europa-Park, employer to over 1,000 French workers, was invited to speak of their strategies of recruiting their workforce in France and integration measures offered by their employers.

The French Cultural Centre in Freiburg (CCFF), the Southern Upper Rhine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Craftspeople’s Guild of Freiburg have invited three businesses from the border regions to report on their experiences there. Europa-Park, employer to over 1,000 French workers, was invited to speak of their strategies of recruiting their workforce in France and integration measures offered by their employers.

Former Member of the European Parliament Daniel Cohn-Bendit was guest of honour at an event organised concurrrently by the three Franco-German societies in Baden-Baden, Freiburg and Colmar, supported by the Honorary Consul.

The Mack family has continued with its commitment to Franco-German friendship, supporting the creation of a bilingual learning kit on the topic of World War I for primary and secondary school pupils.

Invited by Michael Mack, the newly elected Youth Council of the City of Strasbourg had the opportunity to hold the first cohesion seminar of its tenure at Europa-Park.

Alongside other figures, Michael Mack was invited to participate in the traditional thanksgiving service for the Armistice of 1918, which took place at the national moment at Hartmannswillerkopf in Alsace.

The annual meeting of the German Consular Corps Association (CCD) took place at Europa-Park for the first time. 39 Honorary Consuls from all over German came together for discussions on how to strengthen cross-border collaboration.

Alongside multiple personalities at Europa-Park, celebrating the traditional Alsace Day was something close to Michael Mack’s heart as an annual highlight for the (re-)discovery of the neighbouring border region’s cultural riches and traditions.

Michael Mack was invited, alongside a jury of eleven personalities, to take part in the election of Miss Alsace 2022. For the first time, Miss Germany 2022 was also present.

As part of a business meeting with entrepreneurs from the Upper Rhine, Michael Mack welcomed Alsace native Oliver Becht, the new Minister to Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad.

96,219 French people living in Germany were called to the polls on 5th and 10th June 2022 for the French parliamentary elections. The honorary consulate Freiburg-Tübingen took an active role in this, with presidency in one of the polling stations, which was located in the German-French high school in Freiburg.

On 3rd June 2022, more than 60 young people from all over Europe, as well as representatives of German-French institutions, met in Europa-Park at the conclusion of the European Civic Service Festival. The project, which aims to promote the mobility of young people across Europe, received particular support from Honorary Consul Michael Mack.

On 22nd May 2022, around 90 pupils from the Collège Caroline Aigle in Strasbourg and the Gymnasium Kenzingen took part in a Cross-Border Discovery Day, organised by the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW) in Europa-Park.

On 10th and 24th of April 2022, the 96,219 French people living in Germany were called to the polls for the French presidential elections. The Honorary Consulate of Freiburg-Tübingen campaigned for this and took the chair of one of the polling stations, which was located in the German-French academic high school in Freiburg.

Michael Mack welcomed around 100 young choristers from two colleges in the Mulhouse region, in order to congratulate them on their commitment to the planning of a joint musical, carried out in collaboration with the Mulhouse Conservatory and the Théâtre de la Sinne.

Michael Mack took part in a panel discussion organised by the IHK Südlicher Oberrhein, which brought together several experts to discuss the possible impact of the French presidential election on companies in the southern Upper Rhine.

Michael Mack, Managing Partner of Europa-Park, as part of this year’s edition of the ‘E Friehjohr fer meine Spoch’, attended the event organixed by the Office pour la Langue et les Cultures d’Alsace et de Moselle (OLCA) on 26th March 2022 in Colmar and was awarded a ‘Trophée des Schwälmele’.

Michael Mack welcomed Jeanne Barseghian, the mayor of Strasbourg, during a meeting of economic and political actors from the Ortenau Economic Region (WRO), which took place on 22nd February 2022 at the hotel ‘Colosseo’ in Europa-Park.

The French Honorary Consulate in Freiburg-Tübingen, Europa-Park and the Straßburg Academy have entered into a cross-border partnership with the aim of providing secondary school students, high school students and/or trainees aged 15 to 18 with further training and accompanying them in their professional preparation and to carry out cultural activities involving young people on both sides of the Rhine.

Michael Mack was also able to welcome Cécile Wolfrom, new Miss Alsace 2021 and third place winner in the Miss France 2022 competition, in a Europa-Park arranged for a magical winter season.

As part of the ’Through Alsace in 80 days’ campaign, Michael Mack had the opportunity to exchange views with the President of the European Regional Authority of Alsace (CeA), Mr. Frédéric Bierry and to give him an update on the progress of the settlement of the Mack NeXT company, show the French headquarters of the Mack International Group, as well as update on the status of the related development projects around the Kempferhof Golf Club.

Michael Mack had a conversation with Mr. Julien Koegler, who has been the mayor of the municipality of Gerstheim since 11th January 2021, succeeding Ms. Laurence Muller-Bronn, who became senator of the Bas-Rhin department.

Michael Mack welcomed eighteen members and two speakers from Capentreprendre, a cooperative of activities in various professional fields (Coopérative d’activité et d’emploi multi-métiers – CAE) of the SaarMoselle youth cooperative (Coopérative Jeunesse de Services SaarMoselle) in Forbach to talk with them about the role and the various tasks of the Honorary Consul, but also to discuss cross-border projects in Europe.

On 11th July 2021, Michael Mack took part in a meeting in favour of the Chapelle de la Rencontre, which took place in Portalès Castle in the presence of the President of the French Senate, Gérard Larcher, and the President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Schäuble.

Europa-Park wanted to participate in a project of the “Franco-German Voices of Youth”. A great opportunity for French and German youth to make their voices heard!

Michael Mack met Anne-Marie Descôtes, French Ambassador to Germany, on the occasion of her visit to Kehl on 6 May 2021.

Michael Mack resumed his engagement on the Franco-German Discovery Day of the Franco-German Youth Office (Office Franco-Allemand pour la Jeunesse – OFAJ), which took place on 28th April 2021, thus enabling an exchange between students and representatives of the Europa-Park company.

Michael Mack held talks with Vincent Muller, the French Secretary General of the Franco-German Committee for Cross-Border Cooperation (AGZ), which has been based in Kehl since 1st January 2021.

Michael Mack met with representatives of the Centre for European Consumer Protection (ZEV) in Kehl to talk to the President, Mr. Vincent Thiébaut, the Secretary General, Ms. Martine Merigeau, and the project manager, Christian Tiriou, about the current focus of work.

At the invitation of the Honorary Consul Michael Mack, the winners of the state award in the French solo category and the members of the Baden-Württemberg state jury of the Federal Foreign Languages Competition gathered in Europa-Park on 12th September 2020.

Many guests from Germany and France attended Michael Macks’ Consular reception on the French national holiday.

Michael Mack welcomed the participants of the Franco-German transport conference.

Brigitte Klinkert, President of the Haut-Rhin Department Council, visited the Honorary Consul Michael Mack after the German-French border reopened.

Michael Mack took part in the reopening of the German-French border.

At the invitation of Minister President Winfried Kretschmann, Michael Mack took part in the dinner that was organised on 10th March 2020 for the members of the Consular Corps of the state of Baden-Württemberg in the New Palace in Stuttgart.

An efficient connection between key members involved in civil society of Franco-German friendship at the state level, as well as a stronger involvement of young people in the club activities – these were the wishes that were expressed at the first consular New Year’s reception on 12th January 2020 in Europa-Park.

Michael Mack took part in two France-related events in Freiburg on 2nd December 2019: the farewell to Martine Chantrel, the long-time director of the Centre Culturel Français, and the talk on the occasion of the 30thanniversary of the France Centre.

Michael Mack hosted the start of the environmental initiative ‘Honorary Consuls Plant Trees Worldwide’ on 24thOctober 2019.

During the award ceremony of the first Baden Architecture Prize on 11th October 2019, the French Honorary Consul Michael Mack announced the special prize in the German-French architecture category.

On 5th October, at the invitation of the Mayor of Ringsheim Pascal Weber, Honorary Consul of France Michael Mack took part in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the community partnership Ringsheim – Albigny-sur-Saône.

Michael and Miriam Mack accompanied Ms. Brigitte Klinkert, President of the Alsatian Departmental Council Haut-Rhin, on 9th July 2019, when she was presented the ‘Officier de la Légion d’Honneur’ badge.

Michael Mack, Honorary Consul of the Republic of France, invited 4 bilingual schools (Haguenau, Ingersheim, Gerstheim, Mulhouse) from the ABCM Bilingual Association, of which Tomi Ungerer was Honorary President, to Europa-Park on 4th June 2019.

Michael Mack’s Honorary Consular office in Freiburg organised the European elections for French citizens who wanted to vote for the French lists.

Miriam Mack, 1st chairwoman of the European Centre for Fairy-Tale Culture, welcomed around 550 children to the German-French Fairy-Tale Day in Europa-Park on 13th May 2019.

Michael Mack invites you to the ‘Euro Electro Show’ on Friday, 5th July 2019. A pyrotechnic show with a DJ awaits you and your friends!

On 14th May 2019, Michael Mack, in his role as Honorary Consul, joined the start of the first Eurodistrict school charity run in the garden of the Zwei Ufer between Strasbourg and Kehl.

The FEFA, Fondation Entente Franco-Allemande, has officially given a picture by Tomi Ungerer to the Mack family and Europa-Park.

A French delegation of politicians from Alsace (Conseil Départemental du Haut-Rhin) visited Europa-Park on 30th April 2019.

Michael Mack’s first appearance as Honorary Consul of France at the University of Freiburg was a great success!

French schoolchildren visit local company Europa-Park.

At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Michael Mack took part in the Choose France Summit in the Palace of Versailles on Monday 21st January 2019.

As Honorary Consul of the Republic of France, Michael Mack was invited to the tri-national meeting in Colmar.