Activities

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

On 22nd June 2020, a week after the German-French border reopened, the French Honorary Consul Michael Mack received Ms. Brigitte Klinkert, President of the Haut-Rhin Department Council. During the Coronavirus crisis, the two of them worked very hard to maintain Franco-German cooperation. For this reason, the main topic of their meeting was the continuation of the projects of cooperation between the Department of Haut-Rhin and the consular district of Freiburg & Tübingen, such as the Post-Fessenheim Plan and the construction of the Freiburg-Colmar railway line. Immediately following this, Brigitte Klinkert was appointed ‘ministre déléguée’ for integration measures at the beginning of July. Michael Mack congratulated her on this new position.

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

The ceremony to reopen the German-French border took place on 15th June 2020 at the Centre for European Consumer Protection in Kehl. In addition to the French Honorary Consul Michael Mack, there were also numerous public figures from both countries who are committed to maintaining and strengthening Franco-German relations during the Corona crisis. Their common message is: “The Rhine is no longer a border!”
In the period from mid-March to mid-June 2020, when the border between the two countries was closed, the French Honorary Consulate in Freiburg stood with French and German citizens and offered help and information. 295 emails and 172 calls were processed, sometimes on weekends or outside of normal working hours. The calls from other parts of Germany were not uncommon. Most of the inquiries, of course, related to the regulations for managing the spread of Coronavirus in France and Germany, and the easiest way to get across the border.

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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.

In his address, Minister President Kretschmann emphasised that the Consuls General, Consuls and Honorary Consuls working in Baden-Württemberg were “bridge builders and links between our states”. At the same time, they help their fellow citizens as contacts and on-site service providers. He thanked his guests for their work with the words “They help our state to have such great economic, scientific, cultural and personal connections all over the world.”

In Baden-Württemberg, there are currently more than 60 states represented by Consular representations. Most of them are Honorary Consulates, of which the French Honorary Consulate in Freiburg is one of the oldest.

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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.

At the invitation of the French Honorary Consul Michael Mack, 30 representatives of the partnership associations and German-French societies from the administrative districts of Freiburg and Tübingen met to kick off the new year. Among them were the two directors of the Franco-German secondary school from Freiburg and Dr. Nadine Fouques-Weiss, board member of the Assembly of French Living Abroad. In the middle of the French themed area of Germany’s largest theme park, the guests had the opportunity to share their experiences with Michael Mack in person. He paid particular attention to connecting Franco-German associations. “It is important to me that the key members of civil society involved in Franco-German friendship have the opportunity to exchange ideas and support one another,” said the Honorary Consul.
In addition to the guests at the reception, another 100 members and friends of registered associations came to Rust on 12th January. After the productive meeting, everyone spent the rest of the day in Europa-Park, which presented itself in winter clothes.

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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.

Before the retirement of its long-time director Martine Chantrel, the French Cultural Centre organised a farewell party. Since she had also served as the French Honorary Consul in Freiburg from 2004–2018, she received a lithograph by Tomi Ungerer from her successor, Michael Mack. French Ambassador Anne-Marie Descôtes awarded Ms. Chantrel the Order of Chevalier de l´ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
On the same day, Honorary Consul Mack, together with Ambassador Descôtes, also took part in the celebration at Albert Ludwigs University to mark the 30th anniversary of the France Centre. On this occasion, Michael Roth, Member of the Bundestag, Minister of State for Europe in the Foreign Office and representative for German-French cooperation, gave a talk on the subject of The Treaty of Aachen in the auditorium of the university. For a Franco-German cooperation that looks to the future.

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

On 24th October 2019, the kick-off event for the tree-planting campaign of the Konsular Korps Deutschland (Corps Consulaire e.V., CCD for short), took place in Rust. With this campaign, the Honorary Consuls active in Germany wish to set a further example for sustainable climate and nature conservation. Together with their host Michael Mack, the Honorary Consuls Prof. Dr. Wolfram Scharff, Siegfried Rapp and Hasnat Mia planted numerous Cornelian cherries at the new Rulantica water world.
The long-term goal of the environmental initiative ‘Honorary Consuls Plant Trees Worldwide’ is to plant as many trees and plants in the most sustainable way possible, starting in Germany and then worldwide. This tree sponsorship project ensures that all saplings will continue to be cared for by local employees. The initiative came about at the suggestion of Siegfried Rapp, Honorary Consul of Ecuador in Baden-Württemberg, as a sign of Consular responsibility for climate and nature conservation.

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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.

The theme of the special award was the cross-border architecture between Germany and France. An independent expert jury decided to award this special prize to the French engineer and architect Marc Mimram and his consulting civil engineers from Germany and France for the bridge on the two banks (Passerelle de Deux Rives). This bridge has been connecting the cities of Kehl and Strasbourg since the State Garden Show in 2004. The symbolism of the award-winning building was emphasised by the French Honorary Consul Michael Mack in his speech. For him, bridges are an excellent symbol of meeting and communication, which is particularly evident in a border region like this one on the Rhine.
The first Baden Architecture Prize was awarded on 11th October 2019 in the European Forum on the Rhine as part of a festive gala. The aim of this initiative by the Grossman Group from Kehl is to promote and honour architectural achievements. The patron of the award was the district administrator of the Ortenau district, Frank Scherer. Interested parties could apply for seven categories. A honorary award and a young talent award were also awarded. 

You can find more information about the Baden Architecture Prize here.

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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.

Ringsheim signed the partnership deed with Albigny-sur-Saône, a French municipality near Lyon, in 1994. This 25-year anniversary was celebrated on the weekend of 5th and 6th October with a citizens’ meeting, to which more than 120 citizens from Albigny traveled to Germany, as well as a ceremony in the Ringsheim town hall. In his celebratory address, Honorary Consul Michael Mack praised the lively celebration, as the municipal partnerships are renewed again and again through events like this one in Ringsheim, where many children were also able to take part. In conclusion, he emphasised that all those involved in the partnership between Ringsheim and Albigny can be proud of their contribution to the Franco-German friendship.

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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. The French President Emmanuel Macron invited guests to the festive event in the fantastically decorated and magnificent Elysée Palace. As Honorary Consul of France, Michael Mack took this opportunity to further strengthen the Franco-German friendship with the French President.

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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.

71 pupils were able to ride the Madame Freudenreich attraction and can now leaf through the Alsatian version of the book.

The children are attending 5th grade and are learning German and Alsatian, either in ‘immersion’ which means that they do not speak French at all at school, or in ‘classe bilingue’, alternating between German, Alsatian and French.
The aim of this initiative is to get young people excited about bilingualism in our region.

Viel Vergnieje on e scheener Dàj !

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