On Monday evening the Minister of State announced that the Conseil National's proposed legislation to protect Monaco's cultural heritage would not be transformed into draft legislation.

Although it was unanimously supported by parliament, the Government has decided not to develop it. It's disappointing, especially for Michele Dittlot, who passionately defended it as a means to fight the demolition of the Sporting d'Hiver.

Explaining the Government's decision, Michel Roger agreed on the importance of retaining emblems of the Principality's historic development, however not at the expense of economic development and optimizing space. The Minister of State reported that the Government is to deposit its own draft legislation on the subject within a year, dealing with both movable and immovable objects. It's unlikely to be similar in any way to the Conseil National's proposal, which the Government could have amended if it had chosen to.

Following the announcement, members of parliament expressed their disappointment. President of the Commission for Culture et Patrimoine Bernard Marquet said that the Government's actions had not been in the spirit of the constitutional changes of 2002, and Jean-Charles Gardetto asked why the Government had to write its own draft legislation rather than modifying the proposal.

Whatever the Government comes up with, it's not looking good for the Sporting d'Hiver. If plans for a cinema complex within the new construction projects in Condamine reach fruition, the Sporting Cinema will be obsolete. And Monte Carlo SBM has already made its intentions clear.

Preservation of heritage : turmoil in parliament

Conseil National : preservation of heritage and trust in question