The State visit to the Kingdom of Belgium continues in Aalst, where HRH the Grand Duke is meeting the management of the Jan De Nul Group in the presence of ministers Xavier Bettel, Lex Delles and Yuriko Backes. Jan De Nul Group has become one of the world’s leading dredging companies. In addition, the group also carries out onshore work, pipeline construction and marine salvage. The principles of a trailing rope and cutter dredger will be explained using two simulators as training and engineering tools.
The cultural programme also includes a visit to St Bavo’s Cathedral, where TM the King and Queen of the Belgians and the HRH Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are welcomed by the Bishop of Ghent, Monsignor Lode Van Hecke. After a meeting with the locals on the Place Bavon, they take part in a guided tour of the cathedral and its “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” in the presence of Xavier Bettel and Yuriko Backes. This masterpiece, painted between 1420 and 1432 by the brothers Jan and Hubert Van Eyck, is currently undergoing the third phase of its restoration. It is considered to be the pinnacle of fifteenth-century Flemish painting.
HM the King of the Belgians and HRH the Grand Duke then travel to Liège, where they are welcomed by the Governor, Hervé Jamar, and the Mayor, Willy Demeyer. They visit the University of Liège to attend the opening of a seminar on security and defence challenges in and from space. Ministers Xavier Bettel, Lex Delles and Yuriko Backes, along with their Belgian counterparts Thomas Dermine and Ludivine Dedonder, are among the participants in this seminar, which aims to bring together Belgian and Luxembourg partners from the space, cybersecurity and defence ecosystems to highlight joint projects and seek new opportunities for cooperation that will bring added value to both countries. Opening speeches by these four ministers are followed by a thematic panel entitled “Protection of critical space assets” attended by the Belgian and Luxembourg Ministers of Defence, and a round table on “Secure communications” attended by HRH the Grand Duke, HM the King of the Belgians, Xavier Bettel, Lex Delles and Thomas Dermine and moderated by Marc Serres, CEO of the Luxembourg space agency.
Tuesday 16th April 2024
Press release by the Information and Press Service
On the second day of the State visit, a breakfast meeting of financial services leaders is held at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels, chaired by the Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, and his Belgian counterpart, Vincent Van Peteghem, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, responsible for Coordination and the Fight against Fraud and the National Lottery. HRH the Grand Duke and the King of the Belgians join them in the morning to discuss the Belgian and Luxembourg perspectives on economic financing.
The State visit concludes with a themed lunch at the Palais des Princes évêques, the headquarters of the Liège provincial administration, in the presence of the grand-ducal couple and the royal couple. The lunch, hosted by the Governor of the Province of Liège, Hervé Jamer, and the Mayor of Liège, Willy Demeyer, focuses on cross-border cooperation and co-development between Belgium and Luxembourg.
The official welcome ceremony takes place on the Place des Palais, where TRH the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess are welcomed by TM the King and Queen of the Belgians. After the review of the troops by HRH the Grand Duke and HM the King, and the playing of the national anthems, the delegations are officially presented and gifts are exchanged at the Royal Palace.
In late afternoon, Xavier Bettel, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, will hold political talks with his Belgian counterpart, Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Federal Cultural Institutions. The agenda for discussions includes bilateral and cross-border relations, both political and economic, as well as the major issues on the European and international political agenda. The two ministers also sign a memorandum of understanding on the exchange of diplomats.
The delegation first visits the North Sea Port Visitor Centre, where it attends a presentation of the port by Managing Director Daan Schalck. North Sea Port is one of Europe’s ten largest seaports, stretching over an area 60 kilometres long from Vlissingen and Terneuzen in the Netherlands to Ghent in Belgium. The programme also features a visit to Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) Engines, a company founded in 1912 and specialising in the manufacture of powerful hydrogen and hybrid engines for the shipping and energy sectors. The visit takes place in the presence of the company’s Managing Director, Tim Berckmoes.
Wednesday 17 April 2024
For his part, the Minister for the Economy, Lex Delles, is holding a bilateral meeting in Liège with Thomas Dermine, Secretary of State for Recovery and Strategic Investments, with responsibility for Science Policy, assistant to the Minister for the Economy and Labour of the Kingdom of Belgium.
Also at the Egmont Palace, HRH the Grand Duke and HM the King of the Belgians attend the opening of the Economic Forum entitled “Thriving Connections: Belgian-Luxembourg Economic relations”. The keynote speeches are given by the Director General of the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB), Pieter Timmermans, the President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Fernand Ernster, Belgian Minister Hadja Lahbib and Minister Xavier Bettel. The heads of state then met three pairs of Belgian and Luxembourg business leaders, who jointly present their cooperation projects. Meanwhile, the forum continues with, among others, a presentation by minister Lex Delles on the Luxembourg economy. It is followed by several parallel sessions focusing on tourism, health technologies, the circular economy and sustainable construction.
The Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, the Minister of the Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, and the Minister of Defence, Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity, Yuriko Backes, are joining the Grand Ducal couple during the three-day State visit. Prime Minister Luc Frieden and the Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, are also present at various points during the programme.
The Grand Ducal couple and the ministerial delegation then head for the Palais de la Nation, the seat of the Belgian federal parliament, which consists of two assemblies: the House of Representatives and the Senate. While at the Palace, the couple meets Stéphanie D’Hose, President of the Senate, and Eliane Tillieux, President of the House of Representatives. After visiting the two hemicycles, the Grand Ducal couple, accompanied by Xavier Bettel and Yuriko Backes, return to the Royal Palace where they meet the Belgian royal couple for lunch.
At Brussels City Hall on the Grand Place, TRH the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess are received by TM the King and Queen of the Belgians and by the Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close. After a moment of exchange, in the presence of Xavier Bettel, Lex Delles, Yuriko Backes and Gilles Roth, the Grand Ducal couple and the Royal couple, accompanied by the Mayor, greet the population from the balcony of the Town Hall.
In addition to high-level political, economic and cultural meetings, the official programme includes company visits to Brussels, Ghent and Liège. As part of this State visit, a large economic delegation, comprising representatives of more than 125 companies active in the sectors of the circular economy, renewable energies, health technologies, finance, tourism, (cyber-)security, defence and space cooperation, is accompanying the Grand Ducal couple.
In the early morning, HM the King of the Belgians and HRH the Grand Duke will visit Melsbroek air base, where the bi-national A400M unit of the 15th Air Transport Wing of the Defence of the Kingdom of Belgium is stationed. The sovereigns are welcomed by its commander, Air Force Colonel Bruno Beeckmans, the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Belgium, Ludivine Dedonder, Minister Yuriko Backes, Major General Thierry Dupont, Commander of the Belgian Air Force, and the Mayor of the municipality of Steenokkerzeel, Kurt Ryon. Luxembourg and Belgium have been cooperating closely for decades in the field of defence. In particular, the two countries will be setting up a bi-national combat reconnaissance battalion. HRH the Grand Duke and the King of the Belgians attend several presentations. They are first briefed on the Luxembourg police’s Airbus H145M helicopter, then on the activities of the Belgian Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (SEDEE) and the Luxembourg army’s Demining Service (SEDAL). They are then given a demonstration of the Integrator drone and have the opportunity to meet three Luxembourg students currently undergoing ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) training in Belgium. The visit to Melsbroeck also includes an exploration of an A400M flight simulator by HRH the Grand Duke and HM the King of the Belgians.
After a final meeting with the people of Liège, TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess take leave of Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Belgians on Place Saint-Lambert before returning to Luxembourg.
The Grand Ducal couple and the Sovereigns of the Kingdom of Belgium are then welcomed to the Provincial House in Ghent, the seat of the province’s central government, on the invitation of the Governor and Mayor of Ghent, to attend a themed lunch in the presence of Xavier Bettel, Lex Delles and Yuriko Backes. The topics discussed include the challenges facing the labour market and the energy sector in a sustainable economy.
Thursday 18 April 2024
The second day of the State visit concludes at the former Maison de la Radio in Brussels, known as Flagey and featuring several recording studios, including the famous Studio 4, which is renowned for its acoustics. The event features a concert by the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by a cocktail reception hosted by the Grand Ducal couple in honour of HM the King and Queen of the Belgians.
The first day of the State visit ends with a State banquet hosted by TM the King and Queen of the Belgians in honour of TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess at the Château de Laeken, the Belgian sovereign’s main residence, in the presence of Prime Minister Luc Frieden and his wife, Xavier Bettel and his husband, Lex Delles, Yuriko Backes and Gilles Roth.
Towards the end of the morning, TRH the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess and TM the King and Queen of the Belgians, accompanied by the ministerial delegation, travel to Ghent, in the province of East Flanders. They are welcomed by the Governor, Carina Van Cauter, and the Mayor, Mathias De Clerq.
The Royal Horse Escort then accompanies the vehicle of TRH the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess on their way from the Royal Palace to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who fell in the First and Second World Wars and the Belgian soldiers who have fallen on peace missions since 1945. HRH the Grand Duke lays a wreath of flowers on the grave and rekindles the eternal flame.
Meanwhile, HRH the Grand Duchess and HM the Queen of the Belgians are visiting the Palais des Beaux-Arts, also known as Bozar, to see the exhibition “Histoire de ne pas rire: le surréalisme en Belgique”. The exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of surrealism, the poetic and artistic movement of the twentieth century that grew out of the revolt embodied by the Dada movement at the end of the First World War. They are joined by the exhibition’s curator, Xavier Canonne.
This is the second State visit to Belgium by TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, reflecting the excellent relations between Luxembourg and Belgium, who are close neighbours united by strong historical, political, socio-economic and cultural ties. In addition to consolidating long-standing partnerships, the State visit also provides an opportunity to highlight new areas of cooperation and to stimulate progress and innovation with the aim of ensuring sustainable growth that respects the environment.
HRH the Grand Duchess and HM the Queen of the Belgians also visit the organisation Child Focus in Brussels, before moving on to Liège. This Belgian charitable foundation is dedicated to finding missing children and combating the sexual exploitation of minors, both online and offline. The Grand Duchess and the Queen are received by the Chairman of Child Focus, Baron François Cornelis, and the Foundation’s Director General, Heidi De Pauw. They are given the opportunity to find out about the foundation’s various missions and achievements, and to visit its offices.
