Second Day of the State Visit to France - Paris

On the second day of the State Visit to France, the King and Queen continue their appointments in the capital of France.

The Sovereigns are joined today by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the Self-Employed, SMEs and Agriculture, Institutional Reform and Democratic Renewal, Mr. David Clarinval, as well as the Minister-Presidents of the Brussels-Capital Region, the French Community and the Walloon Government, Mr. Rudi Vervoort, Ms. Élisabeth Degryse and Mr. Adrien Dolimont.

The King starts the day with a discussion on the challenges for the future of the industry in Europe, in the presence of four Belgian and four French CEOs. Indeed, Belgium and France are working closely together on a strong industrial policy, by giving priority to European sovereignty. This theme fits in seamlessly with the next programme item. The economic forum on the Belgian-French cooperation on the decarbonisation of our companies aims to exchange about solutions to achieve carbon neutrality in the near future. The King will be assisted by the CEOs of the three Belgian regional trade promotion agencies, Ms. Pascale Delcomminette of the Agence wallonne à l'Exportation et aux Investissements étrangers (AWEX), Ms. Isabelle Grippa of hub.brussels, and Mr. Piet Demunter of Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT).

The Royal Couple rounds off the morning with a meeting with the Mayor of Paris, Mrs. Anne Hidalgo, at the city hall of the City of Light. The King and Queen then attend a lunch at the Residence of the Belgian Ambassador, with both Belgian and French actors from the creative and cultural industries in France.

In the afternoon, the delegation visits the Sorbonne, where they meet with Belgian and French students, and the rectors of the European university alliances. During these discussions, the students will highlight the added value of these academic collaborations for their studies.

To end the day, the King and Queen visit the Centre Pompidou to see works of art lent by Belgium as part of the exhibition dedicated to Surrealism, followed by a reception hosted by the Ambassador of Belgium, H.E. Jo Indekeu.