Dutch Working Visit to Germany – Day 1

After ending the State Visit to Denmark, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima started a two days working visit to Germany on Thursday March 19.

At their arrival in Lübeck, in the State of Schleswig-Holstein, the Royal Couple was welcomed in the Town Hall Square by the President-Minister of the State, Torsten Albig. The King and the Queen received a warm welcome by all the people who were gathered in the square waiting to greet the couple.

In the Town Hall took place an audience with the President-Minister and then the King and the Queen signed the City’s Visitors’ Book in the audience chamber. After, the Royal Couple, along with the President-Minister Albig, visited the Dräger Medical, a Germany company specialized on production of high-quality medical equipment for hospitals. The King and Queen also visited the test laboratories of the company and various medical systems.

Then there was a visit to the Thünen Institute of Ecological Farming, where the Royal Couple was accompanied by the German Minister of Agriculture, Christian Schmidt. The King and the Queen were informed about the organic agriculture in Germany and the institue’s research projects. At the end of the visit, the King and the Queen, along with the Director and the President of the Institute, planted two apple trees: the King planted a variety of tree from the costal region of Germany andt the Queen a variety from the Netherlands.

The first day of the working visit ended in Hamburg. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were welcomed at the Town Hall by Olaf Scholz, the Mayor of Hamburg. Then, at the Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg, the Royal Couple partecipated in a trilateral seminar on offshore wind energy with Dutch, German and Danish participants.

In his speech at the seminary, King Willem-Alexander said that Netherlands, Germany and Denmark need each other because they work about the same subject, the energy. He also stressed that “The fight against climate change is urgent. And offshore wind energy is one of our main assets in that battle.” He also congratulated the Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg for its 350th anniversary.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Bilateral Relations, Climate Change, Environment, Germany, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Working Visit.