Dutch Working Visit to Germany, Day Three: Saxony and Saxony Anhalt

Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima began the third day of the working visit to Germany today, Thursday February 9, with a visit at the headquarters of the European Energy Exchange (EEX), the largest energy exchange in Europe. Accompanied by the Dutch and German delegations, the King and Queen were informed about power trading, had a meeting with the management Board of EEX and made a tour of the facility.

Afterwards the Royal Couple paid a visit to Grünau, the largest residential district of Leipzig with about 40,400 inhabitants. In the community center the King and Queen met with some residents that explained to them the development strategy planned by city administration to be realized by 2020.

Then the Royal Couple went to the headquarters of the start-up SpinLab that supports interdisciplinary teams in the implementation and growth of their start-up projects. The CEO of SpinLab, Eric Weber, along with his team, explained to the King and Queen their works and showed the facility.

At noon the Royal Couple was officially welcomed at the Old Town Hall by the Prime Minister of Saxony, Stanislaw Tillich, who offered a lunch after an audience and the signing of the golden book. In his speech at the lunch, King Willem-Alexander expressed how he was impressed by the visits at the residential district of Grünau and at the SpinLab headquarters, “a fantastic symbol for the innovative power of this city!”

The King also added that “there are good opportunities for expanding the cooperation in the fields of bioenergy and green chemistry” so that the relationship between Germnay and the Netherlands will become stronger.

In the afternoon the King and Queen visited the Leipzig Science Park where took place a network meeting organized by the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research and the German Biomass Research Center, titled “Green Chemistry & Biotechnology” about green chemistry, recycling and bioenergy. During the event was signed a memorandum of understanding between the German Biomass Research Center and the Energy Research Center of the Netherlands.

Later the Royal Couple moved to Wittenberg, in Saxony-Anhalt. In Wittenberg they visited the famous Castle Church where almost 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis that would have launched the Protestant Reformation. The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, hosted a dinner for the King and the Queen at the Town Hall of Wittenberg.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Germany, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Technology, Working Visit.

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