The Dutch Royal Court has announced that Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands are due to pay a working visit from 10 to 12 October 2018 to the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland. They shall be accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kraag. The latter will lead simultaneously an economic mission with focus on digitalisation, life sciences and health – eHealth, mobility and vitality.
Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland are two federal states that have transformed from old industrial hubs to a digital economy. Moreover the states are limitrophous to two European countries, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the French Republic, both to the West of their respective borders. Thus European cooperation is at stake.
The Dutch Royal Couple pays annual visits to one or more German federal state with focus on economic relations.
Historically the federal states and The Netherlands are hold relevant connections. For instance, the Wittelsbach Prince Elector of the Palatinate, Friedrich V, who became infamous as the “Winter King of Bohemia”(1619-1620), Fridrich I, was exiled to The Hague after losing the Palatinate as his hereditary lands in the then Holy Roman Empire. Saarbrücken, capital of the Saarland was for centuries ruled by one branch of the House of Nassau, the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken (1381-1797). The Dutch Royal Dynasty is itself an offshoot of the German House of Nassau.
For further information:
- https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/
actueel/nieuws/2018/05/31/ koning-en-koningin-bezoeken- rijnland-palts-en-saarland - Government of Rhineland-Palatinate (Premier Malu Dreyer): https://www.rlp.de/
de/landesregierung/ ministerien/ - State Secretary of Rhineland-Palatinate for Federal and European Affairs (Heike Raab): https://de.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Heike_Raab - Saarland Government (Premier Tobias Hans): https://www.saarland.
de/staatskanzlei.htm
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Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate – Picture by Public Domain
