Dutch Royal Couple, Susanne & Dr. Dietmar Woidke – Picture by Land Brandenburg, Brandenburg Staatskanzlei.
Tuesday, 21 May 2019, Brandenburg, Federal Republic of Germany: Premier of Brandenburg, Dr. Dietmar Woidke and her spouse Susanne welcomed the visiting Royal Dutch Couple for a luncheon at the State Chancery in Potsdam.
Following the lunch, the Royal Couple and Premier Dietmar Woidke travelled to an arable farm in Nauen. This father and daughter led company is about business succession, sustainable development and innovation in agriculture.
The King and Queen meet the Brandenburg Minister for Rural Development, the Environment and Agriculture Jörg Vogelsänger at the company. In addition, young agricultural entrepreneurs from the Netherlands, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg gathered to discuss the future of agriculture. They talked about themes such as innovation, sustainability, business succession and business vitality.
On Tuesday evening, in collaboration with the Brandenburg Literature College, a theme dinner was held at the Historical Saftfabrik Werder. The German writer Lutz Seiler and the Dutch writer Tommy Wieringa discussed with moderator Luzia Braun about the changing countryside.
On Tuesday afternoon there was moreover a visit to the Henning von Tresckow Barracks in Potsdam. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the Operations Command of the Bundeswehr in the presence of Defence Minister Bijleveld,and her German colleague Ursula von der Leyen.
In most international missions, the Netherlands and Germany are jointly active in the deployment zones as a logical consequence of long-term military cooperation and far-reaching integration of military units between the two countries. During the visit, discussions were held about, amongst other things, the multinational combat unit stationed in Rukla, which was visited during the state visit to Lithuania in June 2018.
It also discusses the way in which the military, but also family members, are prepared for a mission. During a live video discussion with a mission area, the experiences of German-Dutch military cooperation in the country were discussed.
Thereafter King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the Science Park Albert Einstein, where in the historic ‘Großer Refraktor’ (1899) they are introduced to the German Geo Research Institute (GFZ), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Dutch knowledge institutes and companies that carry out research in the field of energy transition. The topics discussed included geothermal energy, underground energy storage and the ecological, economic and social consequences of climate change.
The Free University Amsterdam and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research inked a declaration of intent to further strengthen scientific cooperation. This will be followed by a visit to the Potsdam Media Tech Hub on the grounds of Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam. Here you will find a network of companies, institutions and start-ups focusing on media technology, virtual reality and digital techniques. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were given a short tour of the premises of studio Babelsberg, and met the participants in the mission aimed at the creative industry.
The programme in Brandenbrug ended on the afternoon of Wednesday, 22 May at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, part of Unesco World Heritage, where Premier Woidke offered a lunchen in honour of the Royal Couple.
For further information:
https://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/actueel/nieuws/2019/04/25/koning-en-koningin-bezoeken-mecklenburg–voor-pommeren-en-brandenburg-programma
https://blauwbloed.eo.nl/artikel/2019/05/video-koningspaar-krijgt-tips-voor-nederland/
