State visit to Poland
At the invitation of President Bronislaw Komorowski of the Republic of Poland, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima will pay a State visit to Poland on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 June 2014. They will be accompanied by foreign minister Frans Timmermans. Coinciding with the State visit, Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, will head an economic mission comprising representatives of the Dutch energy, agrifood, logistics and transport, and water management sectors.
The State visit marks Dutch-Polish ties. The two countries share a long history - including trade in the Golden Age and Poland's role in liberating the Netherlands in 1944 and 1945 - and currently maintain strong bilateral relations to promote an effective European Union. In addition, the Netherlands sent aid during Poland's Communist era and provided technical assistance prior to its accession to the EU. The Netherlands and Poland are active partners in the area of remembrance and education about World War II. In 2012 Dutch exports to Poland were valued at more than € 8.5 billion, and imports at € 5.5 billion.
Tuesday 24 June
After their arrival at Warsaw's military airbase on the morning of 24 June, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will be officially welcomed at the Presidential Palace by President Komorowski and his wife, Anna Komorowska. The welcome ceremony and the inspection of the guard will be followed by an audience at the Palace. The King and Queen will then lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The morning will conclude with a working lunch with government representatives, after which the King and Queen will visit the Sejm, the Polish parliament.
In the afternoon, Their Majesties will visit the Warsaw Rising Museum, dedicated to the Polish struggle and the destruction of Warsaw in World War II. The museum visit will begin with a presentation of the new memorial for the Sobibor death camp, which will be created shortly through a joint Polish-Israeli-Dutch-Slovak effort. More than 34,000 Dutch Jews were killed at Sobibor in World War II. The King and Queen will then meet with war veterans at the Maczek monument, which was erected in remembrance of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands by the Polish 1st Armoured Division. The Polish leg of the 'Liberation Route' will be launched at the monument. The 'Liberation Route' marks and connects all the locations in Europe that the Allies passed through during the continent's liberation in 1944-1945.
The first day will end with a State banquet in the Presidential Palace.
Wednesday 25 June
On Wednesday morning, King Willem-Alexander and President Komorowski will address a Dutch-Polish business seminar entitled 'Innovation, solutions for a common future'. The King and Queen will view the various company presentations and take part in a CEO roundtable on cooperation between Polish and Dutch companies.
After meeting with the Dutch community in Poland, the King and Queen will, by way of a reciprocal gesture, host a piano concert by Lucas and Arthur Jussen, followed by a network lunch.
Later in the afternoon, the State visit will resume in Poznań,where the King and Queen will visit the CLIP terminal. This terminal for the transhipment of containers from road to rail has a direct rail connection with the Port of Rotterdam. Completed two years ago, it is a successful example of an intermodal transport solution. The King and Queen will meet with representatives of the Dutch and Polish transport sectors and visit a trade fair for companies in the agrifood, horticulture and water sectors. A closing reception will bring the State visit to an end.