Official visit by the President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is to pay an official visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 May. He will be accompanied by his wife Elke Büdenbender. The visit will provide an opportunity to renew acquaintance with President Steinmeier and consolidate bilateral ties.
King Willem-Alexander will receive President Steinmeier and his wife at a welcome ceremony at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague on Tuesday 15 May. This will be followed by an audience. The King and Queen will also host a lunch at which the King and the President will both give speeches.
In the evening, Prime Minister Mark Rutte will receive President Steinmeier at the Catshuis, his official residence, for a working dinner. Topics on the agenda will include the future of Europe and sociopolitical developments in the Netherlands and Germany, such as migration.
The Prime Minister and the President will also sign the West Ems Treaty, which lays down the powers of the Netherlands and Germany with regard to the area north of the mouth of the river Ems.
On the morning of Tuesday 15 May President Steinmeier will be received at the Senate by the Presidents of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the States General, Ms Khadija Arib and Ms Ankie Broekers-Knol. In the afternoon he will visit Delft University of Technology.
On Wednesday 16 May the President will meet with the mayor of Amsterdam. His programme will also include visits to NDSM shipyard and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.