King Philippe and Queen Mathilde fly to Greece on Monday as part of a three-day state visit, the first held since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Belgium in mid-March 2020. sovereigns will accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the Civil Service, Public Enterprises, Telecommunications and the Post, Petra De Sutter, as well as the Walloon Minister-Presidents Elio Di Rupo, of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Pierre-Yves Jeholet, Rudi Vervoort from Brussels, Jan Jambon from Flanders and Oliver Paasch from Germany, an academic delegation and business leaders.

The trip, at the invitation of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, will take them to Athens and its surroundings, where the delegation will meet the highest authorities of the Hellenic Republic. The royal couple will also participate in academic and economic activities. Finally, he is interested in the integration of refugees and the fight against child poverty. The last Belgian state visit took place in Luxembourg in October 2019. This is now Belgium’s second official visit to Greece, the first dating back to 2001.

Greece has launched a sustainable digital and energy transition

Our country had hosted a Greek delegation in 1981 and then in 2005. This visit should strengthen the ties between the two nations. In recent years, Greece has gone through several crises: financial, migration and health, while suffering the consequences of climate change. The country now sees growth again and wants to ensure an open economy, enhanced by a sustainable digital and energy transition. This transformation represents an opportunity for Belgian companies.

Greece and Belgium share several points in common, including an independence acquired following the revolutionary currents of the 19th century and an equivalent number of inhabitants. The Flat Country is also rich with a strong Greek community. A few thousand Belgians are in turn established in the Hellenic Republic, who also dress many Belgian tourists (half a million before the pandemic).