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Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte, with the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and his companion Amelie Derbaudrenghien, at the Elysee Palace during the commemoration of the 11th of November for the centenary of the armistice. REUTERS / Reinhard Krause
Emmanuel Macron is Monday and Tuesday in Belgium for a state visit during which the President of the Republic is accompanied by his wife and several ministers. The opportunity to demonstrate with great fanfare the proximity of the two countries. The program also includes political talks with Prime Minister Charles Michel.
A state visit is the highest protocol level. Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will be received with all honors by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.
Official reception, private lunch of the two couples and especially state banquet at the castle of Laeken, Belgium puts the dishes in large to receive the President of the Republic who responded to a request to organize a state visit, formulated by the King of Belgium on the evening of Emmanuel Macron's election on 7 May 2017.
And for good reason, the previous displacements were considered as simple official visits, even that of General de Gaulle in 1945. It was therefore time, according to the Elysée, to restore things and show that there is not only geographical proximity between France and Belgium.
Beyond the pageantry, the program also provides for political talks with Prime Minister Charles Michel. After working on Sunday in Berlin with Angela Merkel, the French president will be eager to address the European issues he wants to see completed before the end of the year, and the draft agreement on the Brexit that triggered a storm policy in the United Kingdom. Charles Michel will also accompany Emmanuel Macron to the University of Leuven for a debate with students.
Finally, a particularly symbolic sequence is planned in the presence of the king, in the district of Molenbeek, made infamous at the time of the attacks of 2015. Objective: to show the neighborhood in a positive light and turn the page of the misunderstandings.