L-R: Luxembourg Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn; Bernard Wientjes, new honorary consul of Luxembourg in the Netherlands; Credit: MAEE

At the invitation of the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Stef Blok, Luxembourg's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, travelled to The Hague for a working visit on Tuesday 25 June 2019.

The Ministers began by welcoming the excellent bilateral relations between Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as reflected in Benelux cooperation as well as political, economic, trade and cultural issues. Indeed, trade has developed well in recent years in both directions. Luxembourg is also one of the main foreign investors in the Netherlands and is one of the main destinations for Dutch foreign direct investment. Moreover, some 4,300 Dutch nationals are living in Luxembourg, while 1,000 Luxembourg students now attend Dutch universities and colleges.

The two sides also took stock of cooperation within the Benelux and the implementation of the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Benelux Union. In this context, the ministers discussed the cooperation between the three countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) in the field of foreign policy, especially at the EU level. In this context, Minister Asselborn recalled that "Luxembourg is deeply convinced of the role of the Benelux as an engine of European integration and it is in this sense that we are aware of our Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of Benelux" .

Discussions then focused on major European issues, including the next institutional cycle, the EU's neighbourhood, the promotion of the rule of law and the next multiannual financial framework. In general, these talks reaffirmed the importance of EU values, as well as solidarity between the Member States.

The discussions also focused on international political news, in particular relations between the EU and Russia, in light of the latest developments in Ukraine and the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

On the same day, Minister Asselborn visited Utrecht where he officially inaugurated the fourth Honorary Consulate of Luxembourg in the Netherlands, in the presence of representatives of the political and economic sectors of the region. The new honorary consul Mr. Bernard Wientjes will be circumscribed by the provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel.