The President and the King of the Belgians will exchange views on the further development of bilateral relations between Lithuania and Belgium in the fields of economic cooperation and collaboration in international organizations. They will also review security and economic issues of importance to Europe and the world, as well as the first results of Lithuania's EU Presidency.
King Philippe of the Belgians is a trained fighter pilot. As heir to the Belgian throne, he worked for the development of his country's trade and investment ties. He headed about seventy important economic missions. The King follows closely various social issues such as youth unemployment and exclusion. He is keenly interested in the economic situation of Europe.
Together with King Philippe, President Dalia Grybauskaitė will open the official concert of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts. The gala concert is held in the context of Klarafestival 2013 and will be broadcast live on Belgian radio.
Performing at the gala will be Violeta Urmanavičiūtė - Urmana, soprano, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Modestas Pitrėnas. The concert programme includes symphonic poem Miške (In the Forest) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Richard Wagner's song cycles from Die Walküre and Tristan und Isolde, and symphonic poem Tod und Verklärung by Richard Strauss. EU leaders, foreign diplomats and other dignitaries will be among the audience.
The President will also take part in the conference "Visions for Europe" held at the European Policy Centre where she will deliver a speech on the challenges faced by the EU's energy policy and the solutions needed to keep the EU competitive.
