Welcoming His Majesty the King of the Belgians, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that Belgium has played a leading role in developing our Union, always protecting European ideals and advocating for European values.
Your Majesty, Dear colleagues,
Today, the European Parliament is honoured by the visit of His Majesty the King of the Belgians.
Your Majesty, it was a pleasure for me and my colleagues to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the European Parliament together with you last year in Laeken. This year, it is a privilege for the European Parliament to welcome you in our Brussels hemicycle, while Belgium holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Brussels - the centre of Europe - is the host of many European Institutions and the home of the European Parliament. We are grateful to be here and thousands of Europeans serving Europe are proud to call Belgium home.
Belgium - a founding European member - has played a leading role in developing our Union. Always protecting European ideals and advocating for European values.
Last January, the visit of the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo to this Parliament was an opportunity to outline the importance of the Belgian Presidency. It closes off an intense 5-year legislative cycle marked by unprecedented challenges. I am proud of how this European Parliament has stepped up to meet them.
Indeed, our Parliament still has an intense workload here today and until the very last plenary sitting of this legislature - in order to continue to deliver, as we have already done, what European citizens expect from our European Union. In 60 days from today, the people of Belgium - including for the first time those aged 16 and 17 - will be invited to vote for the 22 Members of the European Parliament that will represent their interests and steer Europe for the next five year term. We count on them to convey the message that Europe matters. 70 years of European Parliament democracy matters and must be defended further.
Allow me a moment to also welcome students from the GO! Atheneum in Halle, the Institut Saint-Boniface Parnasse in Ixelles and the Sacré-Coeur in Jette - seated in the diplomatic gallery. They have come to our House of European democracy for Your Majesty’s visit today.
Finally, Your Majesty, allow me to thank you for your personal commitment, dedication to public service and example.
The floor is yours.
You can read the President's speech in Dutch here and in German here.