On 16 and 17 September, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, are hosting the 20th annual informal meeting of the heads of state of the German-speaking countries. Among the heads of state (or their representatives) participating in this informal summit were Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Philippe of Belgium and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein. Switzerland, Germany and Austria are the other invited countries.
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The 20th Annual Informal Meeting of Heads of State of German-speaking Countries
Every year, the six heads of state of the German-speaking countries meet at the end of the summer to strengthen friendly ties between countries that share a common language. The meeting is intended to be informal, allowing presidents and monarchs to exchange ideas in a relaxed manner and get to know each other better, including with their respective spouses.
For this 20th informal annual meeting, it is Luxembourg’s turn to invite the German-speaking heads of state. During this two-day meeting, various current issues are discussed in working meetings. On the second day, presentations and an exchange on new media and disinformation are planned at the University of Luxembourg.
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On Monday 16 September, Grand Duke Henri welcomed his counterparts to Berg Castle, two of whom are geographical neighbours, two of whom lead a monarchy and one of whom is his first cousin. Grand Duke Henri, 69, whose eldest son will be appointed lieutenant-representative in less than a month, welcomes his first cousin, King Philippe of Belgium, to the Grand Duchy. The seventh King of the Belgians and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg are both grandsons of King Leopold III of Belgium.
King Philip was accompanied by his wife, Queen Mathilde. Hereditary Prince Alois, 56, is not yet the sovereign or head of state of Liechtenstein, but his father, Sovereign Prince Hans-Adam II, has entrusted him with the keys to the principality since 2004. As regent, Hereditary Prince Alois represents his father, including in his duties as head of state abroad. His wife, Hereditary Princess Sophie, accompanied him.
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King Philip and Hereditary Prince Alois meet with Grand Duke Henry at Berg Castle
Liechtenstein is a small, entirely German-speaking principality, wedged between Switzerland and Austria, two countries invited to the meeting. Of course, Germany was represented by its Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinemeier, 68, accompanied by his wife, Elke Büdenbender. The current President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, 62, was present at the meeting. The Swiss head of state is elected each year from among the Federal Councilors, according to a principle of seniority. The Austrian President, Alexander Van der Bellen, is invited but was unable to attend the welcome reception on Monday.
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It is estimated that around 130 million people worldwide speak German as their mother tongue. The number is doubled if we count all those who speak it as a second or foreign language. According to the latest official Eurobarometer, 24% of the Luxembourg population will use German daily in 2023, which represents the largest decrease of the group, with -7 points compared to 2012.
More than 62% of the Swiss population speaks German as their mother tongue. In Belgium, German is the mother tongue of the 78,000 inhabitants of the German-speaking community. Like the French and Flemish communities, the German-speaking community has its own parliament and government. Germany has 84 million inhabitants, Austria 9 million inhabitants, Belgium 11.7 million inhabitants, Liechtenstein 40,000 inhabitants, Luxembourg 650,000 inhabitants and Switzerland 8.8 million inhabitants.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor in Chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a copywriter and author for many Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the website Histoires royales, of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
