State visit to Luxembourg by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and his wife Eva Pavlová - 2nd day

Friday 1st March 2024

The second day begins with a visit to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in Capellen. The agency brings together NATO's logistical support and procurement activities. The President of the Czech Republic and his wife, together with HRH the Grand Duke, are received at the headquarters of the NSPA by the Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, and the Director General of the NSPA, Stacy Cummings. The programme includes a presentation of activities and a visit to a weapons systems workshop. 

Petr Pavel and Eva Pavlová and the Grand Ducal couple are welcomed at the Luxembourg II European School in Mamer by the Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, and the school's director, Maurice van Daal. During a general presentation of the institution and its educational offer, the presidential couple and HRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess have the opportunity to attend a musical performance by Czech pupils. They also get the chance to familiarise themselves with various school projects and meet around a hundred children of Czech origin from the various sections of the European School.

Prime Minister Luc Frieden then has the honour of welcoming, on behalf of the Luxembourg government, the Head of State of the Czech Republic and his wife for a lunch which is also attended by ministers Yuriko Backes and Elisabeth Margue. Discussions focus on bilateral relations, both political and economic, as well as the major issues on the European and international political agenda.

Later, Petr Pavel is welcomed at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) by its President, Koen Lenaerts, and has the opportunity to meet judges and staff of Czech origin.

The President of the Czech Republic and HRH the Grand Duke are then received at the Chamber of Commerce by the Minister of the Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, the President Fernand Ernster, and the Director General Carlo Thelen. As part of the Czech Republic-Luxembourg Business Forum, Petr Pavel, Lex Delles and the Vice-President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, Radek Jakubský, are giving speeches. The forum is also the setting for the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the Czech Chamber of Commerce.

For their part, HRH the Grand Duchess and Eva Pavlová, accompanied by Stéphanie Obertin, Minister for Research and Higher Education, are visiting the Belval campus of the University of Luxembourg. At the Maison des sciences humaines, HRH the Grand Duchess and the First Lady of the Czech Republic attend a presentation by the Epsylon network (Experimental Psychology Laboratories Network) and have the opportunity to find out about current projects at the Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing (LUCET), the research and transfer unit dedicated to the evaluation of multilingual education systems.

They visit the cognitive neuroscience laboratory, where they receive explanations of recent research into mathematical cognitive disorders, as well as the VR Bias project on eating disorders. The visit ends with a brief tour of the Luxembourg Learning Centre and an exchange with students and staff of the University of Luxembourg of Czech origin.

The State visit concludes with a concert by Martinů Strings Prague at the Cercle Cité, followed by a reception hosted by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, and his wife Eva Pavlová in honour of TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, in the presence of the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple.

Press release by  the Information and Press Service  (SIP )