State visit to Luxembourg by the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and Suzanne Innes-Stubb - Second day

At the invitation of TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, and Suzanne Innes-Stubb are on a State visit to Luxembourg on 29 and 30 September 2026. The presidential couple is accompanied by Finland's Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering, Joakim Strand.

This is the first State visit to Luxembourg since the accession to the throne of HRH the Grand Duke. 

Wednesday, 30 September

The second day of the State visit begins with a visit by the Finnish presidential couple and the Grand Ducal couple to the University of Luxembourg.

Upon their arrival at the Maison du Savoir, the presidential couple and TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are welcomed by the Minister for Digitalisation and Minister for Research and Higher Education, Stéphanie Obertin; the Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Luxembourg, Yves Elsen; the Rector of the University, Jens Kreisel; and the mayors of the municipality of Sanem and the City of Esch-sur-Alzette, Simone Asselborn-Bintz and Christian Weis.

The President of the Republic of Finland addresses students, academic staff and numerous guests at an academic session, during which he delivers a speech entitled "Values, Interests and Power in the Age of Strategic Competition", followed by a question-and-answer session.

Daniela Di Santo, Director of the Fonds Belval, then gives an overview of Belval's history, tracing its development from an industrial site to a hub for research, education and innovation. A short guided tour gives the presidential couple and TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess an opportunity to discover the site and its facilities. The tour concludes at the Learning Centre, a state-of-the-art library and study space housed in the former ore storage building, the Möllerei, where they meet Finnish students and researchers.

Alexander Stubb, HRH the Grand Duke and Stéphanie Obertin are then welcomed by Mario Grotz, CEO of Luxinnovation. Several research projects in the fields of health, artificial intelligence and data, quantum communications, high-performance computing and quantum science are presented to them.

Meanwhile, Suzanne Innes-Stubb and HRH the Grand Duchess are welcomed to the National Library of Luxembourg by the Minister for Culture, Eric Thill, the Director, Claude Conter, and Deputy Director, Carlo Blum, for a guided tour of the new exhibition "Executing Peace". Curated by historian Mohamed Hamdi, the exhibition explores the history of ideas, movements and initiatives promoting peace in Luxembourg, with a focus on the aspirations, utopian visions and realities that have shaped these efforts.

At midday, Prime Minister Luc Frieden welcomes Alexander Stubb and his wife, on behalf of the Luxembourg government, to an official lunch at Bourglinster Castle. The luncheon is followed by a joint press conference with the Finnish President and the Luxembourg Prime Minister.

The Finnish presidential couple and HRH the Grand Duke then travel to Betzdorf Castle, the headquarters of SES, where they are welcomed by Prime Minister Luc Frieden, SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh and members of the Board of Directors. Following a brief presentation of the company's activities and key projects of particular interest to Finland, the participants tour the Satellite Operations Centre and meet the team responsible for monitoring and managing SES's satellites.

The State visit concludes at Luxembourg Airport, where TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess bid farewell to the presidential couple before their departure for Helsinki.

Press release by the Information and Press Service (SIP)