Raphaël Comte (FDP. The Liberals, NE), President of the Council of States, has been invited to visit the Principality of Luxembourg from 26 to 28 June by Mars Di Bartolomeo, President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies. Besides holding talks with Mr Di Bartolomeo and other members of parliament, an audience with His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri and discussions with the President of the Council of State are planned. During his visit to Luxembourg, Mr Comte will also be given a tour of the European Court of Justice and meet with its president, Mr Koen Lenaerts.
The delegation will then proceed to Brussels where its members will be received by Christine Defraigne, President of the Belgian Senate. The itinerary includes a meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. The delegation will hold talks with other Belgian senators on current issues and bilateral relations between Belgium and Switzerland.
On 30 June the delegation will meet Ankie Broekers-Knol, President of the Dutch Senate, and selected representatives of the Dutch parliament in The Hague. Their talks will focus on European policy and transport policy issues. The delegation will also visit the Port of Rotterdam, the starting point of the Rotterdam-Genoa European rail freight transport corridor, to which Switzerland has made a major contribution with the Gotthard base tunnel.
Mr Comte will be accompanied by a delegation comprising the 2nd vice president of the Council of States, Karin Keller-Sutter (FDP. The Liberals, SG), members of the Council of States Robert Cramer (GP, GE), Thomas Minder (independent, SH), Géraldine Savary (SP, VD) and Anne Seydoux-Christe (CVP, JU), and Martina Buol, Deputy Secretary General of the Federal Assembly and Secretary of the Council of States and Nina Wirth, Foreign Policy Advisor.