Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Final Day of the State Visit to France

Photo: SIP / Emmanuel Claude / tous droits réservés
The 21st marked the final day of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's state visit to France. On the schedule for the day was a visit to Toulouse, with the Grand Ducal couple accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Étienne Schneider. Also present was Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, the Secretary of State to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Toulouse was named the European City of Science for 2018, and the city features a number of research focuses, including aerospace.

Among the stops in Toulouse was the Centre national des études spatiales (CNES), where they also met the head of the Toulouse Space Center, and then a visit to the French Instrument Mars Operation Centre (FIMOC), which highlights a range of research opportunities focused on that planet.

After this, the delegation was welcomed to the Toulouse Town Hall by Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc. There they signed the guestbook and exchanged gifts with the dignitaries. The visitors from Luxembourg also took time to meet with Luxembourgish students studying in Toulouse. Afterwards, there was a visit to the Hôtel de la Préfecture for an interview with Pascal Mailhos, who then hosted a lunch for them.

Following lunch, there was a culture walk around the place du Capitole to view historical sites, including 19th-century frescoes, and then a tour of the Quai des savoirs, which focuses on the sharing of technical, industrial, and scientific knowledge. While there, the delegation viewed the exhibit #HumainDemain to see how technology affects our everyday lives.

The day rounded off with a visit to Airbus, whose Executive Vice President is the Luxembourg-born Mario Heinen. While there, the Deputy Prime Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding that enables research partnerships between Airbus and cybersecurity and aerospace companies in Luxembourg. 

More information, and more photos, here.

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