Programme for the State Visit from the Netherlands and media accreditation

The visit will reaffirm and advance the excellent and long-standing relations between Sweden and the Netherlands dating back to the 1600s. The countries are working together to make Europe greener, more resilient and economically stronger. The State Visit will focus on issues such as green innovation, including the energy transition and life sciences, maritime relations and gender equality.

The ministers who will represent the Swedish Government will be announced closer to the date of the visit.

Tuesday 11 October

Morning

Arrival at Arlanda
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel meet the King and Queen of the Netherlands on arrival in Sweden.

Official welcome ceremony
The King and Queen of Sweden meet the King and Queen of the Netherlands at the Royal Stables for a procession to the Royal Palace.
Royal Stables

At the official welcome ceremony in the Inner Courtyard of the Royal Palace, the Dutch King and the Swedish King inspect the Grenadier Guards of the Life Guards, and national anthems are played. The Dutch King and Queen are presented to representatives of the Riksdag and the Government, while the Swedish King and Queen greet the Dutch delegation. The general public is welcome to attend.
The Royal Palace

Following the welcoming ceremony, the Dutch King and the Swedish King give a press statement in Queen Lovisa Ulrika’s Dining Hall in the presence of the Dutch Queen and the Swedish Queen.

Luncheon
The King and Queen host a luncheon at the Royal Palace for their guests.
Accompanying ministers and representatives from the Dutch delegation attend a luncheon at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Afternoon

Meeting with the Speaker of the Riksdag
The King and Queen of the Netherlands are received by the Speaker of the Riksdag.
The Riksdag

Meeting with the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister receives the King and Queen of the Netherlands in Adelcrantz House.

Vasa Museum
The afternoon concludes with a visit to Vasa Museum, where a presentation of the Vasa will take place. The visit concludes with a ceremonial return of the bell from the man-of-war Princess Sophia Albertina, which sank off the coast of the Netherlands in 1781. The Netherlands and Sweden share a special relationship with the sea and maritime environments – harbours and shipping established the foundation for relations between the countries in a defence treaty concluded in 1614.
Vasa Museum

Evening

Banquet
In the evening, the King and Queen of Sweden host a banquet at the Royal Palace in honour of their guests.

Wednesday 12 October

Morning

Roundtable discussion on business sector issues
The Swedish King and Queen and the Dutch King and Queen take part in a roundtable discussion highlighting issues related to building a sustainable, resilient and economically stronger Europe. The green energy transition, shifting supply chains and opportunities for strengthened cooperation. Participants in the roundtable discussion include government representatives and representatives of Dutch and Swedish business organisations and companies.

Luncheon at Stockholm City Hall
The Chair of Stockholm City Council and the Mayor of Stockholm host a luncheon at Stockholm City Hall. Attending the luncheon are the Swedish King and Queen, the Dutch King and Queen, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, and Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, along with around 80 other guests.
Stockholm City Hall

Afternoon

Electrified boat trip
In the afternoon, the Swedish King and Queen and the Dutch King and Queen are given a demonstration of a Candela hydrofoil, an electric boat whose hull lifts above the surface of the water as it gathers speed. A Candela can run at high speeds and for a long time on battery power, thanks to its hydrofoil system that creates 80 per cent less water friction than a regular boat. This also provides a quiet boat tour while neither waves nor wind that affect the passengers. In 2023, Candela’s new ferry will become part of the clean public transport launched in cooperation with Region Stockholm.
Candela

Stockholm Exergi
The programme includes a visit to Stockholm Exergi in Värtahamnen port. Stockholm Exergi works to secure Region Stockholm’s access to heating, electricity, cooling and waste services. The district heating network is the hub for the social benefits that Stockholm Exergi creates together with its customers and partners. Today, more than 800 000 Stockholm residents and some 400 hospitals, computer halls and other private and public sector services are connected to the district heating network which, in turn, is connected to combined heat and power plants. The plants utilise residual heat and convert biofuels and the waste that no longer can or should be recycled into energy. Stockholm Exergi also plans to build Europe’s first large-scale plant for negative emissions. This is made possible with support from the EU Innovation Fund (EUR 180 million). Using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage technology, the plant will collect 800 000 tonnes of biogenic carbon dioxide each year. It will also contribute to Sweden’s and Swedish and international companies’ goal of achieving net zero emissions.
Stockholm Exergi

SciLifeLab
SciLifeLab – Science for Life Laboratory – is a Swedish national centre for large-scale research in life sciences, medicine and the environment. At SciLifeLab, high-tech analytical methods, management of large quantities of research data and interdisciplinary collaborations are interwoven to meet the societal challenges that lie ahead of us. SciLifeLab was launched in 2010 as a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Uppsala University. In 2013, SciLifeLab was designated a national research infrastructure that makes advance technology and expertise available to researchers from universities and colleges, industry and health and medical care throughout Sweden. Today, SciLifeLab supports research activities at all major Swedish universities. During their visit, the Swedish King and Queen and the Dutch King and Queen are given a presentation on these activities and deeper insight into how basic research on body cells and the technology that is needed to study them can be used to better diagnose patients to personalise health and medical care.
SciLifeLab

Evening

Reception
In the evening, the Dutch King and Queen host a concert for their Swedish hosts and invited guests, by the Tim Kliphuis Ensemble at Stockholm Concert Hall.

Thursday 13 October

Thursday’s programme takes place in Gothenburg.

Morning

Lindholmen Science Park
The day starts with a visit to Lindholmen Science Park, an international innovation cluster focused on mobility, AI, visualisation media and IT. One of Lindholmen Science Park’s primary objectives is to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness through collaboration between the business sector, academia and society, both nationally and internationally. At Lindholmen Science Park, Chalmers University and the University of Gothenburg collaborate with high-technology industries and society on various development projects. Lindholmen is home to around 375 companies with 18 000 employees and 9 000 students, researchers, teachers and upper secondary pupils. During their visit, the Swedish King and Queen and the Dutch King and Queen are given a presentation on Lindholmen Science Park’s activities and meet staff and students from some of the innovation programmes.
Lindholmen Science Park

Lunch 
The County Governor of Västra Götaland County hosts a lunch at the residence.

Port of Gothenburg
Following lunch, the Swedish King and Queen and the Dutch King and Queen are given a presentation on the Port of Gothenburg’s efforts to drive developments towards greener shipping in the EU. The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic countries, with over 11 000 ship visits per year from over 140 destinations worldwide. In 2019, the Port of Gothenburg established the goal of achieving 70 per cent lower emissions by 2030. Some of the Port’s terminals are already fossil-free. During the visit, a memorandum of understanding is signed between the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Gothenburg, focusing on digital development, electric tankers and establishment of a green corridor for methanol fuel. The concept of green corridors – routes for sustainable transport – was established in the Clydebank Declaration at COP26 in Glasgow, which was signed by both Sweden and the Netherlands.
Port of Gothenburg

AB Volvo
The Swedish King and Queen and the Dutch King and Queen visit the Volvo Group. They are given a presentation of Volvo Group’s green transition, which encompasses every aspect of operations, from production to the final product. The importance of collaboration with others to promote green development is also discussed. An example of this is the collaboration with SSAB/Hybrit that has resulted in delivery of the world’s first machine made of fossil-free steel to an end customer. The Volvo Group is one of the first companies in the world to have serial production of electric heavy goods vehicles to end customers. The visit concludes with a practical demonstration of electric lorries and excavators.
Volvo

Farewell ceremony at Landvetter Airport
The State Visit concludes when the Swedish King and Queen bid farewell to the Dutch King and Queen at the farewell ceremony at Landvetter Airport.

To editorial offices

Media representatives need special accreditation from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to cover the State Visit. The deadline for accreditation applications is Thursday 6 October 2022.
Apply for accreditation