State visit by President of Finland – programme
At the invitation of His Majesty the King, the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, will pay a state visit to the Netherlands on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 December. The president will be accompanied by his wife, Suzanne Innes-Stubb.
Finland and the Netherlands work together within international organisations such as the European Union, the United Nations and, since Finland’s accession in 2023, NATO. The Netherlands and Finland are striving to keep their economies strong and resilient by boosting their energy sectors and defence industries.
Thursday 11 December
Morning
Welcome ceremony
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will officially welcome the Finnish President and Mrs Innes-Stubb in Dam Square in Amsterdam. After the delegations have been introduced, the Johan Willem Friso Royal Military Band will play both countries’ national anthems. This will be followed by an inspection of the guard of honour. At the Royal Palace in Amsterdam the Dutch dignitaries will be introduced, after which a reception and private lunch will be held.
Wreath-laying
President Stubb will lay a wreath at the National Monument in Dam Square.
Afternoon
Amsterdam University
President Stubb will give a lecture entitled ‘Rebalancing multilateral cooperation – The West’s last chance to get it right’ at Amsterdam University, followed by a discussion with students about international cooperation and societal resilience.
Amsterdam Drone Lab
In Amsterdam’s historical naval dockyard, the Marine Etablissement, the King and Queen and the Finnish President and Mrs Innes-Stubb will visit the Amsterdam Drone Lab, where they will learn about the various civilian applications of drones and their relevance for the energy and defence sectors. They will also view various aircraft and vessels and see a demonstration of how drones can be used to inspect railways and quay walls.
Ministry of Defence enrolment and training programmes
The party will subsequently hear about the various education and training programmes offered by the Ministry of Defence. They will speak with students and instructors about Defensity College, the Service Year voluntary enrolment programme and National Resilience Training. Students will demonstrate some of the skills they have learned in their training.
Business Forum
In keeping with the aim of fostering economic resilience, the state visit will be accompanied by a trade mission focused on energy and defence.At a Business Forum, the Finnish President and the King will meet representatives of various Dutch and Finnish businesses and discuss trade opportunities.
President Stubb and Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Aukje de Vries will each give a speech.
Evening
State banquet
In the evening, the King and Queen will host a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. King Willem-Alexander and the Finnish President will both give a speech. The state banquet will also be attended by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Orange.
Friday 12 December
Morning
NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA)
On Friday morning the King and President Stubb will visit the NATO Communications and Information Agency in The Hague. NATO’s technology and cyber experts, who are based in the Netherlands, are responsible for around-the-clock protection of the organisation’s networks. The King and the President will hear about the Agency’s remit and activities, and will visit several of its labs.
Femicide and violence against women
Queen Máxima and Mrs Innes-Stubb will visit the Huis van de Stad community centre in Rijswijk. The theme of this visit is domestic violence against woman and femicide, with a presentation by Professor of Security and Interventions Marieke Liem. Professor Liem initiated the Femicide Monitor, an academic research project providing insight into all cases of murder and manslaughter involving female victims between 2014 and 2024. A lawyer and a public prosecutor will speak about domestic violence against women from their professional perspectives. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion about how the city of Rijswijk is tackling domestic violence. The mayor will set out how the domestic violence taskforce came into being and how all the parties involved are sharing their knowledge and experiences and working jointly to tackle the problem faster and more effectively. An anonymised real-life case study will also be discussed. Finally, Queen Máxima and Mrs Innes-Stubb will meet with the surviving family members of a victim of domestic violence and with a former victim.
Visit to the States General
At the States General in The Hague, the Finnish President will meet the President of the Senate and the President of the House of Representatives.
Afternoon
Government lunch
Prime Minister Dick Schoof will host a government lunch for President Stubb and Mrs Innes-Stubb at Duivenvoorde Castle in Voorschoten. The lunch will also be attended by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. Discussions will focus on Dutch-Finnish bilateral relations, specifically economic and trade ties, cooperation on the energy transition, and geopolitical developments. At the lunch the Prime Minister and the President will each give a speech.
Clingendael Institute
After the government lunch, President Stubb will visit the Netherlands Institute for International Relations Clingendael for a discussion with experts on the European security situation and the economy in the current geopolitical context.
International Criminal Court
The state visit will conclude with a visit to the International Criminal Court. The President and Mrs Innes-Stubb will be received by the president of the court Tomoko Akane and its registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler, and will speak with them about the court’s work.
Government Information Service, no. 310