Frieden attended an informal dinner at the Elysée Palace following an invitation from Macron. Frieden was accompanied by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as several other EU Prime Ministers, to set the bloc’s “strategic agenda” after the June elections.
The French President “reiterated the importance of continuing to reduce our dependence in the areas of security, defence, energy, health, artificial intelligence, and food in particular”, according to a statement from the Elysée Palace. The heads of state and government discussed potential avenues for how the European Union might take action to achieve these objectives.
Before dinner, Macron also sat down with Frieden and Michel to prepare the meeting of the European Council on 14 and 15 December.
Following the discussions, Frieden will meet the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Wednesday. This will be an opportunity to discuss some of the issues on the agenda for the December European Council, as well as current international affairs. “The Prime Minister will make use of the opportunity to underline Luxembourg’s deep attachment to the European project”, the Ministry of State has underlined in an official statement ahead of the encounter.
PM Frieden will also meet with his Belgian counterpart, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, in anticipation of the Benelux Summit in Rotterdam on 29 November 2023. This exchange will provide an opportunity to discuss the priorities of the Belgian Presidencies of the EU Council and the Benelux countries, and to take stock of bilateral relations.
