On 4-7 March 2013, Her Excellency Miss Yingluck Shinawatra,Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to make an official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden upon the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden. This would  followed by an official visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, at the invitation of His Excellency Prime Minister Elio di Rupo of Belgium, and to the European Union headquartered in Brussels, upon the invitation of His Excellency Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission which was extended during the latter’s official visit to Thailand last November.

          During her visit, the Prime Minister will be accompanied by key Cabinet members,  senior officials and CEOs from prominent Thai enterprises.The visit to Sweden will be the first in nine years by a Thai Prime Minister.During her official visit to Sweden, the Prime Minister will have an Audience with His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav as well as a bilateral meeting and working luncheon with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Together, they will also witness the signing of the second Joint Plan of Action and the Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement. 

          In addition, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with Mr. Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Riksdag, meet with representatives from leading Swedish companies and visit “SymbioCity”, a model of urban development that combines sustainable transport, energy and water usage and modern technology in an integrated manner. The Prime Minister will also attend a business dinner in Stockholm where she will deliver a keynote address to promote Thai-Swedish investment.      

          During her visit to Belgium, the Prime Minister will have an Audience with His Royal Highness Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Belgium, during which she will discuss His Royal Highness’ upcoming royal visit to Thailand in March 2013.  The Prime Minister will also hold bilateral discussions with her Belgian counterpart, Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo as well as Mr. André Flahaut, President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, and Ms. Sabine de Bethune, the President of the Belgian Senate. 

         While in Brussels, the seat of major institutions of the European Union, the Prime Minister will have bilateral talks with the heads of the three key institutions of the European Union, namely, Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and Mr. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, being the first Thai leader to meet with the leaders of all three main institutions of the European Union.

          The Prime Minister will also attend a Business Networking Reception and Luncheon, organized by the Board of Investment, for representatives from the Thai and Belgian private sector. The Prime Minister will also meet with representatives of Fairtrade International, to promote Thai agricultural products.