US President Donald Trump will arrive in Brussels on Wednesday, where he will attend a special meeting of the 28 NATO member countries the next day. During his short stay of less than thirty hours, he will meet with the sovereigns, Prime Minister Charles Michel and the presidents of the Council and the European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker. Here is an overview of his program:
Wednesday:
- Arrival in Brussels in the late afternoon aboard Air Force One, a modified Boeing 747, from Italy at the Melsbroek military airport.
- Audience of the American presidential couple at the Royal Palace by the King and Queen
- Working meeting between Prime Minister Charles Michel and Mr Trump
Thursday morning:
- Arrival at the European Quarter for a meeting between Donald Trump and the Presidents of the Council and the European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, later extending to the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and the High Representative of the European Union For Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini
- Melania Trump visits the Queen Fabiola Children's Hospital
- Interview between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, during a "long lunch" in Brussels, at a location which is still unknown
Thursday afternoon: Special NATO meeting around 16:00
- The arrival of the US president at the new NATO headquarters in Evere. Welcome by Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
- 17:00: key handing over ceremony of NATO's new headquarters - in which Belgium played a key role during its construction - by Mr Michel to the Secretary-General
- 17:27: air parade of allied combat and transport aircraft over the new NATO headquarters
- 5:45 pm: working dinner of the North Atlantic Council
- Around 9:00 pm: end of the mini-summit. Donald and Melania Trump leave Belgium for Sicily, where the US president is expected for a G7 summit
The Brussels Times
