ASEM: guest of honour at the Royal Palace
The Royal Palace, which will host the ASEM Summit in just three days, on October 4 and 5, 2010, opened its doors to the media. This most authentic and prestigious symbol of Belgian heritage has been restored for the occasion…
The ASEM Summit will bring together the 27 Member States of the European Union, 16 Asian countries and, for the first time, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. This is, without a doubt, the most significant event held during the Belgian Presidency. It is against this backdrop, and given the symbolism of the Summit, that H.R.H. King Albert II is hosting the event in the sumptuous Royal Palace, which has been restored using the colours of the meeting of two continents: Europe and Asia.
General Pardoen, Intendant of the King’s Civil List, Freddy Taverniers, Director for Brussels of the Régie des Bâtiments, Régine Vandriessche, Director of the FPS Foreign Affairs logistics unit for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU andPierre-Emmanuel De Bauw, spokesperson for the Royal Palace invited journalists to the Salon du Penseur to discover the results of 18 months of work (August 2009-September 2010) costing nearly two million euros.
Thanks to H.R.H. King Albert II, the Civil List contributed to the work in the amount of 600,000 euros, notably to update the Salon Louis XVI, the salon Cobourg and the salon des Maréchaux which links the Empire Room to the Throne Room. This is ample proof of the willingness of all involved to make the event a great success and to project a strong image of Belgium.
A guided tour reveals the special attention paid to the restoration of the historic rooms, from the paintings to the wood floors from which the smell of fresh wax still rises. “The electrical fixtures (cables and chandeliers with LED lighting), the facilities, and the large entrance gates leading to the Palace court have also been reworked” pointed out Johan Vanderborght, spokesperson for the Régie des Bâtiments.
The warm-coloured draperies and rugs are in perfect symbiosis with the architecture and show the way to the opulent Throne Room, the main meeting area for the ASEM Summit. The international character of the event required the installation of many interpretation booths.
The Royal Palace, a venue perhaps not best-suited to holding events with several hundred attendees (350 at the Royal Palace, 600 at the Palais des Académies) has been dressed up in its finest and is preparing to welcome the ASEM Summit. It will tell us the story of a gathering which we can imagine will be rich in exchanges, discussions and progress that will set the course for future relations between Europe and Asia.
