Strategic State Visit to Norway
From 24 to 26 March 2026, Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited Norway, accompanied by a delegation from Brussels led by Brussels International.
Building Sustainable Futures
The Brussels leg of the programme began on 25 March 2026 with a meeting on the theme of ‘Building Sustainable Futures’. The event took place at the offices of the international design firm Snøhetta. On this occasion, Opens in new windowthe OXY project was presented to the Brussels delegation.
Located on the pedestrianised section of Boulevard Anspach, this large-scale renovation project is transforming the former Centre Monnaie tower into a 71,000 m² mixed-use complex.
Participants also had the opportunity to take part in a panel discussion on sustainability in architecture and construction. The architecture and construction segment concluded with a visit to Opens in new windowVertikal Nydalen, an 18-storey building designed by Snøhetta in the former industrial area of Nydalen, on the banks of the River Akerselva in Oslo.
A moment of silence at the Utøya National Memorial
The Minister-President, Boris Dilliès, and the Brussels delegation also travelled to Utøya for a solemn commemorative ceremony marked by reflection and remembrance. Norway has been the scene of several major terrorist attacks, notably those of 22 July 2011, which profoundly affected the international community.
On that day, a far-right extremist detonated a car bomb in central Oslo, killing eight people and injuring 209. He then travelled to the island of Utøya, where he opened fire at a youth camp of the Norwegian Labour Party, killing 69 people and injuring 32 others.
In March 2026, Belgium in turn commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Brussels attacks at Zaventem Airport and in the European Quarter, which claimed 32 lives and left more than 300 people injured.
The Utøya Memorial, co-designed by the Opens in new windowarchitectural firm Manthey kula and the Brussels-based landscape architect Opens in new windowBas Smets, offers a place of reflection, remembrance and hope, characterised by great beauty and serenity.
The event 'Together in Remembrance' was organised by Brussels International in partnership with Opens in new windowhub.brussels and Opens in new windowsafe.brussels.
The State Visit to Norway concluded the following day with a focus on the strategic energy partnership with Norway at the High Level Forum on Carbon Capture & Storage and Energy Security in Stavanger, followed by a luncheon with the Mayor of Stavanger.
With a rich and diverse programme, this State Visit significantly strengthened the ties between Belgium and Norway. The Brussels-Capital Region played a key role throughout, particularly in the areas of sustainability and prevention.