Dutch king to address European Parliament

King Willem-Alexander will be giving a speech in the European Parliament on May 25th during a plenary session about the Dutch presidency of the European Union, the Koninklijk Huis announced on Friday. This is the first time King Willem-Alexander will address the European representatives. Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs will accompany him. After the speech, the King will meet with European Parliament president Martin Schulz as well as with leaders of the parliamentary factions and Dutch MEP's. It is not clear exactly what the King will say, but according to royal-political reporter Sander Paul, his speech is likely to be about the importance of an united Europe. "The Oranjes have been proponents of the European idea for decades. And the king is of course speaking on behalf of the government, which has an interest therein." he said to RTL Nieuws.