The French state visit was a very special event, since it has been more than 30 years since a French president last visited Denmark. Last time was in 1982, when former President François Mitterrand visited Denmark.

The Speaker and the Presidium of the Danish Parliament welcomed President Macron at the main entrance of Christiansborg Castle, and the President then met with members of the Danish Parliament. Shortly thereafter, President Macron and the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, Pia Kjærsgaard, each gave a short speech to the assembled.

In her speech, the Speaker emphasized the strong ties between France and Denmark, and both countries’ insistence on democratic values and freedom of speech. She pointed out some of the shared challenges the countries are currently facing: “Today, Europe faces many challenges. One of them is terrorism. There is a growing threat to our way of life, our society and the freedom we enjoy in the Western world.”

”Openness, debate and differences”

After the meeting, the Speaker showed President Macron the memorial plaque in the lobby of Christiansborg Palace. The memorial plaque was made in honor of Finn Nørgaard and Dan Uzan who lost their lives in the terror attack which took place in Copenhagen in February 2015.

There is a tradition that prominent guests leave a message in the official guestbook of the Danish Parliament. President Macron wrote the following message: ”In the Danish democracy, the heart beats for openness, debate and differences, which gives power to our shared Europe”