17.30 - 21.30
Klementinum - Mirror Chapel
PROGRAMME:
This year, we chose a truly unique venue to celebrate the 10th Prinsjesdag: the Mirror Chapel of the Klementinum. Located close to the Charles Bridge, the Klementinum is one of the largest building complexes in Europe, and it is a seat of the National Library. The Mirror Chapel, dominated by rare organs and ceiling paintings, is a beautiful baroque place which has recently opened its doors to business events, apart from regular concerts and public guided tours.
Having enjoyed the welcome drink in the courtyard, the guests moved into the Mirror Chapel to be welcomed by Pavel Šenych, Vice-Chairman of the NCCC Board of Directors. H.E. Ed Hoeks, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, then summed up the Troonrede (King Willem-Alexander’s Speech from the Throne). The good news is that the Dutch economy is doing rather well. However, we are still confronted with a number of geopolitical uncertainties, which force the government to react in a responsible, moderate way. As for the current migration crisis, the Netherlands is in favour of fair burden sharing and will receive refugees. Ambassador Ed Hoeks finished his speech with mentioning the upcoming Dutch presidency of the EU which coincides with the Czech presidency of the Visegrad Group, thus offering the opportunity to further strengthen cooperation.
Marta Nováková, President of the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism, introduced her organization and mentioned some of the challenges that retail business is facing due to the political situation in the Czech Republic.
Similarly to Ambassador Ed Hoeks, Jakub Seidler, Chief Economist at ING Bank, also began his speech on a positive note, saying that the Czech economy is currently in very good shape, too. Being a former economist at the Czech National Bank, he addressed the topical subject of the CNB interventions, and explained to us why the CNB is taking steps to keep the current exchange rate around 27 EUR/CZK.
Finally, Petr Kroupa, Director of the National Library, shared with us some facts about the impressive Klementinum.
Thereafter, guests of the Prinsjesdag enjoyed the traditional Indonesian rijsttafel prepared by Zátiší Catering, along with HEINEKEN beer and a selection of Dutch cheese by NLSýr. It was altogether a very pleasant evening for which we thank all of you who participated in the 10th annual Prinsjesdag. We would also like to thank our sponsors and partners.
GOLD SPONSOR:
SILVER SPONSORS:
PARTNERS:
