Filip I looks back at his first year as King
"Child poverty and youth unemployment continue to give us cause for concern. Violence and instability that flare up or continue to rage before the gates of Europe show us that peace cannot be taken for granted and that tackling hatred remains a necessity."
However, "We shouldn't lose faith. Faith provides us with endless possibilities. A fine example of this is the recent study that shows that young people have faith in the future. Despite the current difficult situation three-quarters of young adults in our country believe that in the future they will be better off than their parents are now. Let us ensure that their expectations are realised."
The King goes on to say that this faith and optimism were reflected by Belgium's national football team, the Red Devils.
"Each player's self-confidence that had been patiently built up with practice and discipline, the faith each player had in his team mates and in the choices made by the coach and finally the trust the supporters had in the national team. From this grew a feeling of collective joy and a shared dynamism that produced success."
"The same is true of our country"
The King goes on to compare this with our country and its institutions.
"These institutions are the embodiment of our ability to enter into dialogue with each other, to find solutions that bring us closer together, to take account of the views of the minority and to take collective responsibility. In other words: our institutions are the corner stones of a society that asks people to put themselves in another person's shoes."
"A society to be proud of"
The King goes on to say that over the years we have built up a society based on respect, dialogue and solidarity and that this has proved its worth in recent years.
"It has ensured that we have got through the economic crisis that we have been in since 2008 much better than other countries."
The Monarch closed by expressing the wish that new federal and regional governments be formed quickly. King Filip added that they should work within a framework of loyalty and mutual respect.
"Ladies and gentlemen, cooperation and trust are essential to the creation of things of value economically, socially and above at the level of inter-personal relations. Let us all join together in continuing our efforts to building a society where this all goes hand in hand."
