Read the message that King of Belgium delivered to the Parliament.

In trilingual Belgium, King stresses importance of multilingualism.

In his New Year's speech to Belgium's government authorities, King Albert II spoke of how learning foreign languages can broaden our horizons and encourage intercultural dialogue. He also pointed out the practical benefits of multilingualism:

" Meeting and talking with people from other cultures creates relationships and opportunities with unexpected benefits. It's an extraordinary way for our young people to learn how to interact with other cultures and reconcile differing points of view. In practical terms, that means we need to encourage Belgians to learn not just our three national languages but also English and other languages. Being able to speak more than one language is an enormous asset and a skill prized by employers. For proof, just look at the number of foreign investors in Belgium."

The King also talked about all that young people stand to gain from studying or working abroad via various European programmes: " We need to do even more to encourage young people to spend time as a student or trainee in another country, whether through the Erasmus programme or the Prince Albert Fund, which gives young people the chance to work in Belgian companies abroad."

(New Year's speech by King Albert II to Belgian authorities – 26 January 2010)

2. What message would you address to the younger generation if you were the ruler of the country? How would you motivate them to study foreign languages?