About two thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; one third from politics and government and the rest from other fields.

It is the first time in many years that a Belgian Prime Minister has been invited to attend the Bilderberg Conference. This year’s conference will be held between 11 and 14 June in the Austrian town of Telfs-Buchen.

A number of Belgian businesspeople are regulars at the Bilderberg meeting. These include Etienne Davignon, who even chaired Bilderberg for 10 years.

The chairman of the bank and insurance group KBC Thomas Leysen is part of the selection committee that decided to invite Mr Michel. Mr Michel’s predecessor Elio Di Rupo (Francophone socialist) and Yves Leterme (Flemish Christian democrat) were never invited to attend.

