Benelux: Politico-economic union between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe. It includes three neighboring monarchiesBelgiumthe Netherlandsand Luxembourg. They are in the north western European region between France and Germany. The name is formed from the beginning of each country's name. The Benelux region has a total population of about 27,562,220 and an area of about 74,640 km² (28,819 sq mi).

On 25 july 1921the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union was establisheda treaty which is still upheld. Following World War IIthe harsh economic climate in Europe led to a further desire for economic cooporation between BelgiumLuxembourg and Netherlands. The Benelux Customs Convention was signed in London on 5 September 1944by the three governments-in-exile in London. The treaty officially entered into force in 1948. On 1 November 1960the customs union was superseded by the Benelux Economic Union treaty, signed in The Hague on 3 February 1958. The treaty contributed to the founding of the European Union (EU)serving as a proving ground for succesful economic cooperation within Europe.

A Benelux Parliament (originally referred to as Interparliamentary Consultative Council) was created in 1955. This parliamentary assembly is composed of 21 members of the Dutch parliament21 members of the Belgian national and regional parliamentsand 7 members of the Luxembourgish parliament. The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union (Benelux Economische Unie/Union Économique Benelux) was signed 3 February 1958 and came into force in 1960 to promote the free movement of workerscapitalservicesand goods in the region. Its secretariat-general is located in Brussels.

In 1965the treaty establishing a Benelux Court of Justice was signed. It entered into force in 1975. The Courtcomposed of judges from the highest courts of the three Stateshas to guarantee the uniform interpretation of common legal rules. This international judicial institution is in Brussels.

The Benelux is particularly active in the field of intellectual property. The three countries established a Benelux Trademarks Office and a Benelux Designs Officeboth in The Hague. In 2005they concluded a treaty establishing a Benelux Organisation for Intellectual Property which replaced both offices upon its entry into force on 1 September 2006.

 

Dutch and French are the official languages of the Benelux and its institutions. Out of the total of 27.2 million people living in the member states 22.5 million (83 percent) speak Dutch and 3.9 million (14%) speak Frenchof whom 3.4 million are Walloons and 0.5 million are Luxembourgians (that speak German and Luxembourgish)whereas 3% is bilingual Dutch-French.

In 2000Belgium and the Netherlands jointly hosted the UEFA European Championship. In June 2007representatives of the three countries announced they would beas a "single country"bidding for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union expired in 2010. It has been replaced by a new legal frameworkalso dealing with matters of sustainable developmentjudiciary and internal affairs.