Benelux

The Benelux is an intergovernmental cooperation agreement between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Etymology

Benelux is an acronym formed from the first letters of the names of the three countries that make it up: Bélgica (België in Dutch or Belgique in French) Netherlands (Nederland in Dutch) and Luxembourg (Luxembourg in French)). The term is mainly used to refer to the Benelux Union (Dutch, Benelux Unie; French, Union Benelux), within the framework of the European Union.

Background to the Union

The three countries that make up the Benelux have always had a very close relationship throughout the course of history. The former Spanish Netherlands, which later passed into the hands of the Austrians, grouped most of the countries concerned. These strong historical ties are matched by strong economic ties: the different areas of the Benelux have always had a close economic interdependence. Historically, there is the reference of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-1839), from which Belgium (1830) and Luxembourg (1890) segregate, accessing independence, with which the need for an economic union between the new countries quickly appears. small states.

History and construction

On July 25, 1921, the treaty creating the Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union was signed, through which all economic barriers were removed, and the currencies of the two countries remained at a fixed exchange rate. This fact is considered by many as the antecedent of the future Benelux treaty.

It was not until 1944, during the Second World War, when the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg agreed to abolish customs duties at their common borders, in addition to setting common rates for goods coming from outside the union.

On September 5, 1944, the treaty was signed in London, the place where the three governments were in exile. The entry into force of the treaty was scheduled for January 1, 1948, with the aim of having time (three years) for the reconstruction of each of the countries.

The treaty of the Benelux Customs Union also had as its vocation the free movement of people, goods and services.

The final formation of the Benelux resulted from the close ties that united Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg after World War II and led them to opt for the same options, which went beyond economic cooperation. Thus, on March 17, 1948, the three Benelux states joined the Western European Union (along with France and the United Kingdom) in order to protect themselves from the Soviet threat. That same year, the Benelux member states joined NATO.

Rapidly, the Benelux was added to the economic integration zones that were appearing, which were broader than the Benelux and sometimes had more ambitions than itself. This is how in 1948 it became part of the European Organization for Economic Cooperation (OEEC), of the ECSC in 1951 and of the EEC in 1957.

The entry into force in 1960 of the Treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union of 1958, meant that the Customs Union was replaced by the Benelux Economic Union, with which it was it gives a new impetus to the Union and sets a step and an example for the formation of what will be the European Union. The Benelux is said to be the first major economic treaty in Europe and therefore one of the ancestors of modern treaties, in which the EU is included.

On June 17, 2008, the Prime Ministers, the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and the Minister Presidents of Flanders, the Walloon Government, the French Community, the German-speaking Community of Belgium and the Minister President of the Brussels-Capital Region signed a new Benelux treaty in The Hague in order to give a dynamic new impetus to Benelux cooperation.

The new Benelux cooperation focuses on three main themes:

1. The inner market and the economic union.
2. Durability.
3. Justice and interior.

These three themes have been translated into a common four-year work program that the Benelux General Secretariat in Brussels will detail in more detail in the annual work plans. In addition, this joint work programme, approved by the Benelux Committee of Ministers, will ensure greater political support from the three countries.

Another novelty of the 2008 Treaty is that the number of existing institutions was reduced and simplified, so that there are only five Benelux institutions left:

1. The Benelux Committee of Ministers.
2. The Benelux Council.
3. The Benelux Parliament.
4. The Benelux Court of Justice.
5. The Benelux General Secretariat.

In addition to these five institutions, the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property is also included in the Treaty.

The Treaty also explicitly provides for the possibility for the Benelux countries to cooperate with other Member States of the European Union or with their regional cooperation structures.

The extension of cooperation beyond the areas of purely economic cooperation means that the official name of Benelux changes from Benelux Economic Union to Benelux Union.

The new Benelux Treaty entered into force on January 1, 2012. The agreement of June 17, 2008 between the responsible ministers and prime ministers gave decisive new impetus to the Benelux cooperation. This cooperation has been updated and will be an active, flexible and dynamic cooperation that will undoubtedly have significant added value in the broader European context.

Institutions

Map of Benelux

The Benelux Union institutionally comprises:

• The Committee of Ministers. It is the supreme decision-making body of the Benelux. The Committee of Ministers has at least one representative at the ministerial level of the three countries. The membership of the Committee of Ministers may vary according to the agenda. Ministers determine the directions and priorities of Benelux collaboration. The Committee is also chaired by Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium for a period of 1 year. The Netherlands chairs the Benelux Committee of Ministers until the end of 2020.
• The Benelux Council. It is composed of senior officials from the relevant ministries and its composition may vary on the agenda. The Council ' s main competence is to prepare files for ministers. A consulting parliamentary council, called the Benelux Parliament, brings together parliamentarians from all three countries, has a role of deliberation and recommendation, although it has no legislative power. This body consists of twenty-one members of the Dutch parliament, twenty-one members of the Belgian national and regional parliament and seven members of the Luxembourg parliament.
• The Benelux Parliament. The Inter-Parliamentary Advisory Council of Benelux has 49 members of the parliaments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Members of the Benelux Inter-Parliamentary Advisory Council report and advise their respective Governments on the issues of Benelux. The three countries signed an agreement in 2015 to modernize the Benelux Parliament, which will henceforth bear the official name of Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Benelux as soon as it enters into force.
• La Court of Justice. The Benelux Court of Justice is an international tribunal. Its mission is to promote uniformity in the application of the Benelux legislation, such as the law on intellectual property (products and services brands, designs or models), fines, recovery of tax debts, protection. birds and equal treatment. In the event of difficulty in interpreting a common legal norm of Benelux, national judges must submit a request for interpretation to the Benelux Court, which then issues a binding decision. The members of the Benelux Tribunal are appointed among the Cour de Cassation judges of Belgium, the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden and the High Court of Justice of Luxembourg. His appointment to the Benelux Tribunal does not exclude the exercise of his national role.
• La General Secretariat. The Benelux General Secretariat initiates, supports and ensures collaboration on economy, sustainability and security. The General Secretariat, located in Brussels, is the administrative centre of the Benelux Union. It provides the secretariat of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of the Union and various commissions and working groups. Since the General Secretariat operates in strict neutrality, it is perfectly trained to build bridges between different consulting partners. In addition to logistical support, the General Secretariat provides the necessary knowledge and experience, even if only to integrate political and institutional cultures often very different on both sides of the border. This ongoing support has the advantage of building on lessons learned and linking between different initiatives. The General Secretariat has with many authorities and institutions an extensive network of contact points at the service of cooperation partners. In practice, the lack of knowledge of political and administrative cultures on the other side of the border is indeed the main obstacle to cooperation. By using the services of the Benelux General Secretariat, one finds its way across the border quickly and efficiently.

Benelux Intellectual Property Organization

The Benelux Organization for Intellectual Property is governed by the Benelux Convention on Intellectual Property (Trademarks and Designs), signed in The Hague on February 25, 2005.

The bodies of the Organization are:

1. The Committee of Ministers.
2. The Board of Directors of the Benelux Intellectual Property Office.
3. The Benelux Intellectual Property Office (BOIP).

The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) is the official body for the registration of trademarks and models in the Benelux. The BOIP also offers the possibility of establishing the existence of ideas, concepts, creations, prototypes and others.

This independent international organization is based in The Hague.

Legal instruments

Article 6.2 of the Treaty revising the Treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union signed on February 3, 1958, offers the Benelux four instruments that can be used to establish its policy:

1. The Committee of Ministers may take decisions to implement the provisions of the Benelux Treaty respecting the conditions of the Treaty. These decisions are binding on member States. To be equally binding on the citizens of the three Benelux countries, decisions must be transposed to national regulations.
2. The Committee of Ministers may establish Conventionswhich will then be presented to the three member states. The conventions are legally binding commitments between the three member states of the Benelux. These agreements are implemented in accordance with the constitutional provisions of each member State.
3. The Committee of Ministers can do recommendations for the needs of the Benelux operation. These recommendations do not have legally binding force, but impose a certain moral obligation on member states to adjust their legislation to the recommendation.
4. The Committee of Ministers may give guidelines the Benelux Council and the General Secretariat. These directives are binding on the agencies they address.

Geography

The region covers an approximate area of 75,300 km², bordering Germany and the North Sea to the north and France to the south. The region is bathed by one of the largest rivers in Europe, the Rhine, at the mouth of which is the port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe and the second in the world.

In addition to the territory that the Benelux Union has on the European continent, it must be taken into account that the Netherlands has some 500 km² of territory in the Caribbean, divided between the islands of Bonaire, Saba and Saint Eustatius.

Population

The Benelux region concentrates a population of about 29,519,521 inhabitants (in 2018), for a density of more than 392 inhabitants per square kilometer, one of the highest in the world.

According to data from the Benelux Union, the region is one of the most prosperous in Europe, generating 7.9% of European GDP, despite representing only 1.7% of Europe's territory and 5.6% of its population.

Five different languages are spoken within the Union: Dutch (official in the Netherlands and Belgium), French (official in Belgium and Luxembourg), German (official in Luxembourg and Belgium, with about 112,843 speakers), Luxembourgish (250,000 speakers) and Frisian, spoken by approximately 440,000 people in the Netherlands.

The most populous city is Brussels, followed by Amsterdam. Other important cities within the Benelux are: Luxembourg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, The Hague, Bruges, Liège, Charleroi, Maastricht, Utrecht, Arnhem, Groningen and Eindhoven.

Statistical table

	Country	Capital	Population (2018)	Density (hab/km2)	Area (km2)	Per capita income (US$)	Currency	Monarch
	Belgium	Brussels	11.529,000	375.78	30.688	41.200	Euro1	Felipe
	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	590.700	228	2.586	70.890	Euro3	Enrique
	Netherlands	Amsterdam	17.399.821	513	42.026	46.710	Euro2	Guillermo Alejandro
	Benelux (total)	Brussels	29.519.521	392	75,300		Euro

* The data in this table have been updated in accordance with the Country Sheets for Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of 2020.