The role of Benelux in Europe

On March 3rd 2010, the students of the MA European Union Studies course welcomed the Secretary General Mr Jan van Laarhoven of the Benelux Union for a speech on the cooperation the three member countries.

The Benelux Union, which was founded after the Second World War as a mean to rebuild the economy in Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands as well as to ensure the welfare of the citizens, is today more than ever an important institution. Nonetheless, with the foundation of the EU the Benelux increasingly became less interesting.

As the European Union expanded after the Cold War, the Benelux became an interesting ‘experimental garden’ for the EU since fruitful collaboration between a small number of states can give input to Europe wide cooperation. The Schengen agreement is the most successful example of such a transposition from the Benelux to the EU level. What started off as a treaty between the Benelux, Germany and France was later incorporated into the Amsterdam treaty.

On the other hand, EU enlargement also sparked more interest in regional cooperation in the style of the Benelux. Smaller states such as the Baltics the Nordic states or the Visegard countries thus joined forces in order to have their voice heard within the EU besides the large countries. 

Although others followed the Benelux example, none of those other agreements have reached a similar degree of integrations. The cooperation amongst the member states is based on three pillars, namely the economy, sustainability and justice and home affaires. An example for this unique integration is for instance the energy policy where the Benelux, France and Germany have joined forces to connect their electricity networks, a goal which is also aimed for within the whole of the EU. Furthermore, the three member states have also been focussing on issues such as cross-border national parks. As animals do not respect borders, the expansion of cooperation to environmental issues has become necessary. Examples for justice and home affaires collaboration include joint police patrols fighting drug trafficking and common exercises. 

Yet, while the Benelux countries have already tackled many issues, others are yet to be approached. Efforts are thus made to solve the problems that arise with cross-border labour movements such as administrative or welfare issues. Once again the Benelux might prove itself to be a forerunner for future EU developments.