Benelux

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Satellite image of the Benelux countries

Benelux

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring monarchies, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is formed from the beginning of each country's name, and was created for the Benelux Customs Union, but is now used in a more generic way. Size: 74,102 km², Population: 27.1 million

The treaty establishing the Benelux Customs Union was signed in 1944 by the governments in exile of the three countries in London, and entered into force in 1947. It ceased to exist in 1960, when it was replaced by the Benelux Economic Union. It was preceded by the (still existent) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, established in 1921.

Its founding contributed to the founding of the European Union (EU), though the immediate precursors to the EU were founded later (the ECSC in 1951 and the EEC in 1957). The three countries were also founding members of these organizations, together with West Germany, France, and Italy. Article 306 of the EC Treaty stipulates that The provisions of this Treaty shall not preclude the existence or completion of regional unions between Belgium and Luxembourg, or between Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, to the extent that the objectives of these regional unions are not attained by application of this Treaty. This article remained unaltered as Article IV-441 of the European Constitution.

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 parliament, 21 members of the Belgian national and regional parliaments, and 7 members of the Luxembourgish parliament.

The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union (Benelux Economische Unie/Union Économique Benelux) was signed in 1958 and came into force in 1960 to promote the free movement of workers, capital, services, and goods in the region. Its secretariat-general is located in Brussels. The unification of the law of the three Benelux countries is mainly achieved by regulations of its Council of Ministers, that only bind the three States, but are not directly applicable in their internal legal orders. There is also a large number of Benelux conventions in a wide range of subject matters.

In 1965, the treaty establishing a Benelux Court of Justice was signed. It entered into force in 1975. The Court, composed of judges from the highest courts of the three States, has to guarantee the uniform interpretation of common legal rules. This international judicial institution is located 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 Office, both situated in The Hague. In 2005 they concluded a treaty establishing a Benelux Organisation for Intellectual Property which replaced both offices upon its entry into force on September 1, 2006.

The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union will expire in 2010. It will probably be replaced by a new legal framework, taking into account the evolutions since the 1950s, both within the three member states and concerning European integration.

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 4.7 million (17 percent) speak French. Although it is not an official language of the Benelux and its institutions, Belgium and Luxembourg recognise German as one of the official national languages. In fact, there is a small German speaking community in Belgium seated in the town of Eupen.