On the 17th of June 2008, a renewed Benelux Treaty was signed in The Hague by the prime ministers and ministers of foreign affairs of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg as well as the minister-presidents of Flanders, the Walloon government, the French community and the German community of Belgium and the minister-chairman of Brussels Capital Region.
In doing so, they sent out a strong signal to give the Benelux cooperation a new dynamic start.
A short reminder:
The first Treaty between the Benelux countries establishing a Benelux Economic Union was signed in 1958 for a period of 50 years. During the following years and even more after the creation of the European Union, the Benelux cooperation focussed on developing other fields of activity within a constantly changing international context.
At the end of the 50-year period, the governments of the three Benelux-countries considered that it was time for renewal, taking into account the new aspects of the Benelux-cooperation – such as security – and the new federal state structure in Belgium.
17th of June 2008:
On the 17th of June 2008 the new Benelux-Treaty was signed together with two other documents: the declaration and the protocol on privileges and immunities of the Benelux Union.
Contents of the Treaty
TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES:
•to continue with the Benelux-cooperation as a laboratory for Europe
•to enlarge the cross-border cooperation
THREE TOPICS
The new Benelux cooperation focuses on three main topics:
1. Internal market and economic union
2. Sustainable Development
3. Justice and internal affairs.
A COMMON WORKING PROGRAM
These three themes are worked out in a four years common working program that will be further developed in annual working plans by the Secretariat general of the Benelux in Brussels.
INCREASED POLITICAL SUPPORT
This common working program, approved by the Benelux Committee of Ministers, will insure an increased political support of the three countries.
REDUCTION OF THE INSTITUTIONS
The number of structures in the new Treaty has been reduced and thus simplified. Five Benelux institutions remain:
1. the Benelux Committee of Ministers
2. the Benelux Council
3. the Benelux Parliament
4. the Benelux Court of Justice
5. the Benelux Secretariat general
Beside these five institutions, the Benelux Organisation for Intellectual Property is also present in this Treaty.
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
The Treaty explicitly foresees the possibility for the Benelux-countries to cooperate with other European member States or regional cooperation structures of these countries.
NEW NAME
The enlargement of the cooperation to more domains than purely the economic brings along that the official name of the Benelux changes from Benelux Economic Union to Benelux Union
DATE OF ENTERING INTO EFFECT
This renewed Treaty has been concluded for an undetermined duration. Each country has the right to denounce the Treaty after an initial period of 10 years, taking into account period of notice of three years.
The Benelux Treaty will enter into effect 2 months after the ratification of the text in Belgium, in Luxemburg as well as in the Netherlands.
Conclusion
With the signature on the 17th of June by the Ministers in charge and the three Prime Ministers, the Benelux-cooperation received a new decisive impulse. These reforms give this cooperation, that can be traced back to 1958, a new forward momentum and will result in an active, flexible and dynamic cooperation. It will certainly have an important added value in the broader European context.
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