Benelux Economic Union

Benelux Economic Union Outline

The Benelux Economic Union was based on the Treaty of Economic Union signed by Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in The Hague in 1958. The treaty came into force in 1960, but the economic cooperation among the three countries goes back a long way to 1932, when they entered into the Ouchy Convention to reduce tariffs. The three countries made a number of treaties after the Second World War to coordinate their economic and financial policies and to establish a customs union between them. The formation of the Benelux Economic Union was a continuation of their economic cooperation at a higher level. The main functions of the union are to coordinate economic, financial and social policies of the members, and to lead to a higher level of integration of the three countries. All three countries of the union are also members of the EU. In practice, Benelux is supplementary to the cooperation of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands within the legal framework of the EU. It may theoretically enable the three countries to extend their cooperation to areas which are not currently covered by the EU.(1)

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See Also

• International Organization
• Foreign Relations
• Intergovernmental Organization
• Regional Organization
• Regional Integration

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Notes

1. John Mo, International Commercial Law