Before the Second World War, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands had thought about the creation of a common policy, but it did not crystallize. During the war, these three States took the idea of cooperation more seriously in order to rebuild the countries.
– Logo and flag: (Public domain)// Map: ( Информационна агенция “КРОСС”, 2012)
From left to right, the three members of the Benelux, the flag, and the logo
Benelux was created in 1944 in London, where the representatives of the three States were exiled, through the signature of the treaty of the London Customs Convention, which established the Benelux Customs Union.
Four years later, in 1948, Benelux entered into force. That year was the beginning of the period of European integration for the three States, which was the main purpose of the union, as well as fortifying the relations among them.
Benelux is an economic and customs union headquartered in Brussels. Additionally, Benelux constitutes a common social and financial policy among the three states.
As a result of the instruments with which the Ministers Committee which forms Benelux has been provided, each decision it takes binds States immediately. The Committee can take decisions in fields in which it has certain competences, and these competences are settled in the Union Treaty.
In 1958, the customs union led to a EU Benelux Treaty which dealt with more depth in the economic cooperation among its members. And in 2008, a new Treaty of Benelux, by which the current Benelux Union was created, was ratified.
This union among States has been considered as one of the predecessors of the European Union, along with the creation of the ECSC and the Euratom.
The video explains some relevant aspects of Benelux.
IMAGE:
- Информационна агенция “КРОСС”. (5 de September de 2012). Денят 5-ти СЕПТЕМВРИ в историята. Obtenido de InfoBulgaria: http://infobulgaria.info/news.php?itm=17350
WEBGRAPHY
- Canal Historia. (n.d.). TRATADO DEL BENELUX. Retrieved from Canal Historia: https://canalhistoria.es/hoy-en-la-historia/tratado-del-benelux/
- Santiago. (2008, Agosto 22). Benelux. Retrieved from Geografía la guía: https://geografia.laguia2000.com/geografia-regional/europa/union-europea/benelux
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2018, December 5). Benelux. Retrieved from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benelux
The economic and political history of Belgium 