Today I received the College of the Benelux Union. The Benelux is experiencing a real momentum and we must seize it.
The Benelux has always been a laboratory. Even before Europe took shape, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg proved that sovereign countries can choose to move forward together. The customs union of 1944. Free movement before Schengen. Economic integration before the internal market. Time and again, the Benelux paved the way.
That pioneering role does not belong to the past. It is more necessary than ever. In a Europe that is searching for itself, reforming itself, defending itself, and renewing itself, the Benelux must once again be the engine that shows the direction.
And that is not abstract. The Benelux is the cross border worker who crosses the border every morning without thinking about it. It is the diploma that is recognised on the other side. It is the patient who can receive treatment in a hospital in the neighbouring country. It is police cooperation that does not stop at a border post. For our citizens, the Benelux is everyday life.
I pledged my full support to the College to push the union forward. Three countries that together form the fourth largest economic power in the European Union. Three countries that prove day after day that cooperation is our greatest strength.
: Maxime Prévot
Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium