Yesterday evening, I joined my colleagues at the Benelux Summit in Luxembourg – showing that the Benelux is where ambition for Europe takes concrete shape.

My thanks to host Luc Frieden, to Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof – who will take over the presidency in 2026 – and to our neighbours Hendrik Wüst (North Rhine-Westphalia) and François Decoster (Hauts-de-France). 

A special word of gratitude also goes to Frans Weekers, Secretary-General of the Benelux Union, whose mandate ends this year. His commitment – not least to the Benelux Police Treaty – has been invaluable. Or, to quote him: “The Benelux is alive and kicking.”

And rightly so. Together we advanced on:
• strengthening our economies and societies,
• deepening the internal market, in line with the Draghi and Letta reports,
• tackling organised crime.

But the Benelux can go further. Article 350 of the EU Treaty allows us to integrate faster and deeper than the rest of the Union. This unique position gives us the chance to lead on issues like the internal market, strategic autonomy and migration.

We are already the EU’s fourth largest economy. United, we can achieve even more. That is why Belgium will keep pushing for an ever closer “union intime” within the Benelux.