De Benelux Unie in drie minuten

Met trots presenteren we… De Benelux Unie. Dit jaar vieren we dat België, Nederland en Luxemburg al 80 jaar samenwerken om de regio beter te laten functioneren op het gebied van veiligheid, duurzaamheid, interne markt en economie. Bekijk de video!

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

A lot of BS. Those countries once were one single country until the year 1830, as they decided to split up.

[@kevinvandal8595]

Only for like 5 minutes or so.
Most of the time the Netherlands and Belgium were separated by Spain, Austria and France.

[@alistairkat4217]

That's hardly an argument. Czechoslovakia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Yugoslavia, the Ottoman Empire, the Iberian Union, the Soviet Union, and Abyssinia are all examples of other former countries that (violently) split up, resulting in countries that also still exist to this day which often still have very contentious if not outright hostile relationships. This is in sharp contrast to the mutual friendship of the Benelux countries nowadays, making their fruitful cooperation actually quite special. It should serve to inspire other neighbour countries that share similarly interconnected histories.

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

@@alistairkat4217 The Benelux could not even solve simple things in the last 80 years between the countries. It's only for filling the pockets of those involved in that Benelux project.

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

@@kevinvandal8595 Not here in the southern Catholic part of the Netherlands. These Provinces were ruled by Napoleon and Philip from Spain, and this part belonged always to Belgium.

[@alistairkat4217]

@@wimschoenmakers5463 Do you have examples of "those simple things the Benelux couldn't even solve'?
I'm also curious why you apparently think that things like 1) automatic level recognition of diplomas and degrees (which allows Benelux citizens to more easily apply for jobs or follow-up education in other Benelux countries), 2) a police treaty (which allows police services to more efficiently tackle cross-border crime and hence improves safety and security in the Benelux countries without costing additional resources), 3) improved cross-border management of water (which allows better prevention and management of floods, draughts, and drinking water shortages across Benelux countries), 4) improved cross-border management of energy (allowing Benelux countries to spread out occasional ups and downs in their energy and electricity networks and preventing or reducing outages), 5) improved cycling infrastructure across the Benelux, 6) an Air Policing arrangement (which entails that the Netherlands and Belgium take four-month turns to keep the Benelux airspace secure with fighter jet patrols, improving efficiency and interoperability of the Benelux air forces), 7) an Interparliamentary Consultative Council (which allows parliamentary representatives from the Benelux countries to share advice and take political decisions in close cooperation), and 8) the Benelux Court of Justice (which promotes uniformity in the application of Benelux legislation and hence serves to strengthen rule of law) all only serve "for filling pockets of those involved". Whose pockets are you talking about and how do these examples of Benelux cooperation only 'fill their pockets'? Surely it's evident that they all contribute to efficiency and security across the Benelux one way or another, and surely that's something the people of the Benelux benefit from?

[@GHopper-uf7mt]

Je had het ook in een woord kunnen omschrijven: 'corporatisme'