Brussels, 2 November 2026 – The upcoming Benelux Summit in Maastricht will shape the future of Europe’s industrial heartland.
Restoring the competitiveness of Europe’s industrial base is an urgent priority. Without affordable energy, reliable infrastructure and predictable rules, the region risks losing production, investment and strategic capabilities that will be difficult to rebuild.
Europe’s ambition to build an integrated energy market faces a practical test in the Benelux. If three closely connected countries with decades of cooperation cannot overcome fragmentation in their energy systems, how credible is integration across the European Union?
The strategic importance of the Benelux to Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness cannot be overstated. Its ports, industrial clusters and energy infrastructure connect North Sea energy supplies and global trade with the industrial heartland of North-West Europe. Together with neighbouring regions, particularly North Rhine-Westphalia, it forms an interconnected industrial system whose competitiveness depends on reliable, affordable energy moving across national borders.
Yet energy infrastructure, market rules and permitting remain fragmented. That fragmentation raises costs, delays investment and weakens the business case for keeping industrial production in Europe. A functioning European energy market requires an integrated Benelux at its core.
The recent Port Summit between Flanders, the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia created momentum for stronger cross-border cooperation. The Benelux Summit must now turn that momentum into decisions.
The Benelux Business Roundtable (BBR), bringing together 25 leading companies from the industrial, energy and infrastructure sectors, calls for action in four areas:
Commit to an integrated Benelux energy market.
Coordinate electricity grids, offshore wind, hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure through joint planning and aligned market rules, involving neighbouring industrial regions where necessary.
Make cross-border investment easier to deliver.
Establish coordinated permitting for strategic projects and consistent interpretation and application of relevant rules. Identify the obstacles to be removed, the authorities responsible and the deadlines for action.
Launch a joint public-private CCS planning process.
Bring governments, industrial emitters, infrastructure developers and ports together to establish how a cross-border CO₂ network can connect industrial clusters with North Sea storage, with clear options for volumes, routes, costs and investment timing.
Actively pursue energy integration with neighbouring regions.
Establish practical cooperation mechanisms with North Rhine-Westphalia, the Greater Region and Hauts-de-France to coordinate cross-border energy infrastructure planning, align relevant rules and remove barriers to an integrated regional energy market.
The Benelux Summit is a test of whether governments can deliver the integration they advocate in Brussels and answer industry’s urgent questions What will be decided jointly? Who will be accountable? By when will industry see results?
Eric ter Hark, Executive Chairman of BBR, said:
“The Benelux occupies a strategic position in Europe’s energy and industrial system that receives far too little attention. An integrated European energy market cannot succeed with a fragmented Benelux at its core. On 10 November, the three Prime Ministers have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to show that cross-border integration can deliver a credible future for industry in Europe.”
*ENDS*
To conduct any interviews with our spokespeople, please contact:
Ms Jennifer Kwao
Email: info@beneluxbusinessroundtable.org
Tel: +32 499 65 13 13
About the BBR
The Benelux Business Roundtable is a coalition of leading industrial companies in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg. Since 2015, we have been advocating at the EU and national levels for closer cross-border cooperation and deeper European integration to support economic prosperity and competitiveness.