On 09 February the Benelux Business Roundtable (BBR) submitted its Position Paper on Competitiveness to the Prime Ministers of Belgium (Bart De Wever), the Netherlands (Minister-president Dick Schoof), and Luxembourg (Luc Frieden).
This is an important step at a time when Europe faces major challenges in competitiveness, security, and climate transition, calling urgently for coordinated action across borders.
Building on the Benelux Declaration of September 2025, the Position Paper sets out priority actions to:
- Lower system cost for enhanced competitiveness
- De-risk the business case for industrial transformation investment
- Establish a unified rulebook, in support of the points outlined above.
These priorities reflect the founding vision of the Benelux, a regional allliance meant to advance economic integration and serve as a laboratory for European cooperation.
The informal Council meeting in Alden Biesen (12 February) is a timely opportunity to demonstrate how enhanced Benelux cooperation can contribute to Europe’s competitiveness agenda.
The Benelux has long shown that regional cooperation delivers tangible benefits for Europe as a whole.
Now we count on our political leaders of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg to take a unified position at both Benelux and EU level in support of these priority actions, in the interest of our industrial base.