Our organisation
The Benelux Union has five institutions that allow it to act efficiently and competently in the interests of the citizens of its three member states:
The Benelux Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers is the highest decision-making body of the Benelux Union. It consists of at least one representative at ministerial level from all three countries. The ministers set the direction and priorities for cooperation across the Benelux. The composition of the Committee may vary from meeting to meeting, depending on the agenda.
The Benelux Council
The Benelux Council consists of senior officials from the relevant ministries. Its main task is to prepare dossiers for ministers. Once again, the exact composition of the Council varies depending on the agenda.
The Secretariat-General of the Benelux
The Secretariat-General of the Benelux initiates, supports and monitors economic, sustainable and safety-related cooperation.
The Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly (the Benelux Parliament)
The Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly has 49 members delegated by the parliaments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The members inform and advise their respective governments on all Benelux-related issues.
The Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly meets in principle three times a year in the country holding the presidency.
During the plenary session of 20 and 21 March 2026, the Prime Ministers of the Benelux — Luc Frieden (Luxembourg), Bart De Wever (Belgium), and Rob Jetten (the Netherlands) — launched the debate on the future of the Benelux through a joint video message. On that occasion, they reaffirmed the essential role of the Benelux as a laboratory of ideas and a forerunner within Europe.⬇️
The Benelux Court of Justice
The Benelux Court of Justice is particularly competent for the uniform interpretation of common rules of law (in areas such as intellectual property, penalty payments, motor vehicle liability insurance, etc.). To this end, national courts can – or even must – refer questions of interpretation to the Benelux Court of Justice. The Benelux Court of Justice is also competent to rule on appeals against final decisions of the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property. Depending on the nature of the case, the Court is composed either of magistrates chosen from among the members of the Belgian Court of Cassation, the ‘Hoge Raad der Nederlanden’ and the ‘Cour supérieure de justice’ of Luxembourg, or of magistrates chosen from among the members of the Courts of Appeal of Belgium, the Courts of Appeal of the Netherlands and the ‘Cour d’appel’ of Luxembourg.
Moreover, in the form of the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) — an independent organisation — the Benelux Union has an official body for the registration of trademarks, designs and drawings in the three countries.
