Benelux, Economy
Benelux countries aim to simplify the internal market for citizens and businesses
09 Sep. 2026
How do you make it easier for a company to do business across borders? And how do you ensure that employees can also practise their profession in a neighbouring country? These were the central questions during a strategic consultation between the directors-general for Economic Affairs of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The meeting took place under the Dutch presidency and was chaired by Michiel Boots, director-general for Economy and Digitalisation at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Liesje Schreinemacher, deputy secretary-general of the Benelux Union, opened the meeting.
The three countries want to further strengthen the internal market by removing practical barriers for citizens and businesses. This matters not only for the Benelux economy itself, but also aligns with the broader European ambition to make the internal market stronger, more resilient and more competitive.
Fewer cross-border barriers
The agenda included several topics with a direct impact on businesses and employees. The directors-general discussed the further development of e-commerce, the modernisation of public procurement, and the European Business Wallet — a tool designed to help businesses more easily use their data and documents digitally when operating across different EU countries.
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg also want to strengthen cooperation in support of small and medium-sized enterprises. The recognition of professional qualifications was another topic on the table: anyone wishing to work in another Benelux country should face as few administrative or legal obstacles as possible.
During the meeting, Hans Lindblad, a member of the European Court of Auditors, presented the key findings of a recent report on the internal market for services.
Stronger together in Europe
This cooperation fits within the European roadmap “One Europe, One Market”, launched this year by the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission. The roadmap sets out measures to improve how the internal market functions and to create room for economic growth.
Benelux acting as one
The three countries also agreed on a joint Benelux position on the future European Skills Portability Initiative, which aims to make it easier to have skills and qualifications recognised across different European countries.
They also discussed a joint Benelux letter to the European Commission on how the functioning of the internal market is measured.
Through this joint approach, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg aim not only to tackle cross-border problems, but also to jointly exert influence on the European agenda.
