The Benelux area, consisting of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, has long been celebrated for its remarkable commitment to cross-border cooperation initiatives spanning decades. This region has etched an enduring legacy of collaboration, serving as a pioneering example of how nations can transcend boundaries and forge lasting partnerships. Throughout history, the Benelux countries have navigated political, economic, and social landscapes to foster an unparalleled spirit of unity and shared purpose. In this Good Practice article, we will delve into the journey of the Benelux area's cross-border cooperation, highlighting one of its most recent milestones that has facilitated cross-border labour markets through the automatic recognition of educational certificates.

WHAT

The Benelux Union, an international organisation established after World War II, aimed to promote economic integration and stability. The signing of the "Customs Union" agreement in 1944 laid the foundation for abolishing trade barriers, harmonizing customs regulations, and facilitating the free movement of goods and services. Beyond economic integration, the Benelux Union has fostered collaboration in justice, agriculture, transportation, and social policy, while demonstrating adaptability and innovation in navigating EU integration to preserve their unique strengths and interests.

In a demonstration of its innovative border-overcoming nature, the Benelux region took a significant step in 2015 by signing the Treaty on Automatic Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications. This treaty aimed to address the time and cost associated with the recognition process of education degrees, benefiting both employees and employers. Bachelor or Master degrees (Level 6 and 7 of EQF) obtained in the Benelux countries, are recognized within the region without any additional procedures since 2015 while in 2018 two more qualification levels were added to the treaty (5 and 8). This is a true testament of the trust between the three countries’ educational and quality assurance systems.

The success of the treaty was further enhanced when in 2018 3 Baltic countries, namely Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania adopted the recognition process. A few years later in 2021 the conditions were ripe for these countries to be added to the Multilateral Treaty of Automatic Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications eliminating all administrative barriers in the recognition process between the six countries.

The Treaty was already designed from the beginning in such a way that it is very open to other parties to join. Such parties are eligible to join this Treaty provided they fulfill the following conditions:

a) Ratification of the Lisbon Convention

b) Implementation of the Standards and Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG)

c) Possession of a three tier higher education system

d) Adoption of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning

WHO

The treaty was drafted and signed in its first form through the active engagement of the governments of all three countries under their combined efforts of the Benelux Union. More specifically, the ministers of education were the cosignatories of the Treaty.

WHERE

Located in Western Europe, the Benelux area consists of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Its current population is approximately 30 million residents (5.6% of EU).

RESULTS

Today, the Benelux Union serves as an inspiration for cross-border cooperation worldwide. Its success stems from the understanding that collaboration on shared goals enables greater achievements than individual efforts alone. The Benelux area continues to pave the way for cross-border cooperation, demonstrating the power of unity in shaping a prosperous and interconnected future.

More than 1/3 of the total European Union cross-border workers live within the Benelux area, making it the most active cross-border region in Europe. More than 200,000 cross-border workers come to Luxembourg on a daily basis, accounting for 46% of the country’s workforce, and over 50,000 do so from Belgium. Additionally, about 40,000 people cross the border from Belgium to work in the Netherlands, while over 13,000 cross the border from the Netherlands to work in Belgium. The treaty for automatic recognition of certifications has been instrumental in enabling more cross border labour mobility in such an active border region by eliminating all administrative requirements essentially requiring nothing for the procedure to be completed. Beyond directly assisting employers and workers, the treaty also frees up valuable time and resources in qualification agencies since now they do not have to process qualifications from the participating countries.

The efforts of the Benelux Union on the recognition of qualification constitutes a good practice that has been expanded in other nations and is an inspiration for other education related agreements. Moreso the treaty is drafted in an open and inclusive way in order to allow other countries of the European Union to join.

You can find out more about the Benelux’s actions throughout the years here.