Alternative History
Advertisement
Flenebrulux Union
Flenebrulux Unie
Timeline: Scotland says "Yes"
OTL equivalent: Benelux, without the German-Speaking Community and Walloonia Region (apart from Luxembourg Province) of Belgium
Flag of Benelux
Benelux location map SSY
Administrative center
(and )
Official languages Dutch
Regional languages French, German, Luxembourgish
Type Politico-economic union
Member states Flag of FlandersFlanders

Flag of the NetherlandsNetherlands

Flag of the Brussels-Capital RegionBrussels

Flag of LuxembourgLuxembourg

Flag of the German Community in BelgiumEupen-Malmedy
Legislature Parliament
Establishment
 -  Customs union treaty signed 5 September 1944 
 -  Customs union in effect 1 January 1948 
 -  Renewal signed 17 June 2008 
 -  Renewal in effect 1 January 2010 
 -  Partition of Belgium  
 -  4th July 201?  
Currency Euro (EUR)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 -  Summer (DST)  (UTC+2)

The Flenebrulux Union (Dutch: Flenebrulux Unie; French: Union Flenebrulux), formally and still referred to as the Benelux Union, is a politico-economic union of four neigbouring states in Western Europe: Flanders, the Netherlands, BrusselsLuxembourg and Eupen-Malmedy .

The name Flenebrulux is formed from the first two or three letters of each country's name (apart from Eupen-Malmedy): Flanders, Eupen-Malmedy, Netherlands, Brussels, and Luxembourg. Before the Partition of Belgium (which was a member), the name was Benelux (Belgium), which was first used to name the customs agreement which initiated the union in 1944. It is now more generally used to refer to the geographic, economic and cultural grouping of the four countries (whilst Low Countries also refers to Flanders).

In 1951, these countries joined West Germany, France and Italy to form the European Coal and Steel Community, a predecessor of the European Union.

History

In 1944, exiled representatives of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the Longdon Customs Convention, which established the Benelux Customs Union. Ratified in 1947 and came into force from 1948, until it was superseded by the Benelux Economic Union. The treaty establishing the Benelux Economic Union (Benelux Economische Unie/Union Économique Benelux) was signed on 3rd February 1958 in the Hague, and came into force on the 1st November 1960 to promote the free movement of workers, capital, services and goods in the region.

Politics

A Flenebrulux Parliament (originally an "Interparliamentary Consultative Council", then the "Benelux Parliament") was created in 1955, composed of 13 members of the Flemish Government, 21 members of the Dutch Parliament, 1 member of the Brussels Parliamen, 8 members of the Luxembourg parliament and two members of the Eupen-Malmedy parliament.

Advertisement