Benelux Parliament

Cooperation with the Benelux Parliament

Baltic-Benelux parliamentary cooperation started in 1994. By signing the Common Declaration on Parliamentary Cooperation, parliamentarians agreed to cooperate in developing democratic institutions and foster coordination of activities in such field as foreign policy, communications, energy, market economy, environmental protection, culture, education and science. Throughout the years, the cooperation has expanded and taken new forms, priority fields and formats. The Benelux experience has been useful in solving cross-border problems, such as developing joint infrastructure facilities, opening common border-crossing checkpoints and organising common customs services as well as fighting against organised crime and illegal border crossing. The Benelux countries have also provided indispensable support to the Baltic States in preparing for joining the Schengen information system.

The closest cooperation between the Baltic Assembly and the Benelux Parliament has taken place in the following spheres: local government cooperation, visa issues, cross-border cooperation, cooperation between seaports, migration issues, preservation of the cultural heritage and fight against social security fraud, etc. The Baltic Assembly benefited from the experience of the  Benelux countries in the sphere of cross-border cooperation (for solving problems related to Valka and Valga), development of a common infrastructure as well as the creation of joint border control points and unified management of customs services to ensure compliance with the criteria set by the Schengen system.

Decision on Priorities for 2024-2026

From 30 November to 1 December, the Session of the Benelux Parliament took place in Middelburg (the Netherlands). The Session of the Benelux Parliament "Migration flows in the Benelux countries: Current situation and prospects" was dedicated to challenges related to migration policy. On the margins of the Session, President of the Baltic Assembly Timo Suslov and the President of the Benelux Parliament Pim van Ballekom signed a new cooperation agreement on the priorities of cooperation for 2024 to 2026. The priorities are 1) security and defence with an emphasis on resilience, cybersecurity, and cooperation with the Eastern Partnership countries; 2) transport, energy, and infrastructure interconnectivity, including security and safety issues; 3) interconnected education systems and mutual recognition of qualifications in the Baltic and Benelux states; 4) circular economy and sustainable development in the Baltic and Benelux states; and 5) digital transformation, including artificial intelligence, and mitigation of its negative impacts.

To read more about the Benelux Parliament, visit www.beneluxparl.eu

Joint documents

• Common Declaration on Parliamentary Cooperation, 18 November 1994, Hague (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2006 (download)
• Common Declaration of Parliamentary Cooperation, of 23 March 2007 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2007-2008 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2009-2010 (download)
• Decision on Priorities of Cooperation for 2011-2012 (download)
• Decision on Priorities of Cooperation for 2013-2014 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2015-2016 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2017-2018 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2019-2021 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2022-2023 (download)
• Decision of Priorities for Cooperation for 2024-2026 (download)

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