The Benelux Interparliamentary Assembly, commonly known as the Benelux Parliament, is one of the institutions of the Benelux Union. The assembly was established through an agreement signed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on 5 November 1955, which means it had already existed for three years when the Benelux Union was established on 3 February 1958. The Benelux Parliament provides the governments with advice on economic and transnational cooperation. Its recommendations may also concern other matters if common interests or current events so dictate. The parliament also keeps the three governments informed about the opinions that move in the parliamentary assemblies from which its members originate.Benelux Parliament , benelux-parliament.eu. Retrieved 2014-3-4.

In its session on 12 and 13 June 2009, the Benelux Parliament unanimously adopted a recommendation to modernise its way of working and to review the agreement signed between the three Benelux states.Conseil interparlementaire consultatif du Benelux, Compte rendu in extenso des séances, Session 2009, Séances des vend#e50000i 12 et samedi 13 juin 2009, SS. 37-45 After some years of discussions about the extension of the competences of the Benelux Parliament, a new agreement was signed on 20 January 2015.Legixlux: Loi du 3 février 2018 portant approbation de la Convention entre le Royaume de Belgique, le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg et le Royaume des Pays-Bas concernant l’Assemblée Interparlementaire Benelux, fait à Bruxelles le 20 janvier 2015. It strengthened the right to interpellation and improved the parliament's ways of working. An extension of its competences to include a right of decision was not included. This new agreement changed the parliament's official name from the previous Benelux Interparliamentary Consultative Council to its current official name.

Members The Benelux Parliament consists of 49 members: 21 delegates from Belgium, 21 delegates of the States General of the Netherlands, and 7 delegates of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg. The Belgian members are elected from amongst the members of the Chamber of Representatives and the parliaments of the communities and regions. For each of the 49 members, there is a substitute member who can replace that member if necessary.

Political groups The members of the Benelux Parliament are divided into four political groups. The Christian group includes members of CD&V, the CSP, Les Engagés (LE), and the N-VA from Belgium; the BBB, the CDA, the Christian Union (CU), and OPNL from the Netherlands; and the CSV and the ADR from Luxembourg. The Socialists, Greens and Democrats (SGD) group includes members of Vooruit and the PS from Belgium; Pro and the SP from the Netherlands; and The Greens (DG) and the LSAP from Luxembourg. The Liberal group includes members of the MR from Belgium; the VVD and D66 from the Netherlands; and the DP from Luxembourg. Vlaams Belang (VB) from Belgium and the PVV from the Netherlands form their own joint group.

The PVDA-PTB from Belgium does not belong to any group. In the past, FVD, JA21, and the PvdD from the Netherlands were not part of any group. The SGD included GroenLinks and PvdA from the Netherlands and Ecolo and Groen from Belgium.

+ Political groups in the Benelux ParliamentNameParliamentary leaderIdeologiesSeatsChristian Group with Regionalists and Democratic AlliesTheo BovensChristian democracyConservatismLiberal GroupJan SchoonisLiberalismSocialists, Greens and DemocratsPatrick PrévotSocial democracyGreen politicsDemocratic socialismVlaams Belang–Party for FreedomBarbara PasNationalismRight-wing populismNon-attached members——

List of members : Name Country Legislative body PartyGroup Chamber of Deputies DP Liberal House of RepresentativesVVD Liberal Chamber of Deputies DG SGD Parliament of Wallonia MR Liberal Chamber of Representatives PVDA-PTB Non-attached Senate CDA CDR House of Representatives CDA CRD Chamber of Deputies LSAP SGD Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region MR Liberal Parliament of the German-speaking Community CSP CRD Senate D66 Liberal Flemish Parliament VB VB–PVV House of Representatives VVD Liberal Chamber of Representatives N-VA CRD Chamber of RepresentativesMR Liberal Parliament of the French Community MR Liberal House of Representatives PVV VB–PVV Parliament of the French Community LE CRD Chamber of Deputies DP Liberal Flemish Parliament N-VA CRD Senate SP SGD Chamber of Deputies CSV CRD Chamber of Deputies ADR CRD House of RepresentativesVVD Liberal Chamber of Representatives CD&V CRD Chamber of Deputies CSV CRD Chamber of Representatives VB VB–PVV Chamber of Representatives LE CRD Flemish Parliament CD&V CRD Chamber of Representatives VB VB–PVV Chamber of Representatives PS SGD Senate GL–PvdA SGD House of Representatives D66 Liberal Parliament of Wallonia PS SGD Senate CU CRD House of Representatives D66 Liberal Senate VVD Liberal Chamber of Representatives N-VA CRD Senate OPNL CRD House of Representatives GL–PvdA SGD Senate PVV VB–PVV Senate PVV VB–PVV Flemish Parliament N-VA CRD House of Representatives PVV VB–PVV Senate BBB CRD Flemish Parliament Vooruit SGD House of Representatives D66 Liberal Chamber of Representatives Vooruit SGDVacancyHouse of RepresentativesGL–PvdA SGD

Meeting place The meeting place of the Benelux Parliament rotates among Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Each of these countries hosts the plenary meetings of the Benelux Parliament for two consecutive years. The secretariat of the Benelux Parliament is located in Brussels, Belgium.

+ Rotation scheme 2013–2014 2015–2016 2017–2018 2019–2020 2021–2022 2023–2024 2025–2026 2027–2028 2029–2030

Notes

References

External links

Official website of the Benelux Parliament