Benelux countries aim to simplify the internal market for citizens and businesses

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.