The Benelux Summit was held on 28 November 2022 at Bourglinster Castle as part of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Benelux Union. The Luxembourg Presidency focused on three priorities: emerging stronger from the pandemic, promoting synergies with neighbouring regions and working towards a green, safe and competitive Benelux.
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Group photo
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Enlarged working meeting with the Premierministers Mark Rutte, Alexander De Croo and Xavier Bettel, the Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, the current president of the Grande Région Summit, Jean Rottner
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Group photo of the three Prime Ministers, the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, the President of the Grande Région Summit and current President of the Regional Council of Grand Est, Jean Rottner
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Enlarged working meeting with the Premierministers Mark Rutte, Alexander De Croo and Xavier Bettel, the Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, the President of the Regional Council Jean Rottner and the representatives of the Benelux Secretariat-General
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Group photo of the three Prime Ministers, the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, the President of the Grande Région Summit and current President of the Regional Council of Grand Est, Jean Rottner
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(fr. l. to r.) Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium; Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister, Minister of State; Mark Rutte, Prime Minister, Minister of General Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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Signing of the 'Renewed Political Declaration of the Governments of the Member States of the Benelux Union' by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Prime Minister, Minister of State, Xavier Bettel
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Arrival of the representatives of the Benelux Secretariat-General
The Prime Minister, Minister of State, Xavier Bettel, received the Prime Minister, Minister of General Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, Alexander De Croo.
After the official welcome, the Prime Ministers met with the Secretary-General of the Benelux.
During their working meeting, Xavier Bettel, Alexander de Croo and Mark Rutte reaffirmed their commitment to even deeper cooperation between the Benelux countries and to further European integration.
Thematic discussions included the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its consequences, such as the impact on the security of energy supply in the European Union.
The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their full support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and stressed that the Benelux countries are ready to work together to support the reconstruction of Ukraine in the years to come.
The attached joint declaration states inter alia that: "As war has returned to our continent, our core European values of democracy, human dignity and freedom have come into focus. We, the countries of the Benelux, will stand firm and promote European unity and solidarity."
During the working meeting, the heads of government also exchanged views on current European issues such as migration, the Schengen area and the rule of law in the European Union.
Part of the discussions included two neighbours, namely the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, and the President of the Grande Région Summit and President of the Regional Council of Grand Est, Jean Rottner.
During this enlarged meeting, Xavier Bettel underlined that synergy with neighbouring regions is an essential tool, as already stated in the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency. He went on to say that for the whole region, the transition to a sustainable, more resilient and reliable energy system relies on the development of renewable energies and security of supply, which is particularly important at this time of uncertainty in energy supply.
At the end of the working meetings, a press conference summarising the results of the summit was held with the participation of Xavier Bettel, Alexander de Croo, Mark Rutte, Hendrik Wüst and Jean Rottner.
Press release by the Ministry of State