Brussels, 23/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - Benelux is to return to active service to give itself increased standing against the heavyweights meeting within the European Council.
The Prime Ministers of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, all of whom are members of the Liberal family, have decided to breathe new life into this economic union, which dates back to 1958. Xavier Bettel, Charles Michel and Mark Rutte met in Brussels to discuss this a few hours before the start of the European summit. This return to convergence can be explained by Charles Michel's recent appointment to the head of the Belgian government. “We need to stand together in these big meetings rather than each alone”, a source from Belgian daily newspaper, L'Écho, reported. This was almost literally the case: Xavier Bettel and Charles Michel travelled to Wednesday afternoon's meeting in the same car. (MD)