The beginnings of Europe
It all began during the Second World War, in 1943, when Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg joined forces to regulate transactions and strengthen economic relations: they signed the Benelux Monetary Agreement. A year later, as the war came to an end, the three countries signed the Customs Convention to create a tariff community. The Customs Union came into effect in 1948. The aim was to abolish import duties on internal Benelux trade and impose a common external tariff on third countries. In the same year, the Treaty of Brussels was signed for a period of fifty years by France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Joseph Bech was the signatory for the Grand Duchy). The alliance guaranteed military assistance in the event of invasion.
A year later, these five countries were among the founding members of NATO, along with seven other states. Today, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), NATO's integrated logistics and service agency, is headquartered in Capellen, near Luxembourg City. Its mission is to organize logistical support for the 28 NATO countries. Since registration in the name of an international organization (in this case NATO) is not possible under international air law, NATO's airborne detection fleet (15 AWACS aircraft) is registered in Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy is also actively involved in setting up a European security and defense policy, and takes part in UN and NATO activities. Luxembourg was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2013-2014, and assumed the Council's presidency in March 2014.
The creation of a European Union
It was finally on May 9, 1950, that European integration really got underway, with the declaration of Robert Schuman. This French politician, born in Luxembourg in 1886, proposed pooling the coal and steel of France and Germany, and succeeded in convincing Europe of the vital need to unite in prosperity, peace and democracy. This declaration led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris (April 18, 1951), which established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between six European states. The first meeting of the ECSC High Authority took place in Luxembourg on August 10, 1952. Along with Brussels and Strasbourg, Luxembourg became one of the three most influential European cities.
On March 25, 1957, representatives of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed two treaties in Rome. The first created the European Economic Community (EEC), with the aim of developing economic activities throughout the Community. The second establishes the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom), whose mission is the formation and growth of a European nuclear industry. They came into force on January 14, 1958.
On April 18, 2012, a declaration by the Benelux countries formalized the strengthening of military cooperation between the three countries. On January1, 2013, Luxembourg took over the rotating presidency of the Benelux (2013-2014). On February 13, 2014, the three countries signed a declaration designed to combat social dumping and unfair competition, followed on February 21 by a treaty on cross-border cooperation. On this occasion, the ministers of the three countries also adopted the Benelux Action Plan 2014, which focuses on cross-border professional mobility, logistics and transport, and the fight against fraud. This latest treaty, which renews procedures that have existed since 1986, opens the door to cooperation with France, Germany and the UK.
Europe in Luxembourg
All these events in which the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has played a part have made the country a key witness to Europe, from its creation to the Europe we know today. So it's hardly surprising that many symbolic places are located here. Luxembourg-City is home to the European Court of Auditors, the Secretariat of the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank, the Court of First Instance and the Court of Justice of the European Communities, and of course the European Commission. Most of these institutions are located on the Kirchberg plateau, the business district of Luxembourg's banking and financial center, linked to the city center by the Grande-Duchesse Charlotte bridge, commonly known as the "red bridge". Luxembourg City is also home to Robert Schuman's birthplace, a 19th-century villa acquired and renovated by the Luxembourg State in 1985. Located in the Clausen district, it is now a memorial to one of Europe's founding fathers, and home to the Centre d'études et de recherches européennes.
Luxembourg-City is not, however, the Grand Duchy's only European site: in the Moselle region lies Schengen, where the treaty on the abolition of European border controls was signed in 1985. Today, the village is home to the Schengen European Museum, inaugurated in 2010. Housed in the Centre Européen, it is largely dedicated to the recent history of the creation of Europe and the signing of the Schengen agreements (1985 and 1990). The exhibition recounts the details of these agreements, with numerous documents tracing the hours leading up to the signing of the first of them, the opening of borders and the free movement of people (made possible by the fall of the Berlin Wall). Copies of the treaty, signed by the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the Benelux countries, are on display. Many exceptional documents explained in three languages (French, German, English) for this museum that emphasizes interactivity. It's a real geopolitics course that no European citizen should miss. A small part of the exhibition is also devoted to the history of the village of Schengen and the surrounding region.
Beyond its borders, Luxembourg has joined forces with three other cities in the Greater Region to promote tourism on a much larger scale. Made up of Luxembourg as a fortress city, Metz, with its blend of ancient and contemporary architecture, Saarbrücken as a Baroque city par excellence, and Trier as an ancient Roman city, QuattroPole aims to be a benchmark for promoting the Greater Region's major tourist attractions. For example, the "Four cities, three countries, one bed" packages enable visitors to book a hotel for two or three nights in one of the four cities and, from there, visit another city each day, either with their own car or by train. Packages can include guided tours and audio guides, menus or gourmet dinners, as well as entry to certain sites. On average, each of the four cities is an hour's journey apart.
