Economic Union with Luxembourg

Portraits of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and King Albert II of Belgium shown in profile at the centre, with King Albert's profile slightly overlapping that of Grand Duke Henri. Below the portraits, the year '2005'. Lower right, the engraver's initials 'LL'. The portraits and date are encircled by twelve stars, the monogram of Grand Duke Henri to the left and that of King Albert to the right. The mint marks appear between pairs of stars, one to the lower left and one to the lower right of the outer ring.

The economic union between Belgium and Luxembourg is one of the longest-lasting and closest bilateral economic integrations in Europe. As early as 1921, the two countries concluded the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU), creating a common customs and currency area - decades before European integration gathered pace on the continent. Luxembourg used the Belgian franc as its official currency and was thus almost entirely embedded within the Belgian economic system. This arrangement proved remarkably stable: it survived two world wars and fundamental upheavals in the European economic order, forming the basis for close trade ties, joint infrastructure projects and coordinated economic policy.

With the introduction of the euro in 2002, the monetary basis of the BLEU formally dissolved, yet the institutional ties between the two countries remained deep. King Albert II of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg embody the continuing state partnership of their countries, visible to this day in joint bodies and coordinated positions within the European Union. Belgium and Luxembourg are founding members of both the EU and NATO and share not only geographic and cultural proximity but also a largely aligned European policy. The Belgian 2-euro commemorative coin of 2005 was issued to mark the 75th anniversary of the economic union between the two states.