• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Luxembourg - Foreign Relations

Luxembourg is the site of the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors, European Investment Bank, and other vital EU organs. The Secretariat of the European Parliament is located in Luxembourg, but the Parliament usually meets in nearby Strasbourg. Luxembourg held the EU Presidency in the first half of 2005.

Luxembourg has long been a prominent supporter of European political and economic integration. In efforts foreshadowing European integration, Luxembourg and Belgium in 1921 formed the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) to create an inter-exchangeable currency and a common customs regime. Luxembourg is a member of the Benelux Economic Union and was one of the founding members of the European Economic Community (now the European Union). It also participates in the Schengen Group, whose goal is the free movement of citizens among member states. At the same time, Luxembourgers have consistently recognized that European unity makes sense only in the context of a dynamic, transatlantic relationship and have traditionally pursued a pro-NATO, pro-U.S. foreign policy.

Luxembourg shares a joint history with its neighboring regions: the Saar, Lorraine, Rhineland-Palatinate and Wallonia. Today, these historical links find their continuity in the Greater Region, an area of transnational and interregional cooperation covering more than 65,000 km2 and home to 11 million inhabitants. The Greater Region does not boast a great international metropolis. This absence, however, was compensated for with the creation in 2000 of Quattropole, a cross-border urban network encompassing the cities of Luxembourg, Trier, Saarbrücken and Metz. For Luxembourg, the exchange with its neighboring regions is both a necessity and a daily fact of life. Each day, over 130,000 French, Belgian and German cross-border commuters travel to the Grand Duchy to work. The economic integration process has also been conferred a cultural dimension. In 2007, the event Luxembourg and the Greater Region, European Capital of Culture involved the entire Greater Region.

Luxembourg budgeted $291 million for official development assistance (ODA) in 2007, or about 0.84% of its GNI. This places Luxembourg among the top three donor nations in the world, if calculated by percentage of GNI; Luxembourg has stated that it has a goal of eventually reaching 1% of GNI for its ODA.

Luxembourgers are deeply appreciative of the sacrifices made by Americans, leading to the country's liberation in the two World Wars of the 20th century. More than 5,000 American soldiers, including Gen. George S. Patton, are buried at the American Military Cemetery near the capital, and there are monuments in many towns to American liberators. The strong U.S.-Luxembourg relationship is expressed both bilaterally and through common membership in NATO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).