# Belgian ambulances can now take patients to Dutch hospitals

> The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg also launched a passport for automated trucks at a Benelux summit hosted by Prime Minister Rob Jetten in Maastricht on Tuesday.

Politics · published 2026-11-11 05:33 · https://nlnow.nl/a/belgian-ambulances-can-now-take-patients-to-dutch-hospitals/

Prime Minister Rob Jetten hosted Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever and Luxembourg's Luc Frieden at a Benelux summit in Maastricht on Tuesday. There, the countries made it legally possible for Belgian ambulances to take patients to Dutch hospitals, Jetten said.

The Benelux also launched a Benelux passport. Jetten said it means automated trucks can start contributing to better logistics in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

The Netherlands has worked with Luxembourg and Belgium for years on the internal market, security, innovation and the recognition of diplomas and professional qualifications, Jetten said. The leaders met in Maastricht to give that cooperation extra momentum and to see for themselves what citizens, companies and institutions are doing for, through and with the Benelux.

“The Benelux goes beyond borders, and so does our cooperation,” Jetten wrote after the summit. He said this makes living and working in the countries safer and easier for people.

De Wever said the Benelux can again become the “cockpit” of the EU. “We must set the course,” he said. Jetten said that is needed because the EU often works slowly.

## Background

- **Benelux**: Benelux is the intergovernmental cooperation between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, three neighbouring countries that work together on shared policy and rules. The cooperation covers areas such as trade, mobility and the harmonisation of law, and its governments meet at regular summits, such as the one in Maastricht mentioned here. It matters because agreements between the three countries, including cross-border arrangements in healthcare, are often made within this framework.

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