Benelux

"During an era of low interest rates, when aggressive acquirers crowded the private market in Sweden, Lifco shifted its focus to less competitive markets such as the UK, Germany, Italy, and the Benelux region. This international expansion has been a significant success, and Lifco has been able to acquire companies of at least the same quality in terms of operating margins at the same prices."

"Jean Monnet, the Frenchman who had worked to shape a new postwar Europe. By creating the European Coal and Steel Authority, Monnet had pragmatically combined the coal and steel production of France, Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries in order to facilitate the continent’s recovery from the ravages of the war and also to ensure that these industries would not be forced to turn to armaments to survive. Driven by a philosophy that was grounded in an appealing mix of pragmatism and idealism, Monnet also proposed the Common Market, a political and economic union that he hoped would guide Europe to a new century of cooperation."