The treaty establishing the Benelux Customs Union was signed on 5 September 1944, by the governments in exile of the three countries in London, and entered into force in 1948. It ceased to exist on 1 November 1960, when it was replaced by the "Benelux Economic Union" after a treaty signed in The Hague on 3 February 1958. It was preceded by the (still existent) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, established on 25 July 1921. Its founding contributed to the founding of the European Union (EU).