With the Marshall Plan and the OEEC, Italy saw an opportunity to return to the international diplomatic stage, so seized on this momentum to propose that a customs union be established with France. The treaty was signed on March 26, 1949. In principle, the customs union was then to be enlarged to the Benelux countries (and to be called Fritalux, or Finebel), but, in the end, the union was never to see the light of day.