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Founding members of the EU

Six countries founded what became the EU: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in 1951 and again in the 1957 Treaties of Rome.

How many6 countries
As of28 September 2026
SourceEuropean Union
Memory hook

The three Benelux countries, plus France, West Germany and Italy.

The full list

Benelux 3

Pre-existing Benelux customs union states that brought that integration model into the ECSC/EEC.

Larger continental powers 3

France, West Germany and Italy — the larger economies whose post-war reconciliation the ECSC was designed to lock in.

Can you name them all?

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Questions

How many countries founded the EU?

Six countries founded what became the EU: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, in 1951 and again in the 1957 Treaties of Rome.

Which countries are on the list?

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands.

What is an easy way to remember them?

The three Benelux countries, plus France, West Germany and Italy.

More lists

Schengen countriesEU countriesEurozone countriesCountries that joined the euro after 1999EU candidate countriesECB presidentsAll lists

Each name checked against at least two sources, one of them European Union, on 28 September 2026. Next review by 28 September 2028.
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