European Union: membership history 1958–2026
European Union began in 1958 as the European Economic Community (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands) and became the European Union in 1993. In 2026 it had 27 members. Membership changed in 9 years, including the 1958 founding.
Source: The groupings’ own member lists and histories, 10 Nov 20261958–2026
Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined in 1973, Greece in 1981, and Portugal and Spain in 1986. The Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993, founding the European Union. Austria, Finland and Sweden joined in 1995; Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004; Bulgaria and Romania in 2007; and Croatia in 2013. The United Kingdom left on 31 January 2020.
Drafted with AI from cited sources and reviewed by the editorMap. Arrow keys move the map, plus and minus zoom, N and P step through the countries with data, Enter opens the one shown, Escape clears the selection.
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Borders show who controls an area in practice, as drawn by Natural Earth. Disputed borders are dashed. Borders shown do not imply endorsement. How we treat borders
Timeline
| 1958 | Belgium, West Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands | – | 6 | The European Economic Community began. The European Union was founded on it in 1993. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Denmark, United Kingdom and Ireland | – | 9 | Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined. |
| 1981 | Greece | – | 10 | |
| 1986 | Spain and Portugal | – | 12 | |
| 1990 | – | – | 12 | Germany reunified, and the former East Germany became part of the community with it. |
| 1993 | – | – | 12 | The Maastricht Treaty came into force, founding the European Union. |
| 1995 | Austria, Finland and Sweden | – | 15 | |
| 2004 | Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia | – | 25 | |
| 2007 | Bulgaria and Romania | – | 27 | |
| 2013 | Croatia | – | 28 | |
| 2016 | – | – | 28 | The United Kingdom voted to leave in a referendum. |
| 2020 | – | United Kingdom | 27 | The United Kingdom left on 31 January. |
Source: The groupings’ own member lists and histories, 10 Nov 20261958–2026
Every country that has been a member
| Belgium | 1958 | 1958– |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1958 | 1958– |
| France | 1958 | 1958– |
| Italy | 1958 | 1958– |
| Luxembourg | 1958 | 1958– |
| Netherlands | 1958 | 1958– |
| Denmark | 1973 | 1973– |
| United Kingdom | 1973 | 1973–2020 |
| Ireland | 1973 | 1973– |
| Greece | 1981 | 1981– |
| Spain | 1986 | 1986– |
| Portugal | 1986 | 1986– |
| Austria | 1995 | 1995– |
| Finland | 1995 | 1995– |
| Sweden | 1995 | 1995– |
| Cyprus | 2004 | 2004– |
| Czechia | 2004 | 2004– |
| Estonia | 2004 | 2004– |
| Hungary | 2004 | 2004– |
| Lithuania | 2004 | 2004– |
| Latvia | 2004 | 2004– |
| Malta | 2004 | 2004– |
| Poland | 2004 | 2004– |
| Slovakia | 2004 | 2004– |
| Slovenia | 2004 | 2004– |
| Bulgaria | 2007 | 2007– |
| Romania | 2007 | 2007– |
| Croatia | 2013 | 2013– |