The founding members of the European Community: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands.
On 1 January 1973, Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom became member states of the European Union.
On 1 January 1981, Greece became a member state of the European Community.
On 1 January 1986, Portugal and Spain became member states of the European Community.
On 1 January 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden became member states of the European Union.
On 1 May 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia became member states of the European Union.
On 1 January 2007, candidate countries Bulgaria and Romania will become member states of the European Union. Membership dates for candidate countries Croatia and Turkey will be set at the conclusion of their accession negotiations.
