Exploring the History of EU Enlargement: Key Events and Milestones
- The European Union (EU) began in 1952 with six founding members: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
- In 1981, Greece joined the EU, followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986 after they moved away from dictatorship.
- The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union led to further changes.
History of EU Enlargement
The European Union (EU) began in 1952 with six founding members: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The first enlargement occurred in 1973 when Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined.
In 1981, Greece joined the EU, followed by Spain and Portugal in 1986 after they moved away from dictatorship. In 1985, Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, became the first territory to leave the EU.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union led to further changes. In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU. There were two major waves of Central and Eastern European countries that followed. In 2004, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta joined. Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.
The most recent member, Croatia, joined the EU in 2013. In 2020, the United Kingdom left the EU.