The Original Six: Founding Members of the European Economic Community (1957)

The European Union traces its origin to the **Treaty of Rome (signed 25 March 1957, effective 1 January 1958)**, which established the European Economic Community (EEC). Six nations—**The Original Six**—laid the foundation for today's 27-member union.

The Six Founding Members

1. Belgium — Benelux core; Brussels becomes de facto EU capital
2. France — Political driver (Schuman, Monnet); agricultural policy architect
3. West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) — Economic engine; reconciliation with France central
4. Italy — Mediterranean anchor; industrial north, agricultural south
5. Luxembourg — Smallest; financial center; institutional host (ECJ, EIB, Court of Auditors)
6. Netherlands — Trade-oriented; Benelux partner; Rotterdam port gateway

Predecessor: ECSC (1951)

Same six created the **European Coal and Steel Community** (Treaty of Paris, 1951) — pooling coal/steel to make war "materially impossible." First supranational institution. High Authority → Commission model.

Enlargement Timeline

• 1973: UK, Ireland, Denmark (+9: Greece 1981; Spain/Portugal 1986; East Germany via reunification 1990)
• 1995: Austria, Finland, Sweden
• 2004: 10 (Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia)
• 2007: Bulgaria, Romania
• 2013: Croatia
• 2020: UK leaves (Brexit)
• 2024: 27 members

Why These Six?

• Post-WWII: Need to bind France-Germany permanently
• US Marshall Plan → OEEC → desire for deeper integration
• Benelux (1944) proved customs union worked
• Schuman Declaration (1950): "Europe will not be made all at once... concrete achievements first"
• Excluded: UK (declined, Commonwealth focus), Scandinavia (neutrality), Spain/Portugal (dictatorships), Eastern Bloc (Soviet orbit)

Institutional Legacy

Original Six still shape EU: Commission presidency rotation, Council voting weights, budget contributions, language regime (FR/DE/IT/NL + 20 more). The "Inner Six" concept persists in core-periphery debates.