Belgium: History

Belgium declares its independence from the Netherlands.

The Benelux Economic Union is created between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg to promote free movement of workers, goods, and services.

A formal linguistic border is established, with the northern part of the country designated as Dutch speaking and the southern part designated as French speaking.

Belgium ratifies the Maastricht Treaty, which creates the European Union.

Belgium is divided into three separate administrative regions: the Dutch speaking area of Flanders, the French speaking area of Wallonia, and the capital Brussels.

The euro replaces the Belgian franc as Belgium's currency.