In 1950, when King Leopold III was in Switzerland, almost 60 percent of the Belgian people voted for Leopold’s return and restoration to the throne. However, amidst continued protests, Leopold formally abdicated in 1951 in favour of his eldest son, Prince Baudouin. King Leopold III died in 1983.

On June 30 1960, King Baudouin proclaimed independence of the Belgian Congo. After World War II, Belgium led a very active political life, becoming one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951, and a member of the 1957 European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), and European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the European Union (EU). Belgium boasts most of the major administrations and institutions of the EU, including the European Commission.

After World War II, Brussels slowly but successfully took the role of the ‘capital’ of Europe. It is the headquarters of the European Community (EC), as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), as of 1949. It is also gaining the reputation of the foremost European centre of international business. In 1957, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg formed the Benelux Union.

In 1970, Belgium’s first of four necessary steps for changing its constitution from a centralist into a federal one took place, which was completed in 1995. Perhaps the most significant action in the post-war development of the country was creating local autonomy of regions. In 1977, Belgium was divided into the three administrative regions of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. In 1995, the provinces of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant were established, adding to Belgium’s 10 provinces.