Belgium has always adopted a pro-Western policy. It has a special relationship with France, the Netherlands and Germany because of the cultural diversity in the country associated with these countries. The kingdom was a founding member of the NATO in 1949, the European Union in 1993, and finally the European monetary union, which was incepted  in 2002. The NATO headquarters, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union ( Council of Ministers), Social and Economic European Committee, the European Parliament and the Union of the Benelux are all located in the Belgian capital Brussels. It also had, like other European countries, a colonial role in Africa, especially in Congo, where they contributed to the division of the country and the execution of the national leader Patrice Lumumba.