Count: 0 — No European countries start with the letter W. This list applies to sovereign states whose common English short name begins with W, and it includes transcontinental states with territory in Europe while excluding dependent territories. An interesting detail is that W appears in several European place names and regions (for example, Wales and Wallonia) and in major cities (Warsaw), yet it does not occur as the initial letter of any independent European state name in English.

Understand why the specific criterion generates no results. English short names for European sovereign states derive from a mix of Latin, Romance, Slavic, Germanic and other language roots in which W is an uncommon initial letter. Historical and political development produced no independent states whose English short name begins with W. Confirm this using authoritative sources such as the United Nations list of member states, the CIA World Factbook and Eurostat.

Consider items that come close but fall outside the rules. Wales is a constituent country of the United Kingdom and not a sovereign UN member. Wallonia is a region of Belgium. Western Sahara is a disputed territory in Africa and not a European state. If you expected matches, expand the scope to cities (Warsaw), regions, or global country lists; otherwise proceed with the A–Z list of European sovereign states that follow the inclusion rules.