EuH 2 has been prepared by solid-gas and EuLiH 3 by solid-solid reaction. Their structures have been investigated by neutron powder diffraction on the deuterides at a wavelength close to the minimum of the neutron absorption cross-section of a natural isotope mixture of europium. EuD 2 crystallises with the orthorhombic PbCl 2 -type structure (space group Pnma, a=623.9(2), b=379.6(1), c=719.6(2) pm, Z=4), and EuLiD 3 with the cubic inverse perovskite type structure (space group Pm3m, a=378.75(5) pm, Z=1). Both deuterides are characterised by divalent europium and fully occupied deuterium sites. The Eu-D distances in EuD 2 are 255 pm (average over 9-fold Eu co-ordination) and those in EuLiD 3 are 268 pm (12-fold Eu co-ordination).