Today, we see the existence of the European Union as something inevitable and a given. However, the beginnings of integration were a dynamic process full of twists and turns, alternating between enthusiasm and disinterest, where, on the one hand, a common European army under a unified command was almost created, but at the same time the Member States were afraid to open up competition to their own industries. And to top it all off, the world was immersed in the Cold War and the Americans were interfering in European affairs. Fascinating times! We discussed the emergence of the EEC in a new podcast episode with Professor Morten Rasmussen from the University of Copenhagen