EU History Explained – A history of the European Commission

In this new episode of EU History Explained, Giulia Bonacquisti, Programme Manager at the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), takes a look at the history of the European Commission, the institution that proposes laws, defends the common European interest, and acts as ‘guardian of the Treaties’. We’ll look at how it grew from a bold post-war experiment into a key force shaping today’s Union. This video takes us from Jean Monnet’s idea to pool together France and Germany’s coal and steel industries following the end of the Second World War with the European Coal and Steel Community and its High Authority, through the establishment of the European Communities and the subsequent merger of their executives, including the High Authority, into the European Commission, right up to the Commission of today. EU History Explained is TEPSA’s video series exploring the origins of the modern EU. If you have ever wondered how the European Union of today came to be, or what lies behind the talk of politics being shaped in ‘Brussels’, then this is the series for you! We would like to warmly thank the following institutions for their support in the production of this video: Historical Archives of the European Union, Jean Monnet House, European Parliament Partnerships Team. Script: Giulia Bonacquisti Recording & Editing: Barbara Vanotti & Hugh Evans Music: Garrett Bevins - Infinite - Infinite (Wondershare Filmora X)

You can listen to EU History Explained – A history of the European Commission online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

EU History Explained – A history of the European Commission is an episode from Europe Speaks: A TEPSA Podcast by The Trans European Policy Studies Association.

This episode is 10:02 long.

This episode was published on Jun 26, 2025.

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