The s is a good period for the economy, helped by the fact that EEC countries stop charging custom duties when they trade with each other. They also agree joint control over food production, so that everybody now has enough to eat.
The communist government in East Germany builds a wall across Berlin. The first common agricultural policy gives EEC countries joint control over food production. There is enough food for everyone and farmers earn a good living. The unwanted side effect is overproduction, with mountains of surplus produce.
Since the s, priorities have been to cut surpluses, raise food quality and promote sustainability. Today the EU has a special relationship of this kind with 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific ACP regions and is working to build a stronger partnership with Africa to tackle challenges common to both continents.
From now on, the European Communities will have a single administrative arm the Commission and a single executive the Council. Rioting by students and workers in France shakes the very foundations of the state.
Milder student protests occur in other European countries. They reflect frustration at governments as well as protests against the Vietnam War and the nuclear arms race. The 6 EEC member countries remove customs duties on goods imported from each other, allowing free cross-border trade for the first time. They also apply the same duties on their imports from outside countries. Trade among these 6 and with the rest of the world grows rapidly.
