Already in 1961, the British and Danish applied for membership in the EEC, closely followed by Norway. The neutral EFTA states Sweden, Austria and Switzerland applied for association. Due to our geopolitical position, Finland was not able to follow the same course of action. The EEC was seen, already then, as more than just a trade area, and rightly so.
In spring 2010, Angela Merkel addressed the German Bundestag to persuade lawmakers to approve the financial assistance programme for Greece. She had to engage in a profoundly political discourse. She employed all tools of rhetoric. And she justified her appeal by declaring that “the future of the euro is at stake”. This was legitimate.