It is ironic that xenophobic and
anti-immigration parties hold the balance of power in a continent so
dependent on immigration for the survival of its way of life and
institutions.
The internal, common, market of the EU has matured. Its growth rate has
leveled off and it has developed a mild case of deflation. In previous
centuries, Europe exported its excess labor and surplus capacity to its
colonies - an economic system known as "mercantilism".
The markets of central, southern, and eastern Europe - West Europe's
hinterland - are replete with abundant raw materials and dirt-cheap,
though well-educated, labor. As indigenous purchasing power increases,
the demand for consumer goods and services will expand. Thus, the
enlargement candidates can act both as a sink for Europe's production
and the root of its competitive advantage.
Moreover, the sheer weight of their agricultural sectors and the
backwardness of their infrastructure can force a reluctant EU to reform
its inanely bloated farm and regional aid subsidies, notably the Common
Agricultural Policy. That the EU cannot afford to treat the candidates
to dollops of subventioary largesse as it does the likes of France,
Spain, Portugal, and Greece is indisputable.
But even a much-debated phase-in period of 10 years would burden the
EU's budget - and the patience of its member states and denizens - to
an acrimonious breaking point.
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