And the consequences can be felt in everyday life: 17 million people and 1.4 million commuters live or work in another Member State, approximately equivalent to the entire population of the Netherlands. And every year we cross one of the internal borders within the Schengen area an almost inconceivable 1.27 billion times. [4]  Europe has brought prosperity.
Some 25 years of the Single Market have generated real growth for more than 500 million consumers. Average per capita income in the EU has risen by half over this period. This last point, more prosperity across Europe, is one I must adress separately. Because the economic benefits of Europe are often a point of contention in Germany.