Personally, I am convinced that the preparations for EU accession and, ultimately, accession itself will promote real convergence and will thus help to overcome the existing economic divisions in Europe. Simultaneously, EU enlargement will be beneficial in economic terms for the European Union as a whole.
And last but not least, we should always be aware that the enlargement of the European Union does not only follow an economic rationale, but can also be regarded as a milestone in fostering lasting stability, security and peace on our continent. Thank you very much for your attention. 4  BIS Review 3/2001