The dream of a united Europe stretching beyond former post-war rifts is about to become reality. Although major challenges lie ahead, as many of the acceding countries are still developing into fully-fledged market economies, I believe that the signing of the Accession Treaty at the Athens summit in April testified to our joint belief in an integrated Europe.
In this context, the upheaval caused by conflict outbreaks has intensified the already strong trend to migrate and resettle brought on by often dramatic economic conditions and global and domestic shocks. Dealing with the root causes of migration requires development policies that grant poor countries better market access for their products and transfer expertise and technological know-how to speed up development.