site.btaEuropean Liberal Forum Leader Says EU Enlargement Inevitable, Should Be Achieved as Soon as Possible

European Liberal Forum Executive Director Alva Finn said EU enlargement is inevitable and should be achieved as soon as possible. She addressed the EU Meets the Balkans Forum in Sofia on Monday. “For us the brightest future is in a bigger and enlarged EU,” she said.

She said that the benefits of enlargement are many: it could increase the EU’s landmass by one-fourth and the EU population by 17 million people, and open up the single market to nine countries with high capital needs, which will improve trade and also investment. All that is likely to increase not just the GDPs but also create a win-win situation for the entire EU, and contribute to demographics. "We know that aspiring EU countries are basically younger. For example Moldova’s median age is 35 whereas in Italy it’s 47. So, we will really benefit from that influx of young talent. And we know that many European companies agree with that. They know that the integration of a bunch of fast, young, fast growing, fast reforming countries into the sluggish European economy will boost our growth. They know that enlargement will get us stronger say in global trade negotiations. We will be able to compete on a higher level on the global market than we ever had before, through integration," said Finn.