In the nick of time (EU Enlargement) FROM The Economist

This report will argue that enlargement has been a force for good. Freedom of movement is a founding principle of the European Union and one of its greatest strengths. Successive waves of enlargement have injected new life into societies and labour markets across old Europe that were in danger of sinking into elegant, arthritic decline.

Freedom to trade has also brought huge benefits. The most recent enlargement added a dozen mostly fast-growing, unusually open economies to the single market, providing a big boost to anaemic EU growth rates. Dan Hamilton, an American academic, calls Europe’s eastern fringes “the China next door”.

The accession process that began more than a decade ago provided an historic incentive for reforms. Yet the expansion of the club has been jarring for citizens of older member countries (for example, Italy) who have discovered that their national governments are no longer in full control of their borders.

Selected Vocabulary from article:
gypsies
arthritic
anaemic
exodus
bogeymen
occupation