EU should make use of lessons from its 2004 enlargement

Twenty years have passed since the May 1, 2004, enlargement of the European Union that brought 10 additional members into the bloc, including the Baltic states and former Communist bloc nations such as Hungary and Poland.

It was a historic turning point in that Europe, which had been divided into East and West after World War II, reunited under the common values and principles of democracy and freedom -- although the reconciliation was limited to only part of the continent. The emergence of a giant economic zone with a population of over 450 million at the time provided a tail wind for the global economy.