A tale of two bellies: The remarkable demographic difference between America and Europe
[The Economist - 22 August 2002] Demography should set Europe's agenda, too. Europeans already know that their societies are ageing, and that they have to find ways to ease pension and health burdens. What these demographic trends also suggest, however, is that enlargement of the European Union to take in the poorer countries of Central and Eastern Europe is even more urgent than was previously thought. It will not make Europe younger, for the eastern countries' populations are also ageing, but it will bring some new entrepreneurial spark .... Enlargement alone will not be enough. ... Instead, Western Europe needs to bring the new sparkiness right into its midst, both by becoming more open to immigration and by encouraging more entrepreneurial vigour among existing citizens. It is not a case of having to copy American ways. It is a case of returning to the European ways that in the 1960s brought rapid economic growth�before public spending climbed, welfare states spread and regulations multiplied. History can help destinies, too.

See also: UN's "Population Ageing 2002" wall chart (PDF)