The dismantling of the EU’s internal borders boosted each country’s market size and brought about the predicted economies of scale. But this helped Europe’s small countries more than the big ones, and it implied more competition for Germany, Europe’s biggest economy.
第二轮冲击波来自欧盟的整合，包括向南北两个方向的扩充。欧盟内部边界的土崩瓦解扩大了各国的市场，带来了人们所预期的规模经济。但这对小国的帮助比大国更大，对欧洲最大的国家¾德国来讲意味着更为激烈的竞争。