What constitutes Europe is greatly being defined by what the EU stands for.  While for those coming from EU member states it might not seem so, it does for the majority of the Southeast European countries.  Every development--political, economic, or social--is undertaken to fulfill EU standards and conditions.  That is because currently the main aspiration of these countries is to join the EU, which they view as an entrance to Europe itself.  The EU is without doubt--at least for me--a club of European governments more than a union that unites the people of Europe.  Nevertheless, the influence it has in shaping and defining the lives of the ordinary people should not be underestimated.  An ordinary citizen of a Southeast European country cannot even visit the rest of Europe without having to undergo numerous visa procedures, and even then it is not for certain that that "right" will be given to that person.  Of course, such laws are in place due to the different transitions that have characterized Southeast Europe in the last decade or so--which have led to the vast immigration into Western Europe.  So, how uniting is Europe in fact?