Philippe Legrain is the founder of OPEN, an international think tank on openness issues, and a senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics' European Institute. Previously economic advisor to the president of the European Commission from 2011 to 2014, he is the author of five critically acclaimed books, most recently Them and Us: How Immigrants and Locals Can Thrive Together.
BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 13: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and King Abdullah II of Jordan (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on May 13, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The two leaders discussed the conflict in Yemen as well as the Syrian refugee situation in Jordan, among other issues. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
French riot police stand on the side of the road to prevent migrants from approaching lorries on the road leading to the ferry port in Calais, northern France, on August 5, 2015. Britain and France were to announce a new "command and control centre" on August 20 for tackling smuggling gangs in Calais, where thousands of migrants desperate to cross the Channel are living in slum-like conditions. AFP** PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)
French President Francois Hollande (R), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and European Council President Donald Tusk (C) arrive at the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels on July 7, 2015 for an emergency EU summit after Greeks defiantly voted 'No' to further austerity. The Greek prime minister is to face his 18 eurozone counterparts as the country's economy gasps for air, with banks closed until at least July 9 amid fears the Greek financial system is imploding. AFP PHOTO / POOL /OLIVIER HOSLET (Photo credit should read KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman walks past a slogan in central Athens on May 12, 2015. Greece admitted today it was scraping the bottom of the barrel for cash as another huge debt repayment loomed, adding pressure to reach a rescue deal with its EU-IMF creditors to avoid default and crashing out of the eurozone. AFP PHOTO / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Spaniards protest during a demonstration in the streets of Madrid on November 20, 2013 against cuts to education budgets and increases in fees the latest in the government's crisis cost-cutting drive. AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO (Photo credit should read JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)
First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon waves at a campaign rally in central Edinburgh on May 6, 2015. Britain's political leaders launched their last day of campaigning today for the most unpredictable election in living memory which could yield no clear winner and weeks of haggling over the next government.
AFP PHOTO / ANDY BUCHANAN (Photo credit should read Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images)
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 04: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was processed using digital filters.) Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank pictured during his first press conference following the monthly ECB board meeting in the new ECB headquaters on December 4, 2014 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (R) sits along side Finance Minister Yianis Varoufakis during the vote for the president, at the Greek parliament in Athens, on February 18, 2015. Greece's parliament elected pro-European conservative Prokopis Pavlopoulos as the country's new president, a move calculated to bolster the hard-left government in its critical EU bailout talks. AFP PHOTO / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 06: Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, laughs as he speaks to the media following the monthly ECB board meeting on November 6, 2014 in Frankfurt, Germany. This is the last press conference Draghi will hold as the ECB is in the process of moving into its newly-built headquarters away from the central banking district in Frankfurt. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 17: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble chat during a vote at the Bundestag over her third term as chancellor during ceremonies in which the new German government will be sworn in on December 17, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. The new government is a coalition between the German Christian Democrats (CDU), the Bavarian Christian Democrats (CSU) and German Social Democrats (SPD) following federal elections held in September. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
President of Greek oposition SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) Alexis Tsipras (L) and newly confirmed leader of Podemos, a left-wing party that emerged out of the "Indignants" movement, Pablo Iglesias, wave at a party meeting in Madrid on November 15, 2014. Podemos activists confirmed Pablo Iglesias, 36 years at the head of the movement, in a vote whose results were announced today. Pablo Iglesias was elected secretary general with 88.7% of the vote (95,311 votes out of 107,488) announced the party at a ceremony attended by nearly a thousand people in a Madrid theater. AFP PHOTO / DANI POZO (Photo credit should read DANI POZO/AFP/Getty Images)
