The event was held under the title Looking back, looking forward. A panel of representatives from ten countries of the 2004 enlargement discussed the importance of this step and the inclusion of the Central and Eastern European countries, which has resulted in the largest internal market in the world. Enlargement has opened up trade and financial flows between countries, contributing to economic prosperity in the EU and in the ten accession countries.

The panellists also addressed the future enlargement of the EU. They all agreed that the accession of the Western Balkan countries and the trio countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia is essential. Candidate countries should be encouraged and given assistance to make the necessary reforms and adjustments on the path to EU membership.

In his closing address, the Portuguese Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, defined the 2004 enlargement as the beginning of a new institutional cycle, where EU enlargement is not only a possibility but a geostrategic necessity. With the EU's help, the acceding countries have been able to develop further their democratic regimes and economies, while the EU has gained linguistic and cultural diversity and better connectivity in Europe. He identified Slovenia's accession as a point of hope for the later accession of the Western Balkan countries.