My third point is about maintaining and developing Europe's approach to social policy even as we enlarge the Union Social policies are vital for greater and more widely shared prosperity. High social standards are an integral part of the European Union's high productivity and competitiveness. This will continue to be so as we modernise European social policy and equip it for the 21 st century, with the help of all those with a stake in civil society. This brings me to the question of social policy and enlargement. We want the new Member States to be actively involved in this reform process, and to bring with you new variations and new solutions to today's challenges - and to those of the future.
Enlargement is a great opportunity.
It will bring enhanced political stability and enhanced security. But the benefits of EU membership go far beyond trade and investment. Implementation of a social policy based on the Union's values and accomplishments can also boost your competitiveness. To date, much of the debate about social policy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in particular has been in terms of public budgets, with particular attention on the funding of pensions. This is, of course, vital but the agenda needs to be much broader than that.