One of its major characteristics is the way in which it strengthens the role of the social partners in Europe. The existence of independent organisations capable of representing effectively the interests of employers and workers forms part of the cornerstone of the Union. The involvement in this way of the social partners Improves the quality of decision making and makes it easier and quicker to apply new policies and approaches in practice. Which is why I urge all candidate countries to pay particular attention to how social partner organisations develop and to encouraging strong dialogue between them. 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.
However, some criticise our social protection systems as too generous, too expensive. It is said that they create unacceptable burdens for European firms and put them at a disadvantage in terms of their global competitiveness. But the reality is that we are competing successfully in global markets. The key point is to see productivity in a broad sense, including the part played in that productivity by public policies in fields such as education and training, research and development and infrastructure. The most productive asset of any society is an alert, skilled, educated, healthy, well-motivated labour force.