Graph 9  What has begun to deviate more noticeably from its historical path in recent years is the participation rate among older workers. In the past, rising participation of those people in older age brackets worked to more than offset the effect of an increasing share of older people in the population.
Indeed, participation in a system of fixed exchange rates can be seen as a crucial test for living under conditions which are close to those that exist under the single currency. 2  BIS Review 13/2006  The enlargement of the euro area is a process which follows clearly defined procedures and rules.