Of course, I cannot discuss the substance of our convergence assessment of these two countries now, only days before the publication of our Reports. However, there are many important and pertinent issues related to the general theme of this session that could, and should, be usefully discussed at this juncture.
Let me start by recalling that all of the new Member States that joined the EU in 2004 are committed to adopting the euro, as soon as they fulfil the conditions set out in the Treaty. None of them has an optout clause, as is the case with Denmark and the United Kingdom.