A lean balance sheet in normal times would also help the Eurosystem to retain or regain sufficient policy space for cases of future need, i.e. future emergencies.
After the accession of Estonia in January 2011, the euro area will consist of 17 countries with an overall population of approximately 330 million. Thus, the European Union has showed its ability to make important decisions also during hard times. This also proved that the European Union is based on the equal treatment principle.