For acceding countries as a whole, per capita income today is less than half of the average of the euro area. In general, the process of catching-up in respect of real incomes has been slower than many expected at the start of transition, while the progress achieved has differed from country to country.
Still, as the reform process proceeds and people inevitably become involved in detailed debates on the merits of particular ideas, I would suggest that there are two basic norms that should guide the outcome of this process.