It is precisely in the lower wage groups that it would be important to structure wage substitutes in a more incentive-friendly way. From a current perspective it remains an open question whether the establishment of European monetary union will ultimately also lead to a reduction in labour market rigidities.
Instead, periods of ambitious progress were followed by periods of setbacks. So, there is reason to believe that the undeniably difficult current situation for future European integration is itself creating the seeds for renewed initiatives and integration efforts. At least, this is what history in Europe teaches us. But one thing is crystal clear.