2  BIS Review 4/2001  Nevertheless, in order to ensure that the prospective expansions of the euro area run smoothly, the ECB, and the national central banks of the euro area, take a keen interest in developments in candidate countries. Only last month, we continued the high-level policy dialogue with our central bank colleagues from the accession countries at a seminar in Vienna.
Through such contacts we seek to build up close and intense professional working relations, which also includes offering technical assistance. In this way, we aim to contribute to developing a vision of the "greater Europe" specifically within the field of central banking.