With fireworks, rock bands and enthusiasm, ten European nations, once under the grip of Soviet communism, joined the European Union last weekend. On that memorable day, May 1, I was in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a state recently emerged from the ruins of Yugoslavia, as Slovenians cheered their country's new status.

For many, it was an exciting day-a time to look to a better economic and political future for a country battered over the centuries by marauding armies and brutal overlords. Others, however, responded cautiously, wondering whether this historic change would be any better than all the previous ones. One man told us his grandmother had lived her entire life in a seaside town, but had had four different nationalities during her lifetime as one conqueror after another overran her tiny country. She wonders if joining the European Union is just another opportunity for a foreign power to force its will on her.

Europe has potent reasons for fusing its multitude of countries into a stronger union. For a continent besieged by centuries of warfare, there is great hope that close economic and political ties will make continental war obsolete. For the countries overrun by Hitler and Stalin, there is the expectation that this new alliance will stabilize their fledgling democracies and secure their freedoms. Europe has taken on an enormous task that we should welcome and encourage. Peace and stability in Europe are as key to American economic and strategic interests as they are to those of Europe itself.

But while Europe celebrated on May 1, some people I talked to in Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, all new European Union members, said their lives would change very little. The past decade has brought them significant personal freedom, but too little political reform. In many cases, former communist politicians still hold power, though now through elections, not force. Corruption still hinders the growth of democratic institutions and foreign investment.

Up to now, membership in the European Union has brought large dividends to poorer nations as funding for infrastructure projects poured from the richer to the poorer countries. It's doubtful the same level of public investment can happen with this expansion, since the economic giants, Germany and France, have high unemployment and low growth. There is ample opportunity for dashed hopes and erosion of democracy if the economic gains the new members expect don't materialize.

On the other hand, the new partners have far lower wages. Technical education and training are generally good, providing skilled labor at lower costs. Both European and American companies are investing in manufacturing plants in Central Europe to take advantage of these opportunities. On a visit to a large Volkswagen assembly plant in Slovakia, I asked a senior manager about productivity in his facility. He told me that lower wages enabled him to hire more people and spend less on labor-saving robotics. So, while the productivity per worker was lower than in other countries, the cost per car was also lower, thereby ensuring these jobs for the foreseeable future.

Why should any of this matter to us? For several reasons. First, a peaceful Europe is immensely important to us. Just ask our fathers who fought in World War II or our children who have served in Bosnia or Kosovo. Second, Europe is now a market of over 450 million people, a critical trading partner for us, essential to job growth here at home.

Perhaps most important, these new European Union members are our best hope for promoting democracy and free markets worldwide. It was, after all, our policies that helped force the collapse of the Soviet Union, which subjugated these nations for 50 years. These countries are showing us what a long and grueling task it is to move from communist dictatorships, with little freedom, but considerable security, to democracies, which provide personal freedom and require personal responsibility.

As we encourage democratic values globally, we may find that supporting the young democracies of Central Europe is the best way to show the world we back our principles wherever they take root. And to demonstrate to all that democracy brings a better life.