Brussels, 01/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - Among a package of proposals unveiled on Thursday at its first meeting after the summer break, the European Commission adopted a Communication setting out tangible ways of helping migrants contribute to development of their countries of origin.
The Communication focusses on migrants sending money back home. It foresees the adoption at some point in the future of a draft directive on payment services to 'stimulate competition and enhance transparency by requiring payment service providers to make charges (including exchange rate conversions) and other conditions (eg execution times) fully transparent to customers. It will also require Member States to establish a register of all authorised payment institutions (including money transfer operators), to be updated on a regular basis and publicly available for consultation, in particular online.' The Commission will suggest harmonising the criteria for granting licences to payment service providers. Other ideas suggested by the Commission include supporting projects by what it terms the 'diasporas' in their countries of origin, encouraging temporary immigration and temporary return to countries of origin, and combatting the brain drain. Details are set out in annexes to the Communication.