Brussels, 21/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - In its fourth interim report on the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the Council of Governors of the European Central Bank (ECB) has reiterated its expectations with regard to this key objective of the European banking industry between now and 2010. The ECB, which recommends an efficient communication strategy, has devoted part of its report to the payment instruments of the SEPA, i.e. transfers, deductions and card payments. It explains the expectations of the Council of Governors, implementation deadlines and carries out an assessment of work already completed by the European banking sector. The SEPA, which comes recommended by the European Payments Council (EPC), is a central element of the proposed directive on the subject, the objective of which is to make cross-border payments by credit card, debit card or bank transfer as simple and inexpensive as national payments (see EUROPE 9080). The report is available on the ECB website: http://www.ecb.int/pub/pub/paym/html/index.en.html?skey=17%2F02%2F2006.