Earlier this year, DMA consultants (Leon Isaacs and Sarah Hugo) were commissioned by HTSPE and Eurotrends to produce and deliver the report: ‘EU Remittances to Developing Countries, Remaining Barriers, Challenges and Recommendations’.  Having spoken with over 100 contributors to the remittances and development agenda and visited a number of countries throughout the EU and Africa, the report is finally completed.  It is attached to this email. The report addresses many areas relevant to remittances with a focus on providing recommendations to the European Commission on how it can contribute effectively in this vital area. The report focuses on:

• Data collection methods for remittances throughout the EU.  This includes migrant, remittance volume and pricing data;
• An overview of the remittance markets in relation to the General Principles on Remittances;
• Policy coherence throughout the EC Departments related to remittances;
• An overview of the existing European payments environment and suggested improvements.  This section includes a review of the Payments Services Directive and its implementation throughout EEA;
• A review of the role of information/price comparison portals and recommendations for the future approach.