IT    IT  COMMISSIONE DELLE COMUNITÀ EUROPEE 
Bruxelles, 1.9.2005 
COM(2005) 390 definitivo 
  
COMUNICAZIONE DELLA COMMISSIONE AL CONSIGLIO,  
AL PARLAMENTO EUROPEO, AL COMITATO ECONOMICO E SOCIALE 
EUROPEO E AL COMITA TO DELLE REGIONI 
Migrazione e sviluppo: orientamenti concreti 
 
IT 2   IT COMUNICAZIONE DELLA COMMISSIONE AL CONSIGLIO,  
AL PARLAMENTO EUROPEO, AL COMITATO ECONOMICO E SOCIALE 
EUROPEO E AL COMITA TO DELLE REGIONI 
Migrazione e sviluppo: orientamenti concreti  
1. Introduzione 
Nel dicembre 2002 la Commissione ha adottato una comunicazione1 con la quale tenta, per la 
prima volta, di chiarire il nesso fra migrazi one e sviluppo, di proporre alcune iniziative 
fondamentali e di creare maggiore coerenza fra le due politiche.  
La migrazione e lo sviluppo continuano intanto a essere una priorità dell’agenda politica 
globale. Paesi e organizzazioni internazionali guar dano sempre più alle migrazioni come a un 
fenomeno in grado di produrre un impatto positivo sostanziale sullo sviluppo, purché siano 
attuate politiche appropriate.  Il nesso fra migrazione e sv iluppo è uno dei punti centrali 
all’esame della commissione globale sulla migr azione internazionale (GCIM) la cui relazione 
è attesa per ottobre 2005. Il dial ogo di alto livello sulla migr azione e lo sviluppo previsto per 
il 2006 nell’ambito dell’Assemblea generale de ll’ONU denota l’importanza del dibattito, cui 
sono particolarmente interessati i paesi in vi a di sviluppo. Anche il Parlamento europeo ha 
trattato questa fra le altre problem atiche, nell’audizione del marzo 2005. 
Date le circostanze e a fronte di  una sempre maggiore globalizzazi one dei flussi migratori, la 
Commissione intende, con questo documento, apporta re un ulteriore contributo al dibattito in 
corso. La incoraggiano in tal senso il Consiglio2 e il programma dell’Aia, approvato dal 
Consiglio europeo3. Ciò consentirà inoltre di precisare il concetto di cosv iluppo iscritto nelle 
conclusioni del Consiglio europeo di Tampere (1999). 
La Commissione reputa che il nesso fra migrazione e sviluppo potrebbe concorrere 
notevolmente agli obiettivi di sviluppo senza sostituirsi al potenziamento dell’aiuto pubblico allo sviluppo (APS) né al miglioramento delle politiche che restano quanto mai necessari per 
realizzare gli obiettivi di sviluppo de l millennio (OSM) nei tempi convenuti
4.  
Il presente documento si basa sulla co municazione del dicembre 2002, che continua a 
costituire il quadro per l’integrazione degli as petti connessi con le migr azioni nelle politiche 
dell’Unione in materia di relazioni estern e e sviluppo. Come sottolinea la richiamata 
comunicazione e confermano le conclusioni del Consiglio del maggio 2003, l’integrazione 
degli aspetti connessi alla migr azione deve rispettare la coer enza globale delle politiche e 
                                                 
1 “Integrare le questioni connesse all'emigrazione ne lle relazioni dell'Unione europea con i paesi terzi” 
(COM(2002) 703 del 3.12.2002). 
2 Nelle conclusioni sulla migrazione e lo sviluppo adottate il 19.5.2003. 
3 Il programma dell’Aia è stato adottato in allegato alle conclusioni del Consiglio europeo di Bruxelles 
il 5.11.2004. 
4 Comunicazioni della Commissione del 12.4.2005 “Accel erare i progressi verso la realizzazione degli 
obiettivi di sviluppo del millennio - Il contributo dell’Un ione europea” (COM(2005) 132), “Accelerare i 
progressi verso la realizzazione de gli obiettivi di sviluppo del mille nnio – finanziamento dello sviluppo 
ed efficacia degli aiuti” (COM(200 5) 133) e “Coerenza delle politiche  per lo sviluppo - Accelerare i 
progressi verso la realizzazione degli obiettivi di sviluppo del millenni o” (COM(2005) 134). 
 
IT 3   IT azioni esterne dell’UE ed essere coerente con gli obiettivi generali e le pr iorità stabilite nella 
dichiarazione comune Consig lio/Commissione sulla politica di sviluppo della Comunità5. 
Il presente documento non copre del rest o l’intera gamma delle tematiche della 
comunicazione dal 2002, bensì si sofferma su certi argomenti specific i, essenzialmente 
associati alla migrazione sud-nord, in particolare sulle possibili azioni realizzabili a livello UE in partenariato con i paesi d’origine in via di sviluppo
6. 
La Commissione ha già mosso passi concreti, specie nell’ambito dell’assistenza CE ai paesi 
terzi, per migliorare l’impa tto della migrazione sullo svil uppo. Alcune di queste misure 
figurano nell’allegato 1. 
2. Nuove misure per migliorare l’impatto della migrazione sullo sviluppo 
Con i suoi 25 Stati membri, l’Unione è un im portante attore della ribalta mondiale. Per un 
ulteriore sviluppo delle sue polit iche e un contributo  concreto della pol itica migratoria 
all’obiettivo della coerenza politica per lo sv iluppo, è opportuno che l’Uni one si basi sulle 
migliori pratiche individuate dai singoli Stati membri o da at tori non statali e che tragga 
insegnamento dalle pratiche vigenti in altre regioni del globo, compresi i paesi in via di 
sviluppo.  
Rifacendosi agli aspetti principa li del dibattito globale sull a migrazione e lo sviluppo e in 
linea con le conclusioni del Consiglio del maggio 2003, la Commissione ha individuato 
orientamenti concreti per migliorare l’impatto  della migrazione sullo sviluppo, con particolare 
riguardo ai flussi migratori sud-nord. Per ci ascuno di questi settori, un allegato illustra 
brevemente gli aspetti più rilevanti, descrive le iniziative che la Commissione sta programmando o soppesando e/o c ontiene raccomandazioni agli Stati membri sui relativi 
ambiti di competenza.  
2.1. Rimesse dei migranti
7 
L’incremento in volume delle rimesse ufficiali dei migranti negli ultimi anni e una maggiore 
conoscenza del fenomeno hanno suscitato l’interesse dei politici che in questi flussi finanziari 
ravvisano uno strumento potenziale per raggi ungere gli obiettivi di sviluppo dei paesi 
d’origine dei migranti. Nonostante la quota ra ggiunta, non saranno le rimesse la soluzione 
miracolosa per lo sviluppo. Trattandosi poi di trasferimenti privati, non possono sostituirsi agli APS. Eppure, il loro costo e più in genera le le condizioni in cu i sono effettuate restano 
spesso insoddisfacenti.  
                                                
 
5 Conformemente alle conclusioni del Consiglio, l’integrazione delle problematiche della migrazione 
nelle politiche relative alle relazioni esterne e allo sviluppo deve basarsi sul dialogo politico e concretizzarsi nel quadro strategico dei doc umenti di strategia regionale e nazionale. 
6 Tali obiettivi spiegano gli argome nti affrontati dalla presente comunicazione che è incentrata 
principalmente sulla migrazione dai paesi in via di sviluppo verso l’UE. Non prende in considerazione la migrazione all’interno dell’UE e la migrazione tra i paesi dell’UE e altri paesi industrializzati. Non 
prende in considerazione neanche la migrazione tra paesi in via di sviluppo anche se alcuni suoi 
orientamenti possono applicarsi anche a tali flussi. 
7 Ai fini della presente comunicazione si dà una de finizione delle rimesse in senso lato, che comprende 
tutti i trasferimenti finanziari dei migranti a benefici ari dei loro paesi di origine. Si tratta di una 
definizione più ampia di quella utilizzata ai fini della bilancia dei pagamenti. 
 
IT 4   IT Due sono pertanto le line e di intervento principa li in relazione a questi trasferimenti monetari: 
renderli meno costosi, più rapidi e sicuri e potenziarne l’impatto sullo sviluppo nei paesi 
beneficiari. Tuttavia, sono necessari tempi dive rsi per conseguire i due  obiettivi: nel secondo 
ambito, le sovrapposizioni e le sinergie con le politiche per lo sviluppo in generale, del 
mercato finanziario e del quadro normativo in pa rticolare, sono importan ti e possono soltanto 
incrementarsi sul medio e lungo periodo. Migliorare  le condizioni del trasferimento, invece, 
può richiedere tempi più brevi.  
2.1.1. Favorire trasferimenti rapi di, sicuri e a basso costo 
Segue una sintesi delle iniziative della Commi ssione, previste o contemplate, e delle sue 
raccomandazioni perché i flussi delle rimesse  siano rapidi, sicuri e poco costosi. 
Dati più completi 
I dati ufficiali sui flussi delle  rimesse sono frammentari, spe sso lacunosi e non rispecchiano i 
canali alternativi di trasferiment o del denaro. La Commissione in tende varare iniziative dirette 
a migliorare la raccolta dei da ti in modo da circoscrivere meg lio l’entità di tali flussi. In 
particolare, verificherà con gli Stati membri la possibilità di trasmettere i dati sulle rimesse 
per destinazione.  
In collaborazione con istituzioni come la Banca mondiale, intende inoltre promuovere 
indagini sulle famiglie che permettano di sc oprire i canali informali di invio del denaro, 
insistendo su precisi “circuiti di  trasferimento” bilaterali.  
Inizierà inoltre studi per raccogliere informazioni  più precise sul settor e delle rimesse, la sua 
struttura dei costi, indicatori eventuali di un’assenza di concorrenza e le sue carenze tecniche.  
Trasparenza  
La Commissione intende adottare  una proposta di direttiva sui servizi di pagamento intesa a 
accrescere la concorrenza e la trasparenza f acendo obbligo ai prestatori di servizi di 
pagamento di garantire la piena trasparenza per i clienti delle commissioni (fra cui le 
conversioni del tasso di cambio)  e altre condizioni (tempi d’ esecuzione). Gli Stati membri 
avranno altresì l’obbligo di istitu ire un registro di tutti gli is tituti di pagamento autorizzati 
(inclusi gli organismi di trasfe rimento di fondi), di aggiorna rlo regolarmente e di renderlo 
accessibile al pubblico per consul tazione, soprattutto on line.  
La Commissione invita inoltre gli Stati membri  a promuovere iniziative volte a fornire ai 
migranti ogni ulteriore informazione pertinente e incoraggerà il dialogo fra gli Stati membri 
per individuare le pratiche migliori in questo campo.  
Valuterà infine l’opportunità di finanziare la cr eazione di un sito web su scala europea, che 
informi sui costi e le condizioni  in relazione ai vari canali  di trasferimento di denaro, 
compresi quelli tradizionali. 
Quadro normativo 
Anche all’interno dell’UE con i suoi mercati finanziari ampiamente integrati, la 
regolamentazione dei servizi di trasferimento de lle rimesse varia sostanzialmente da un paese 
all’altro. La Commissione intende incentiva re la creazione di condizioni paritarie 
armonizzando le disposizioni per la concessione  di licenze in tutta l’Unione. La futura 
 
IT 5   IT proposta di direttiva sui servizi di pagamento disporrà che gli organismi di trasferimento di 
fondi siano soggetti a requisiti  appropriati, armonizzati in tu tta l’UE e adeguati al loro 
specifico profilo di rischio.  
Inoltre, la Commissione soster rà uno scambio d’informazioni sulle iniziative di mercato 
dirette a ridurre il costo dei flussi delle rimesse. 
La Commissione è inoltre disposta a discuter e con i paesi in via di sviluppo interessati le 
modalità per ridurre gli ostacoli ai flussi de lle rimesse e a considerare, se del caso, la 
possibilità che la Comunità fornisca, nell’amb ito dei suoi programmi e insieme con la Banca 
europea per gli investimenti, un’assistenza tecni ca specifica per migliorare l’infrastruttura 
economica e finanziaria di quei paesi.  
Quadro tecnico 
La Commissione valuterà inoltre la possibilit à di finanziare, nell’ambito del programma 
AENEAS, progetti pilota che promuovano l’uso di  nuove tecnologie per la prestazione di 
servizi di trasferimento delle rimesse a basso costo, di facile accesso e concorrenziali, che 
aprano prospettive economiche ne i paesi in via di sviluppo.   
Accesso ai servizi finanziari 
La Commissione affronterà il pr oblema dell’accesso dei migranti ai  servizi finanziari nei suoi 
contatti con gli attori interessati. È altresì di sposta a valutare, in partenariato con i paesi 
interessati, iniziative per migliorare l’accesso ai servizi bancari e finanziari nei paesi in via di 
sviluppo, con particolare riguardo al ruolo eventu ale delle istituzioni di  microfinanza, e le 
misure d’accompagnamento appropriat e (attività di informazione, ecc.).  
Queste iniziative e raccomandazioni sono riprese in dettagli o nell’allegato 2. 
2.1.2 Incentivare il contributo de lle rimesse allo sviluppo dei paesi d’origine dei migranti 
Come si è già detto, le rimesse  sono denaro privato e confluir anno in investimenti produttivi 
soltanto se i beneficiari saranno in grado di fare scelte informate e se sussistono incentivi 
appropriati. Sviluppare tali incentivi e migliorare le scelte nei paesi dest inatari rientra in un 
approccio allo sviluppo più globale e di lungo periodo.  
Segue una sintesi delle iniziative della Commi ssione, previste o contemplate, e delle sue 
raccomandazioni per incentivare il contributo delle rimesse allo sviluppo dei paesi d’origine dei migranti.  
Intermediazione finanziaria nei paesi in via di sviluppo 
La Commissione intende esaminare, in partenariato  con i paesi interessati e, se pertinente, in 
cooperazione con la BEI, le possibilità di pr omuovere l’intermediazione finanziaria nei paesi 
in via di sviluppo, agevolando anche i partenar iati fra istituzioni di microfinanza e le 
principali istituzioni finanziarie. 
Sebbene la Comunità non possa finanziare linee di credito/fondi di rotazione né fondi di 
garanzia per operazioni di microcredito, anch e in relazione ai migranti, la Commissione è 
disposta a considerare eventuali partenariati con le istituzioni finanziarie internazionali 
interessate, fra cui la BEI, a condizione che sia possibile raggiungere un accordo preventivo 
 
IT 6   IT con quelle istituzioni e che queste si assu mano la piena responsab ilità dell’attuazione 
operativa della linea di cred ito/del fondo di garanzia.  
Rimesse collettive e sistemi di cofinanziamento 
Valutata la sostenibilità, la pertinenza e l’effi cacia dei progetti pilota a titolo dell’ex linea di 
bilancio B7-667 (cfr. allegato 1), la Comm issione stabilirà se è possibile concedere 
finanziamenti, nell’ambito delle appropria te linee di bilancio, a progetti comuni a 
organizzazioni della diaspora, preferibilmen te di almeno due o più Stati membri, e 
organizzazioni locali, in modo da  sostenere lo sviluppo locale.  
Queste iniziative e raccomandazioni sono riprese in dettagli o nell’allegato 3. 
2.2. Gli immigrati della diaspora, attori dello sviluppo nei paesi d’origine 
Come si diceva nel precedente paragrafo sull e rimesse, le diaspore assumono un ruolo, 
sempre più riconosciuto, di importanti attori  potenziali nello sviluppo dei paesi d’origine. 
Segue una sintesi delle iniziative della Commi ssione, previste o contemplate, e delle sue 
raccomandazioni per accrescere il contributo dei membri della diaspora che lo desiderino allo 
sviluppo dei loro paesi d’origine. 
Aiutare i paesi in via di svil uppo a localizzare la propria dias pora e a creare legami con 
questa 
La Commissione valuterà se sostenere gli sf orzi iniziati dai paesi d’origine sul piano 
nazionale o regionale per costituire basi dati ne lle quali possano registrarsi,  su base volontaria, 
i membri della diaspora intenzionati a contribuir e allo sviluppo del paese, e più generalmente 
per mantenere i legami tra questi paesi e le ri spettive diaspore, in coordinamento con altri 
donatori.  
La Commissione invita gli Stati membri che non provvedano ancora in ta l senso a individuare 
e contattare le organizzazioni della diaspora ch e potrebbero fungere da interlocutori adeguati 
e rappresentativi nella politica de llo sviluppo ovvero da iniziatori  di progetti di sviluppo nei 
paesi d’origine. 
Accoglierebbe inoltre con favore eventuali iniziative da parte delle organizzazioni 
rappresentative delle diaspore impegnate nello sviluppo dei paesi d’origin e, per la creazione 
di un meccanismo di rappresentazione adeguata de i loro interessi a live llo dell’UE, soprattutto 
in relazione alle politiche ch e più interessano quei paesi. 
Giovani 
A complemento delle iniziative esistenti, attuate in particolare dalle autorità locali nell’ambito 
dei programmi di gemellaggio, che vanno incoraggi ate, la Commissione va luterà la fattibilità 
di programmi di scambio per i giovani, incentr ati soprattutto sulle comunità di migranti, 
avvalendosi dell’esperienza dei pr ogrammi intra-UE esistenti.  
Queste iniziative e raccomandazioni sono riprese in dettagli o nell’allegato 4. 
 
IT 7   IT 2.3. Migrazione circolare e circolazione dei cervelli 
Il rientro8 dei migranti, anche temporaneo o virtua le, può avere un ruolo utile nel promuovere 
il trasferimento di competenze al mondo in via di sviluppo, insieme con altre forme di 
circolazione dei cervelli. Anche agevolare la migrazione circolare potrebbe essere fondamentale a questo scopo. Inoltre, gli orientam enti che la Commissione trarrà dal dibattito 
occasionato dal Libro verde sulla migrazione economica rappresenteranno un’opportunità per 
sviluppare ulteriormente questo as petto e promuovere l’integrazi one delle proble matiche dello 
sviluppo nella politica comunitari a di immigrazione. Segue una si ntesi delle iniziative della 
Commissione, previste o contemplate, e de lle sue raccomandazioni in questi settori. 
Potenzialità della migrazione temporanea 
Le politiche dirette a massimizzare l’impatto sullo sviluppo della migrazione temporanea, 
oltre alle raccomandazioni generali sulle ri messe, dovrebbero mirare a incentivare la 
migrazione circolare, dando prio rità, per nuovi lavori temporanei , a quei lavoratori che hanno 
già lavorato secondo questa formula e sono rientrati in patria alla fine del contratto, ma anche 
a offrire gratifiche adeguate ai migranti ch e vi partecipano. Si potrebbe per esempio fare 
tesoro dell’esperienza di alcuni Stati membri  che rimborsano i contributi pensionistici alla 
fine del contratto di lavoro o prevedere il ve rsamento, a carico del paese di residenza, di 
un’integrazione ai risparmi del la voratore. In base ai risultati de l dibattito sul Libro verde sulla 
migrazione economica, la Commissione esaminer à la possibilità di definire un quadro 
generale per l’ingresso e il soggiorno di breve durata di mi granti stagionali nello spazio 
comune.  
Incoraggiare la migrazione di rientro 
La Commissione solleciterà gli St ati membri e altri attori interessati a condividere la propria 
esperienza di elaborazione e gestione dei programmi di rientro assistito e di sostegno ai paesi 
d’origine per un efficace reinserimento dei migran ti di rientro. Sempre in questo contesto, 
avvierà un dibattito con gli Stati membri sugli aspe tti connessi di una politica di visti di breve 
durata.  
La Commissione valuterà se è possibile proporre misure in settori come la trasferibilità dei 
diritti a pensione, il riconoscimento delle qualifiche, o meccanismi per consentire ai 
ricercatori o ad altri professionisti che abbian o lavorato nell’UE di ma ntenere contatti con gli 
ex colleghi per agevolare il rientro volont ario e garantir loro un buon reinserimento. 
Rientro temporaneo o virtuale 
La Commissione propone di basarsi sull’esperie nza già acquisita con i programmi di rientro 
temporaneo o virtuale e di estenderla, se del cas o, a altre regioni del mondo in via di sviluppo. 
Esaminerà quindi quale possibile aiuto potrebbe fornire ai programmi di e-learning  nel 
quadro dei programmi comunitari  sulle tecnologie dell’infor mazione e della comunicazione.   
Saranno inoltre prese iniziative nel contesto del Settimo pr ogramma quadro di ricerca e 
sviluppo per incentivare la creazio ne di reti fra ricercatori st ranieri che operano nell’UE, 
                                                 
8 In questa sezione, il “rientro” si intende in senso lato, dal momento che non è limitato ai rientri 
nell’ambito dell’immigrazione illegale. Nella maggior parte dei casi, esso si riferisce al processo del 
rientro volontario nel proprio paese di origine.  
 
IT 8   IT specie nei settori di diretto inte resse per i paesi in via di svil uppo, e gli istituti di ricerca nei 
rispettivi paesi d’origine.  
La Commissione valuterà anche le modalità affinché il rientro temporaneo nel paese d’origine 
non pregiudichi i diritti di soggiorno nell’UE dei membri della diaspora che decidono di 
impegnarsi in queste attività.  
La Commissione continuerà a cofinanziare, nell’ambito del programma AENEAS, progetti 
che permettono a migranti o membri della diaspora  di svolgere attività economiche sostenibili 
nei paesi d’origine, con una pref erenza per i progetti in paesi te rzi cui partecipino diaspore di 
almeno due Stati membri. È opportuno che tali proge tti siano coerenti c on la strategia di 
sviluppo del paese terzo interessato. 
Esaminerà inoltre le modalità in base alle quali  gli imprenditori intere ssati delle comunità di 
migranti possono contribuire allo sviluppo del loro  paese d’origine, gli ostacoli che incontrano 
e le politiche da attuare per superarli.  
La Commissione promuoverà azioni  per individuare le pratiche  migliori in settori quali 
distaccamenti o periodi sabbatici e gli aspetti di sicurezza sociale connessi, che possano 
agevolare il rientro temporaneo, nell’ambito del dialogo con gli Stati membri che seguirà alla 
presente comunicazione.  
Queste iniziative e raccomandazioni sono riprese in dettagli o nell’allegato 5. 
2.4. Ovviare agli effetti nega tivi della fuga di cervelli 
La dimensione nord-sud è solo un esempio del problema della fuga di cervelli, che ha anche 
dimensioni nord-nord (riguardanti pure l’UE) e sud-sud. È espressione  di un fenomeno più 
ampio, la globalizzazione, e non esiste attualme nte risposta politica uniforme e semplice che 
permetta di raccogliere una sfida così ambizi osa. Non è peraltro un pr oblema che riguardi tutti 
i paesi in via di sviluppo e tutti i settori. Le eventua li risposte politiche devono pertanto essere 
funzione delle esigenze e sfide specifiche per ciascun paese in teressato. È questo inoltre un 
ambito nel quale gli Stati membri conservano notevoli competenze e i mezzi per agire sul 
piano comunitario sono pertanto alquanto limita ti. Nel 2002 la Commissi one ha già lanciato 
l’idea di un codice di condotta UE per disc iplinare le assunzioni laddove comportino 
ripercussioni assai negative pe r i paesi in via di sviluppo. Fi no ad oggi l’idea non ha avuto 
alcun seguito negli Stati membri. Ciò nondimeno la Commissione è persuasa che sia possibile 
mettere a punto altre iniziative per ovviare al problema della fuga dei cervelli, secondo la 
seguente impostazione: 
Ampliare la base delle conoscenze ( evidence base ) 
La Commissione, in collaborazione con altre organizzazioni e donatori interessati, intende 
sostenere gli sforzi dei paesi in via di sviluppo volti a ampliare le conoscenze dei loro mercati 
del lavoro, anche con riguardo alla carenza o al l’eccesso di competenze a livello settoriale. Su 
questa base i paesi potranno idear e risposte ai problemi indivi duati, nell’ambito  delle loro 
strategie di riduzione della povertà.  
Fra gli esempi di risposte possibili, la Co mmissione sta preparando una comunicazione 
distinta sulla gestione della crisi delle risorse umane per la sanità, il cui scopo sarà definire 
una serie di risposte innovative alla crisi di ri sorse umane nei paesi in via di sviluppo, nel più 
 
IT 9   IT ampio contesto sanitario di quei paesi, poggi ando sul quadro messo a punto nella presente 
comunicazione.  
Disciplinare le assunzioni 
La Commissione sprona gli Stati membri a c oncepire meccanismi come i codici di condotta, 
che limitino l’assunzione attiva laddove comporti gravi ripercussioni per i paesi in via di 
sviluppo interessati, specie nel settore dell’assiste nza sanitaria, e a coor dinare gli sforzi in 
questo campo.  
La Commissione si adopererà an che per convincere altri importa nti paesi di destinazione a 
predisporre dispositivi analoghi. Occorre esplorare le possib ilità di un approccio globale della 
politica delle assunzioni e solle vare questa problematica nelle se di internazionali appropriate, 
prima fra tutte l’OMS. 
Promuovere i partenariati istituzionali 
Incentivando i partenariati fra le istituzioni dell’UE e dei paesi e delle regioni in via di 
sviluppo interessati si può contribui re a affrontare le cause della fuga dei cervelli. In ciascun 
caso, il dosaggio preciso delle misure da attuar e dipenderebbe da una va lutazione preliminare 
dei problemi e delle esigenze specifiche del pa ese o della regione. Fra le misure potrebbe 
figurare un aiuto alla creazione di partenariati fra istituti scientifici o università dei paesi in 
via di sviluppo e dell’UE, pe r attività di ri cerca comuni. 
Altre forme di partenariato fra istituti di ricerca , università, ospedali o altri enti dei paesi in 
via di sviluppo e degli Stati memb ri dell’UE, per contenere la fuga dei cervell i, potrebbero 
comprendere “programmi di attività distribuita” in  base ai quali scienziati, ricercatori, medici, 
tecnici o altri professionisti dei paesi in via di sviluppo dividerebbero le loro attività fra 
un’istituzione del rispettivo paese (univers ità, ospedale, centro di ricerca, ecc.) e 
un’istituzione partner in uno St ato membro dell’UE. La possi bilità di fornire sostegno 
comunitario a questo genere di programmi potrebbe essere oggetto di valutazione, in 
particolare nell’ambito del Settimo pr ogramma quadro di ricerca e sviluppo.  
Puntare sulla cooperazione a llo sviluppo come fonte di opportunità lavorative per 
operatori qualificati nei paesi in via di sviluppo 
La Commissione ritiene che, nell’ambito del comitato per l’as sistenza allo sviluppo 
dell’Organizzazione per lo sviluppo e la c ooperazione economica (OCSE/CAS), i donatori 
potrebbero rivedere proficuamente i meccanismi  operativi dei loro programmi di assistenza 
tecnica allo scopo specifico di stabilire se non sia possibile introdu rre maggiori incentivi 
affinché gli organismi d’esecuzione assumano operatori qualificati dei paesi in via di 
sviluppo.  
Queste iniziative e raccomandazioni sono riprese in dettagli o nell’allegato 6. 
3. Follow-up  
Nella presente comunicazione e nei suoi al legati la Commissione espone una serie di 
orientamenti concreti per un contributo dell’UE alla realizzazione di progressi effettivi su 
certi aspetti del legame fra migrazione e svil uppo. Se alcuni di que sti suggerimenti sono 
 
IT 10   IT prontamente applicabili – o quanto meno potre bbero essere l’oggetto di progetti ammissibili 
ai finanziamenti comunitari, per esem pio nell’ambito del programma AENEAS9 che 
continuerà a esistere anche dopo le attuali prospettive fina nziarie in quanto programma 
tematico di assistenza comunitaria ai paesi terzi10 – altri richiederanno u lteriori discussioni e 
analisi. In alcuni settori, attuare questi suggerimenti è competenza degli Stati membri. 
Ma soprattutto, mettere in prat ica queste idee significa avviar e un dialogo approfondito con i 
paesi e le regioni d’origine interessati.  
Secondo la Commissione, il follow-up  della presente comunicazione dovrebbe comportare i 
seguenti elementi: 
• il Consiglio dovrebbe esaminare attentamente la comunicazione per l’attuazione coordinata 
delle iniziative e delle raccoma ndazioni in essa contenute;  
• da ciò dovrebbe nascere un dial ogo pluridisciplinare fra la Co mmissione e gli Stati membri 
sugli aspetti trattati nella comunicazione, da incentrarsi soprattutto sul rafforzamento del 
coordinamento reciproco fra le politiche nazi onali e fra queste e le po litiche comunitarie; 
• andrebbe quindi promosso il dialogo basato su l partenariato con i pa esi in via di sviluppo 
interessati e le rispettive or ganizzazioni regionali, nel contesto e secondo i meccanismi 
istituzionali esistenti. Tale dialogo potrebbe ve rtere sul sostegno ai paesi in via di sviluppo 
intenzionati a valutare la loro situazione mi gratoria sul piano regionale o nazionale, e le 
esigenze e i problemi che ne conseguono, e co ntribuire a enuclear e possibili soluzioni 
ad hoc. All’occorrenza, questi aspetti potrebber o figurare in documenti st rategici rispettivi. 
I profili migratori (cfr. allega to 8) costituirebbero uno strume nto utile per sostenere tale 
dialogo e cooperazione; 
• una cooperazione più intensa della Commi ssione con le pertinenti organizzazioni 
internazionali; 
• scambi con altri attori interessat i, le ONG, le parti sociali e la  società civile, con particolare 
riguardo alle organizzazioni ra ppresentative dei migranti. 
Tutti questi aspetti sono ripresi in dettaglio nell’allegato 7. 
Gli orientamenti della presente comunicazione sa ranno attuati nel quadro delle risorse e degli 
strumenti finanziari esistenti ovvero di quelli che potrebbero sostituirli secondo le prospettive 
finanziarie future. 
4. Conclusioni 
La presente comunicazione esamina alcuni degli aspetti pratici della migrazione e le modalità 
secondo cui questi possono influire proficuamente su i processi di sviluppo nei paesi d’origine, 
con particolare riguardo alla migrazione sud- nord. Alcune iniziative o raccomandazioni della 
                                                 
9 Regolamento (CE) n. 491/2004 del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio, del 10 marzo 2004, che 
istituisce un programma di assistenza finanziaria e tecnica ai paesi terzi in materia di migrazione e asilo 
(AENEAS) (GU L 80 del 18.3.2004, pag. 1). Si veda anche l’allegato 1. 
10 Comunicazione della Commissione al Consiglio e al  Parlamento europeo - Azioni esterne varate 
attraverso i programmi tematici nell’ambito de lle future prospettive finanziarie 2007-2013 
(COM(2005) 324 del 3 agosto 2005). 
 
IT 11   IT presente comunicazione sono valide anche per la migrazione sud-sud. Quest’ultimo 
fenomeno, però, sta assumendo sempre maggiore ri levanza per i paesi in  via di sviluppo e ha 
un impatto specifico sulle loro economie, soci età, politiche e anche sul loro ambiente. 
La Commissione intende pertanto riflettere ap profonditamente, nel prossimo futuro, su questa 
problematica. La presente comunicazione non tratta  gli aspetti specifici c onnessi ai rifugiati. 
Inoltre, non ha valutato il vasto impatto della politica d’immigrazione dell’UE sui paesi in via 
di sviluppo, né l’integrazione in questa politica degli aspetti lega ti allo sviluppo. Entrambe le 
tematiche continueranno a figurare ne ll’agenda politica della Commissione11. 
Con la presente comunicazione la Commissione sper a di dare un primo contributo al dibattito 
globale sulla correlazione tra migrazione e sviluppo, specie in vist a del dialogo di alto livello 
che si terrà nel 2006 nell’ambito dell’Assembl ea generale dell’ONU. La strategia esposta 
nella presente comunicazione, concepita e attuata in stretto partenariato con i paesi d’origine e 
di transito e commisurata alle loro esigen ze, concorrerà a una ma ggiore coerenza tra la 
dimensione esterna della politica d’immigr azione dell’UE e la politica di sviluppo. 
                                                 
11 La Commissione sta già preparando un contributo al dibattito su come far fronte alle situazioni di crisi 
determinate da un forte afflusso di rifugiati nei paesi in via di svilu ppo con la comunicazione relativa ai 
programmi di protezione regionale (COM(2005) 3 88), adottata contemporaneamente alla presente 
comunicazione. 
 
IT 12   IT ANNEX 1: 
STEPS FORWARD AT EU LEVEL SINCE 2002 
1. Legislative or regulatory reforms  
Directive 2004/114/EC on the admission to the EU of third country nationals for the purposes 
of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated trai ning, or voluntary service, was adopted on 13 
December 20041. This Directive lays down common conditions and rules for the admission of 
third-country students, thus facilitating entr y and residence, without , however, containing a 
right to entry. It is left to Member States’ di scretion whether to apply the Directive to other 
categories of persons, such as school pupi ls, unremunerated trainees and people doing 
voluntary service in the EU. Member States must transpose the Directive by 12 January 2007. 
Furthermore, a Directive on a specific proced ure for admitting third-country nationals for 
purposes of scientific research2 is expected to be adopted  by summer 2005. This procedure 
shall both speed up and ease the admission of re searchers from third c ountries into the EU. 
In addition, the recent Green Paper on economic migration3 has triggered a debate on what 
rules should apply to the admission of migrants for economic purposes. It should lead to new 
Community initiatives in this field, which the Commission will set out in an Action Plan to be 
published before the end of 2005 (cf. point 1 of Annex 5).  
2. Facilitating return migration  
According to the Return Action Programme,  approved by the Council on 28 November 2002, 
country-specific return programmes should be designed. The aim of such programmes should 
be to ensure effective and timely return. Furt hermore, the question of creating sustainable 
solutions as a means to tackle root causes for illegal immigration should be considered.  
Return, either temporary or permanent, can br ing back human, financia l, economic and social 
capital to developing countries. Return progra mmes should therefore explicitly take this 
dimension into account. Such was the case of th e Afghanistan Return Plan, the first country-
specific return programme adopted  by the Council. Moreover, th anks to the financial support 
of the European Union, over 150 highly qualifie d and skilled Afghans have returned from 
Member States to their country of origin in  order to support capacity building for relevant 
Ministries and overall reconstr uction efforts. The Afghanistan experience demonstrated that 
return of nationals can give an important boost to reconstruc tion and development efforts. 
Ensuring a good matching between the needs of  the developing country and the skills 
available can be an important f actor in making returns successful. 
The experience gained from the Afghanistan return programme will be used in the planning of 
similar future country-specific return programmes. Those progra mmes will also benefit from 
Community funding within the framework of prep aratory actions for a financial instrument 
for return management in 2005/2006 and from th e future European Return Fund for the period 
                                                 
1 Council Directive 2004/114/EC - OJ L 375, 23.12.2004, p. 12. 
2 Part of the package presented under COM(2004) 178, 16.3.2004. 
3 COM(2004) 811, 11.1.2005. 
 
IT 13   IT 2008-2013 as part of the General programme ‘S olidarity and Manage ment of Migration 
Flows’4. 
3. Provision of assistance to pilot projects in  the area of migration with an impact 
on development   
Since 2001, the Community has provided financia l support, within the framework of the now 
discontinued budget line B7-667, to  various preparatory actions for cooperation with third 
counties in the area of migrati on and asylum. A number of thes e preparatory actions seek to 
maximise the impact of migration on the developm ent of countries of or igin of migrants, by 
facilitating and enhancing the va rious types of contribution – fi nancial contributions, but also 
skills or other forms of know-how – which migrants can make to these countries.  
For instance, several projects seek  to facilitate the involvement  of migrants residing in EU 
Member States in development-fr iendly activities in their countries of origin, usually with a 
view to helping them set up or participate in small scale entrepreneurial activities there. In 
several of these projects  migrants’ organisations in EU Memb er States play an important role 
in mobilising and supporting potentially interest ed migrants. Some projects are oriented 
toward the permanent return of interested migrants to their country of origin while others are not. Some of these projects also include a component for making it easier for SMEs in 
countries of origin of migrants to reach out to  markets in the EU. Other projects worth noting 
include an initiative for developing alternativ e, inexpensive remittance channels based on new 
technology (debit cards and use of automatic telle r machines – ATMs); a project for assisting 
countries in the Mediterranean  area and Africa to develop mechanisms for encouraging 
development-friendly forms of labour migration; and two projects for faci litating the return of 
Afghan nationals to their coun try for contributing to the r econstruction effort. The vast 
majority of these projects are still underway, an d it is therefore too early to draw definitive 
conclusions. An independent evaluation of budget  line B7-667 will be carried out; its results 
will certainly help to identify the activities that this type of in strument can usefully support.  
On the basis of these three year s of preparatory actions, the Ae neas programme, for technical 
and financial assistance to third countries in the areas of asyl um and migration, was 
established in March 2004 (for the period 2004-2008 with a total budget of € 250 million). 
This programme aims to support third countries’ efforts in bette r managing migratory flows in 
all their dimensions (legal and illegal migrat ion, readmission and reintegration of migrants, 
trafficking in human beings, international protect ion of refugees and displaced persons). It is 
intended to be applicable to any third country of interest for the Community. In particular, 
article 2.2 provides indications on the types of actions that coul d be undertaken  in order to 
foster closer linkages between  migration and development: 
• development of actions aimed at maintaining links between local communities in the 
country of origin and their legal emigrants a nd facilitating the contribution of migrants to 
the social and economic development of commun ities in their country of origin, including 
facilitating the use of remittances for produc tive investments and development initiatives, 
as well as providing support to micro-credit programmes; 
                                                
 
4 Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament establishing a 
framework programme on Solidarity and Management of Migration flows for the period 2007-2013 - 
COM(2005) 123, 6.4.2005) 
 
IT 14   IT • facilitation of dialogue and exch ange of information between th e institutions of the third 
country and the nationals of that c ountry who are considering emigrating; 
• support for targeted socio-economic reintegration of returnees into thei r country of origin, 
including training and capacity-building aimed at facilitating their integration into the 
labour market. 
The first call for proposals (2004) was closed on 30 March 2005 and allowed the submission 
of 83 projects.  
4. Mainstreaming migration into develo pment policy and a ssistance to third 
countries   
Since the 2002 Communication, significant steps have been taken to mainstream migration 
issues into development policy and Community a ssistance to third countries. In many cases 
this can contribute to improving the impact of migration on development. 
A dialogue on migration issues, also touching sometimes on de velopment aspects, has been 
going on with a number of third countries in th e EU’s neighbourhood, in the framework of the 
relevant bodies and in a spirit of partnership. Migration is also increasingly part of the 
dialogue between the EU and ACP countries, both in a bilateral and regi onal context. In this 
context, all Country Strategy Papers, which constitute the framework under which Community assistance to its developing country  partners is programmed, were reviewed to 
assess whether there was a case for addressing  migration issues. Although the dialogue on 
migration issues has just started with some co untries, it has already contributed to a better 
understanding of the migration and developm ent dimension and allowed a number of 
developing countries to highlight issues such as the mobilisation of diaspor as as priorities that 
should be the focus of Community assistance in the future.  
 
IT 15   IT ANNEX 2: 
INITIATIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOSTERING CHEAP , FAST AND SECURE 
WAYS TO TRANSFER REMITTANCES  
Over the past few years, the cost of sending remittances over a number of corridors5 has come 
down significantly in some parts of the world. For example, in Latin America, according to 
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), av erage costs have almo st halved from around 
15 % at the end the 1990s to 7.9 % by February 2004. Still, such rates cannot be called cheap. 
In addition, progress is far from uniform and the high cost of remitting – especially if compared with the cost for intra-Euro zone tr ansfers – certainly remains an obstacle to higher 
remittance flows through formal channels. The effo rts the EU will make in this area are in line 
with the commitments taken by the G8 at th e Sea Island Summit in June 2004 to ensure a 
decrease in the cost of remittances
6.  
The Commission believes that action is needed in the five areas that are addressed in this 
annex7. Moreover, as financial institutions are key actors in the area of remittances, the 
Commission will propose to the European organisa tions representing this sector to discuss 
various aspects relating to remittances, in th e context of the on-going dialogue within the 
framework of the European Payments Council.  
1. Improving available data on remittance flows and services 
Policy on remittances needs to be based on accurate data. Unfortunately, this is at present 
rarely available. Remittance flows through informal channels8 are almost never covered, and 
there are indications that form al flows are often grossly unde r-estimated. In addition, most 
Member States do not provide a breakdown of remittance flows by receiving country. 
Improved data would need to cover informal fl ows, to address the unde restimation of formal 
flows9, and to provide a detailed breakdown of b ilateral flows. Finally, the development of 
specific studies, such as l ongitudinal surveys, and ensu ring more comparability of 
international statistics would allow the development of policies that are better targeted and 
adapted to the situation. More information is also needed about the ways in which money is 
being transferred and the reasons for doing s o. Household surveys could be an important 
instrument in providing that knowledge10. Initiatives in this area are already being prepared 
                                                 
5 The notion of ‘corridor’ refers to pairs of countr ies – a country that is the source of remittances and 
another country which receives them. 
6 ‘Reduce the cost of remittance services through the promotion of competition, the use of innovative 
payment instruments, and by enhancing access to fo rmal financial systems in sending and receiving 
countries. In some cases, remittance costs between sending and receiving countries have been reduced 
by up to 50 % or more. G8 countries believe that si milar reductions of high costs could be realised in 
the case of other countries’. 
7 In development terms it would make sense to apply a ll improvements in the transfer of remittances to 
all other retail financial flows from developed countri es to developing countries, not only to those flows 
involving migrants. 
8 i.e. those channels whose flows are not officially  recorded, either because the money is transferred 
physically by the migrant him/herself or by another person he or she has entrusted with this task, or 
because they are performed by money transfer operat ors that are not officially  registered. On certain 
corridors, it is estimated that informal flows exceed  formal ones in volume. 
9 In particular by including transfers by workers residing in a country for less than one year. 
10 In compliance with relevant EC legislation on personal data protection in cases where such data would 
need to be included in the surveys.  
 
IT 16   IT with regard to remittance flows from the EU  to Latin America, as a follow-up to the 
Conclusions of the Guadalajara Summit. Work in this area shoul d be co-ordinated with other 
institutions and international organisations active in this field11. In addition, it would also be 
useful to know more about the various types of  use of remittances in countries of origin 
(consumption, investment or savings, and, in the latter case, the type of  savings vehicles) and 
the respective share of the various economic ac tivities for which remittances are used, in the 
case of investment. 
Collecting and publishing better da ta has at least two functions: firstly, it helps policy-makers 
to take informed decisions; secondly, data on flows in particular remittance corridors can act 
as a wake-up call to the financial industry that there are business opportunities out there. The 
experiences of Turkish banks in Germany, Greek  banks in countries of Greek emigration or, 
more recently, Spanish banks vis-à-vis the La tin American communities residing in Spain 
show that banking institutions, once aware of th e potential market represented by remittances, 
can become quite competitive actors in th ese markets, thus fostering competition. 
In the framework of the Inter-Agency Task Fo rce on International Trade in services, the UN-
Technical Subgroup on Movement of Natural Pe rsons will carry out work on developing a 
new definition of remittances within the balan ce of payments framework, and on developing a 
statistical framework for the measurement of the economic impact of the movement of persons. The Technical Subgroup recommends  changing the definition of “workers´ 
remittances” to a broader concept of personal transfers, which includes all household to household transfers.  
Official data on remittance flows is patchy, of ten of mediocre quality and does not reflect 
alternative remittance channels. The Commission will launch initiatives to improve the 
collection of data to better unde rstand the size of migrant remitta nce flows. In particular, it 
will raise with Member States the possibility of reporting on remittance data by destination.  
In collaboration with institutions such as the World Bank, it will also promote household 
surveys which are able to capture informal re mittance channels, focusing on selected bilateral 
“remittance corridors”.  
In addition, it will launch studies  to gather better information on the remittance industry, its 
cost structures, possible indicators of a lack  of competition and technical inefficiencies.  
Such studies could shed light on possible ways to improve competition and realise efficiency 
gains. They should include the identification of main channels by de stination (different 
channels are relevant for differe nt countries of origin), as we ll as of the cost of a typical 
remittance through the different relevant channels and analyses of the cost structure of remittance providers and their margins . 
                                                
 
11 As far as the Mediterranean region is conc erned, the EIB-managed FEMIP (Facility for Euro-
Mediterranean Investment and Part nership) has recently launched a st udy on workers’ remittances in 
eight Mediterranean Partner Countries. Its purpose is to identify the constraints of sending funds to 
Mediterranean countries, to provide innovative solutions to facilitate these flows and mobilize 
additional savings, as well as to promote their impact  on economic development in recipient countries.  
 
IT 17   IT 2. Increasing transparency 
A relatively simple but potentially forceful m easure to increase competition is to make the 
information on the costs and other conditions – in cluding the exchange rates used – that apply 
to each remittance channel more widely available to the public. Increasing the transparency of 
the remittance market will enable potential re mitters to make better informed choices. A 
number of Member States have taken active st eps to improve transparency in the remittance 
market12. 
The Commission is planning to adopt a proposal  for a Directive on payment services which 
will increase competition and enhance transparency by requiring payment service providers to 
make charges (including exchange rate c onversions) and other conditions (e.g. execution 
times) fully transparent to customers. It will also  require Member States to establish a register 
of all authorised payment inst itutions (including money transfer  operators), to be updated on a 
regular basis and publicly available for consultation, in par ticular online.  
The Commission also calls on Member States to  encourage initiatives aimed at providing any 
additional and relevant information to migrants and will foster a dialogue amongst Member 
States with a view to identifying best practices in this field.  
It will also give considerati on to supporting the setting-up of a Europe-wide website providing 
information on the cost and conditions applying to the various remittance channels, including 
conventional ones. 
Such initiatives will make it easier for potential clients to compare the various options 
available. In addition to benefiting migrants , they would allow comparisons across Member 
States and help reveal limited compet ition or other market inefficiencies. 
The Commission also supports joint efforts by the Committee on Payment and Settlement 
Systems of the Bank for International Settlem ents (BIS) and the World Bank to define 
remittance principles. Applied by money transfer operators on a voluntary basis, they would 
make it easier for remittance senders to understa nd what service they can expect for their 
money. 
Pre-departure information initiatives in countrie s of origin, as provid ed for example in the 
Philippines, could also contribute to more transparency. 
3. Improving the legal fram ework for remittances  
* On the EU side , Article 56 of the EC Treaty already facilitates remittance flows by 
providing for freedom of capital movements betw een the EU and third countries. However, it 
is also necessary to ensure that no dispropor tionate requirement is placed on money transfer 
operators (MTOs). Whereas some countries on ly impose light registration requirements on 
MTOs, others operate licensing systems and so me even impose the same requirements as on 
banking institutions, a step that does not appear ju stified in terms of prudential risk, since the 
money transfer business typically does not i nvolve any lending. A lighter hand in regulating 
would allow a number of presently informal MTOs to be appropri ately regulated, thus 
                                                 
12 For example the United Kingdom has sponsored a remittance product survey covering six countries of 
origin of migrants (‘Sending money home? A survey of remittances products and services in the United 
Kingdom’). Some information on this initiative is available on www.sendmoneyhome.org. 
 
IT 18   IT retaining their advantages in terms of cost, speed and reliab ility while addressing public 
authorities’ legitimate security concerns. This would help foster competition on the market for 
formal remittance services. 
Even within the EU with its largely integrated financial markets, the regulation of remittance 
services varies substantially fr om one country to another. Th e Commission plans to foster the 
creation of a level playing fi eld with harmonised licensing pr ovisions throughout the Union. 
The forthcoming proposal for a Directive on paymen t services will ensure that money transfer 
operators are subject to appropriate regulat ory requirements, harmonised throughout the EU 
and adapted to their specific risk profile.  
Whilst ensuring that MTOs are subject to anti- money laundering/terroris t financing measures, 
this regulatory regime will establish a level play ing field for the provision of payment services 
in the internal market and thus foster competition. The Commission has extensively consulted all stakeholders in preparing the draft Directive. 
In addition, the Commission will support an ex change of information on market initiatives 
aimed at lowering the cost of remittance flows. 
More generally, other steps that increase comp etition and encourage new entrants into the 
remittance market are highly beneficial. For example, exclusive agreements that tie up 
existing large-scale retail networks – such as national post offices – to a given MTO should be 
reconsidered, as they unduly limit competition. 
* On the side of recipient countries , a number of regulations can act  in a direct or indirect way 
as obstacles to remittance flows. For example taxes on remittance flows will reduce the amount of formal remittances; re strictions on capital movements or dual exchange rates will 
also favour informal channels of remittance transfer; and insufficient competition in the 
banking sector can be a contributory factor in making remittance payments expensive. 
The Commission is willing to di scuss with interested developi ng countries ways to overcome 
obstacles to remittance flows and to consider, where appropriate, whether specific technical 
assistance to improve their financial and economi c infrastructure could be made available by 
the Community in the framework of its progra mmes, as well as by the European Investment 
Bank.  
The Commission will also conti nue to coordinate efforts with those Member States that 
provide similar types of assi stance to developing countries. 
4. Improving the technical framework for remittances  
A first issue in this respect is the potential for creating links between EU payment systems 
and those of developing countries which are th e source of significant migration flows to the 
EU. This could draw on the experience acqui red by the EU in setting-up a Pan European 
Automated Clearing House for retail payments  for the introduction of  the euro. There is 
already a precedent in this area, with the establishment of an automated clearing house 
between the United States and Mexico. Some EU Member States are currently looking at the 
feasibility of similar schemes, and the Commi ssion wishes to take part in such efforts. 
The proposal for a Directive on payment services  (see above), by suppo rting the creation of 
EU-wide infrastructure for the provision of payment services, will in itself make it easier to 
 
IT 19   IT reach the critical mass that might make it profit able to link EU payment systems with those of 
third countries. 
In addition, a number of schemes involvi ng the use of state of the art technology13 are 
currently being developed. The Commission believe s that such systems can offer a potential, 
even though illiteracy and tech nological shortfalls could limit their relevance in some 
developing countries. 
The Commission will, in the light of market developments and with the involvement of 
private operators, further consid er the possibility of providing, within the framework of the 
Aeneas programme, financial s upport to pilot project s fostering the use of new technologies 
with a view to providing cheap, easily availabl e competitive remittance services that open up 
economic opportunities in developing countries.   
5. Improving access to banking/financial services 
In sending countries , apart from transparency (see poi nt 2. above), the main issue is 
facilitating the access of migrants to banking se rvices. Better information about remittance 
flows may increase financial institutions’ inte rest for migrants as potentially interesting 
customers. Several Spanish banks have taken si gnificant steps to attract migrants, for example 
by opening off-hours banking faciliti es and hiring staff from the main migrant communities. 
But public authorities can have a role to play in facilitating this change of mindset, as was indeed the case in Spain. Measures to improve  the financial inclusion of migrants should be 
inspired by good practice in the EU and beyond. 
In recipient countries
, insufficient access of the rural population and the poor to banking 
services often remains a critical  issue, as banking networks ra rely extend be yond large cities. 
Solutions include partnerships between ‘mainstream’ banking in stitutions and t hose networks 
that are present in rural areas, i.e. micro-financ e institutions or post offi ces. Already effective 
or planned partnerships such as those betw een Spanish financial institutions and Latin 
American micro-finance institutions or between French and African institutions seem to point 
to the way forward. At the same time, recipien t countries should look at regulatory obstacles 
that often make it difficult or impossible for micro-finance institutions to team up with 
mainstream institutions, including those that pr event the emergence of real competition in the 
banking sector.  
The Commission will raise the issue of the acce ss of migrants to financial services in its 
contacts with relevant stakehol ders. It is also ready to cons ider – in partnership with the 
countries concerned – initiatives aimed at im proving access to banking a nd financial services 
in developing countries, with a focus on the po ssible role of micro-fi nance institutions., as 
well as appropriate accompanying measures  (information activities, etc.).  
                                                 
13 In particular money transfers involving credit or debit cards and allowing unbanked beneficiaries to 
withdraw the transferred money from ATMs. Other novel systems are based on mobile phone 
technology. 
 
IT 20   IT ANNEX 3: 
INITIATIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FACILITATING THE CONTRIBUTION OF 
REMITTANCES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MIGRANTS ’ COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN  
The discussion of this issue raises an important caveat. Whereas remittances do constitute 
very important financial flows to developing countries, they have a specific characteristic 
when compared with other types of flow: they are private  money.  
The Commission believes that respecting the pr ivate nature of remittances must be the 
overarching principle underlying Community polic y in this area. The objective in this area 
should therefore be to open oppor tunities for migrants who wi sh to use part of their 
remittances for any form of investment supporting development. 
In addition, remittance flows are influenced by  a number of factors on which policy makers 
have little influence. For example, the com position of migration will matter as much as its 
size for determining the size of remittance flows. Migrants remit money to those who are close to them, usually members of their fam ily who stayed behind. This is why family 
reunion, for instance , tends to lead to a reduction in the volume of  remittances from the EU to 
Turkey and North Africa. Looking ahead, the reti rement of the first generation of migrants 
will also affect remittance flows to the Me diterranean region. Another example of the 
importance of the composition of migration flow s relates to the fact that highly skilled 
migrants tend to send a smaller proportion of  their income home. Therefore, selective 
immigration schemes can also affect remittance flows.  
This being said, there are a number of ways in which a policy mix, which should be country 
specific, can support such objectives. In this respect , specific attention needs to be paid to so-
called collective remittances, i.e. the transf ers that migrants make collectively for 
philanthropic purposes via their or ganisations in the country of  residence, also known as 
Hometown Associations (HTAs). 
The Commission believes that action can be  considered in the following four areas: 
1. Improving the investment climat e and fostering good governance  
There is significant evidence that no incentive system will be as effective in persuading 
migrants – as indeed any other investor – to invest part of their remittances in business activities in their home country as a sound i nvestment climate. This entails simplified 
business procedures, a transparent bureaucracy, a functioning judicial system that guarantees 
the rule of law and property rights, absence of corruption as well as a sound macro-economic 
framework and good quality infrastructure. All these factors also impact on brain drain, return 
and retention, three issu es that are discussed in other pa rts of this Communication. Promoting 
these and other aspects of good governance is  above all a responsibility for developing 
countries themselves, but donors can and should  play a supportive role . The approach the 
Commission proposes to follow in  these areas will be further explored in the forthcoming 
review of the EU Development Policy Statement
14. 
                                                 
14 Proposal for a joint Council/EP/Commission statement on EU Development Policy, the ‘Brussels 
Consensus’, July 2005. 
 
IT 21   IT 2. Extending financial intermediation in developing countries15 
Not all migrants are willing and/or able to beco me entrepreneurs – especi ally where, as they 
remain in their country of residence, they w ould have to manage their investment from a 
distance. However, the Commissi on believes that there are ways to make it easier for migrants 
to contribute to the development of their country of origin, while reaping fair rewards for their 
hard-earned savings. The establishment of an e fficient system of financial intermediation can 
play a key role in encouraging migrants or thei r relatives back home to entrust their savings to 
financial institutions. This could lead to a be tter allocation of resources promoting productive 
investment and therefore result in welfare ga ins for the country or region of origin. In a 
number of developing countries, especially in Africa, there is  reportedly a ‘financing gap’ 
between micro-finance loans on the one hand (typically up to a few hundred euros) and loans 
to large SMEs (from a few tens of thousand eu ros upward), with small enterprises finding it 
difficult to obtain loans in the region of a fe w thousand euros. Guarantee mechanisms could 
play a useful role in this respect. In addition, there are in some cases rules that make it difficult for micro-finance institutions to offer a full range of financial services to poor or rural people. Addressing them would make it easier to ‘bank th e unbanked’ and therefore help 
maximise the potential of remittances (for example by enabling recipients to have access to savings instruments). In addition to the assistance already bei ng provided to some developing 
countries in developing their financial service sectors, the Commission could consider further 
assistance in this area. Community assistance  in making micro-fina nce institutions more 
active in the area of remittan ces will need to take into account the ongoing work by other 
donors. 
The Commission is willing to look  – in partnership with the countries concerned and, where 
relevant, in cooperation with th e EIB – at possibilitie s to enhance financia l intermediation in 
developing countries, includi ng through facilitating partners hips between micro-finance 
institutions and mainstream  financial institutions. 
Although the EC cannot fund credit lines/r evolving funds and guarantee funds for 
microfinance operations, includi ng those involving migrants, the Commission is ready to 
consider partnerships in these areas with inte rested IFIs, including the EIB, provided that an 
upfront agreement can be reached with such institutions and unde r the condition that they take 
full responsibility for the operational implem entation of the credit line/guarantee fund.  
3. Collective remittances and co-funding schemes 
Hometown Associations (HTAs) can play an impor tant role in helping allocate part of the 
savings of individual migrants towards initiatives that either  are directed towards productive 
activities (industry, agriculture) or at least pl ay a role in improving the living conditions of 
people in communities of origin, for exampl e via the financing of small-scale local 
infrastructure (water sanitation, health infrastructure, etc.). Th ere is now significant evidence 
that, in order for such efforts to bear fruit, migrants’ organisations and the relevant local communities need to be at the origin of the pr ojects. Support from local authorities and other 
donors can however be an asset.  Co-funding to top up the effort s of migrants is sometimes 
provided by public authorities, either from the receiving country
16 or from the country of 
                                                 
15 This is closely linked to the issues addressed under point 5 of Annex 2. 
16 This type of scheme is an important component of  the co-development policy th at has been devised by 
France. In particular, programmes to support initiatives by migrants from Senegal and Mali residing in 
 
IT 22   IT origin (this is the case of the ‘tres por uno’  scheme, initiated by the State of Zacatecas and 
later emulated in other Mexican States).  
Following an evaluation of the sustainability, rele vance and effectiveness of the pilot projects 
funded under former budget line B7-667 (cf. A nnex 1), the Commission will consider the 
possibility of providing funding in the context of  the appropriate budget li nes to joint projects 
by diaspora organisations – preferably from two or more Member States – and local 
organisations interested in supporting local development.  
It also invites Member States which run simila r schemes or consider doing so to exchange 
experiences and best practices. 
4. Incentive-based policies 
Many countries of origin have developed specia l incentive schemes to en courage migrants to 
invest part of the funds they remit in savings  vehicles that are used for funding development-
friendly infrastructure or productive activities,  such as Government bonds or savings accounts 
offering privileged interest-rates. The record of  such incentive schemes is somewhat mixed, 
however, and the Commission does not wish to recommend this sort of action, given the 
variety of possible schemes. Noneth eless it is clear that  the governments of countries of origin 
of migrants should refrain from creating or main taining disincentives to such investments (i.e. 
treating them less favourably than  purely domestic investments). 
                                                                                                                                                         
France in their country of origin are underway. In Italy and Spain similar schemes – often initiated at 
regional or city level (Italy) or at the level of regional communities (Spain) – have been launched to 
support projects in various countries. In the Nether lands, migrants’ projects are supported via the so-
called ‘Front Office’ facility , which is managed on behalf of the Dutch government by five co-financing 
NGOs. The Community has also provided support to such projects in the framework of budget line B7-
667 (cf. Annex 1). 
 
IT 23   IT ANNEX 4: 
INITIATIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FACILITATING THE INVOLVEMENT OF 
DIASPORAS IN HOME COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT  
As part of transnational communities linking count ries of origin and c ountries of residence, 
diasporas17 can make an important co ntribution to the development of their home countries. 
The various ways in which their possible form s of contribution – remittances, skill or know-
how transfers, etc. – can be f acilitated are addressed in the va rious sections of Chapter 2 and 
the relevant annexes. This annex, however, look s at how – if appropriate – public authorities 
can encourage diaspora members to become more involved in the development of their 
country or region of origin. 
Of course, it is up to each dias pora member to decide whether,  to what extent and in what 
form (s)he wishes to contribute to the deve lopment of his/her coun try of origin. Public 
policies in this area can only provide incentives,  facilitate and be responsive to people’s own 
initiatives.  
The Commission believes that action in this area should concentrate on the following three 
sets of issues: 
1. Helping developing countries map thei r diasporas and build  links with them  
A key difficulty that sending and receiving coun try governments are often faced with in terms 
of dealing with the diaspora is  precisely knowing the diaspora. Th ere is therefore a case for a 
policy to support the crea tion of databases of the skills av ailable in a given country’s or 
region’s diaspora abroad, where interested memb ers can register. A number of projects along 
these lines have already been launched – for ex ample a database where skilled members of the 
Senegalese diaspora abroad can register their interest in contributing to the country’s 
development and provide details of their skills – and such initiatives coul d be used as sources 
of inspiration by other countries. Another exam ple is the support provided by Italy to Egypt18 
or to Ghana and Ethiopia (via the MIDA-It aly programme, managed by the International 
Organisation for Migration), to improve their links with their respective diasporas, notably in 
Italy. 
In addition, governments in receiving countries that  would like to involve foreign diasporas in 
their work with developing count ries, or to support their init iatives, are faced with the 
additional difficulty of identifying ‘the right interlocutors’ among the various organisations 
representing diasporas. France, for example,  has addressed this problem by encouraging 
diaspora organisations involved in the development of countries of  origin to pool their efforts 
within the framework of an umbrella organisation, FORIM19. Other Member States are 
                                                 
17 For the purposes of this Communication, we use a broad definition of the diaspora. The diaspora from a 
given country therefore includes not only the nationals from that country living abroad, but also 
migrants who, living abroad, have acquired the citizen ship of their country of residence (often losing 
their original citizenship in the pr ocess) and migrants’ children born abroad, whatever their citizenship, 
as long as they retain some form of commitment to and/or interest in their country of origin or that of 
their parents. In some extreme cases, such as the Chinese diaspora, people may still feel part of a 
country’s diaspora even though their family has been living in another country for several generations. 
18 Cf. the website http://www.emigration.gov.eg. 
19 Forum des organisations de solidarité internationale issues des migrations. 
 
IT 24   IT moving in the same direction, for example th e Netherlands, which has set up a ‘National 
Ethnic Minorities Consultativ e Committee’ (LOM), which gr oups together seven ethnic 
minority organisations and which will in future  be consulted on important development policy 
initiatives, or Germany’s GTZ, which has take n steps to build a working relationship with 
organisations representing the diaspora. The UK is also taking steps in the same direction, 
through support to an umbrella organi sation (Connections for Development). 
The Commission will consider supporting efforts initiated by source count ries at national or 
regional level to set up databases where members of diasporas interested  in contributing to 
home countries’ development can register on a voluntary basis, and more generally to 
maintain links between these countries’ and th eir diasporas, in coordination with other donors.  
The Commission invites those Member States that do not already do so to  identify and engage 
diaspora organisations which could be suitab le and representative  interlocutors in 
development policy and/or possible initiators of de velopment projects in countries of origin. It 
would also welcome steps by the organisati ons representing diasporas involved in the 
development of countries of or igin to set up a mechanism th at could ensure appropriate 
representation of their interests at EU level, in pa rticular as far as policies of interest to these 
countries are concerned. 
2. The role of young people 
Helping young people from migrant communities main tain some form of relationship with the 
country of origin of their parents can both cont ribute to their integration – by helping avoid a 
sense of not belonging anywhere – and encour age them to maintain a commitment to the 
development of that country20, for example by encouraging them to visit it and get acquainted 
with the challenges it faces. Community policy, based on existing intra- EU experience, could 
play a role in this respect. 
In addition to already existing initiatives, notab ly by local authorities in the framework of 
twinning schemes, which should be encouraged, the Commission will assess the feasibility of 
youth exchange schemes focused in partic ular on migrant communities, based on the 
experience gathered with existing intra-EU schemes.  
3. Integration and citizenship 
Integration of migrants is much more than just  a part of a diaspora mobilisation policy; it is 
one of the central pillars of EU immigration policy, and its main features are covered in a 
number of recent policy documents21. This policy, by allowing migr ants to feel that their 
cultural identity is recognised and valued, shou ld encourage them to remain committed to 
their country of origin and those they have left behind. In addition, it is also increasingly 
being recognised that migrants ’ personal involvement in the de velopment of their country of 
origin in turn facilita tes their integration in the country of residence.  The Commission is about 
                                                 
20 Even if there is evidence that  second-generation diaspora member s have forms of commitment that 
differ from those of the first generation: skill tr ansfers or productive investment tend to replace 
remittances. 
21 In particular the Common Basic Principles adopted by the Council on 19 November 2004. In addition, 
there is Community legislation already in force on va rious important issues such as the rights of long 
term residents, family reunification, and the fight against discrimination, racism and xenophobia. A handbook on integration for policy-makers and prac titioners was also published in November 2004, and 
further efforts will be undertaken to encourage ex changes of experiences between Member States. In 
addition, a second Annual Report on Migration and Integration will soon be published. 
 
IT 25   IT to propose new orientations in the area of inte gration, by way of a Communication that will be 
adopted simultaneously w ith this Communication. 
ANNEX 5: 
INITIATIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOSTERING  
CIRCULAR MIGRATION AND BRAIN CIRCULATION  
The development of new, faster modes of tran sportation and communicat ion as well as the 
emergence of transnational communities mean that  circular migration, in which migrants tend 
to go back and forth between the source coun try and the destination country, and return 
migration will become increasingly widespread . From a development standpoint this is good 
news, as circular and return migration o ffer a significant potential for both source and 
destination countries, the migrant and his/her relatives in the c ountry of origin. Return, even 
temporary, is likely to lead to the transfer of  skills, know how and/or new cultural attitudes. 
Both circular migration and return can help mitigate the impact of brain drain. Both also 
foster brain circulation, which can be defined for the purpose of this Communication as the 
possibility for developing countries to draw  on the skills, know-how and other forms of 
experience gained by their migrants – whether th ey have returned or not – and members of 
their diaspora abroad. However, there are still obst acles to circular migration and to the return 
of migrants to their country of origin. Rem oving them would help liberate the potential of 
brain circulation for development.  
The Commission believes that action is necessary in the four following areas: 
1. Managed migration as an inst rument of brain circulation 
The Commission recently published a Green Pape r on an EU approach to managing economic 
migration22, the aim of which is to actively contri bute to the on-going debate on the most 
appropriate form of Community rule s for admitting economic migrants.  
The Green Paper stresses the need for the Community to manage migration flows in 
cooperation with countries of or igin, thereby taking into account  the challenges they face– 
including brain drain in partic ular – and their needs. It sp ecifically asks the question of 
whether preference, in terms of admission, shoul d be granted to certain third countries and 
how23. 
As a result of the comprehensive debate launched by the Green Paper, which culminated with 
a hearing organised on 14 June 2005, the Comm ission will present, by the end of 2005, a 
policy plan on legal migration. This plan will include ideas on how the joint management of 
economic migration flows between countries of origin and destinati on can contribute to 
improving the benefits of migration for th e development of countries of origin 
                                                 
22 COM(2004) 811, 11.1.2005 
23 Bilateral agreements between a country of destination and a country of origin, aimed at joint 
management of economic migration flows – as concluded by some EU Member States with a number of 
third countries – are one possible way in which such preferences can be granted. 
 
IT 26   IT 2. Maximising the potential  of temporary migration 
Temporary migration – sometimes even season al migration – is becoming an increasingly 
popular way of meeting the demand for unskilled or  relatively low skilled labour in a number 
of Member States. Whilst it is true that such  temporary migration ha s limited advantages in 
terms of skills enhancement, especially as far as low-skilled workers are concerned, its 
potential positive impact on development or at least poverty alle viation should not be 
dismissed too quickly. It can he lp relieve excess labour supply  in developing countries, and 
the remittances which workers send to their relatives often represent a significant share of families’ overall income – especially since temporary migrants tend to remit more than longer-term migrants as a pe rcentage of their income.  
Policies to maximise the developmental impact  of temporary migration, in addition to the 
general recommendations on remittances24, should focus on encourag ing circular migration, 
by giving a priority for furthe r temporary employment to work ers who have already worked 
under such schemes and have returned at the end of their contract, and also on offering 
appropriate rewards to participating migrants. Th is could for instance build on the experience 
of some Member Starts in reimbursing pensio n contributions at the end of the worker’s 
contract or include the paym ent by the country of residen ce of a top up on the worker’s 
savings. Taking into account the results of the debate on the Green Paper on economic 
migration, the Commission will also examine the possibility of defining a general framework 
for the entrance and short-term  stay within the common area of seasonal migrants. The 
Commission will continue discussions with Member  States, social partners and civil society 
on these issues.  
In addition, temporary migration linked to the cross-border provision of services is also 
starting to feature highly on the international trade policy agenda, within the framework of the 
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS – the so-called Mode 4), with a focus on 
skilled labour. However the numbers of peopl e covered by Mode 4 commitments, or taking 
advantage of them, are extremely small in comp arison with the numbers  of other temporary 
migrants or of long-term migrants. 
Whilst Mode 4 is only one form of temporary migr ation - and is essentially  an aspect of trade 
rather than migration policy – it may offer insights into the development of temporary 
migration schemes that would help both to ma ximize brain circulation in the interests of 
developing countries and contri bute to well managed migrati on through clear rules on period 
and purpose of stay. The Community is promo ting an approach to Mode 4 which adopts 
common terminology and transparent arrangem ents governing the categories of people 
covered and length of stay. This model could be  built on for the further development of Mode 
4.  
In addition, the Commission already proposed in March 2004 a Recommendation concerning 
the facilitation of issuing condi tions for uniform short stay vi sas for researchers from third 
countries travelling within the EU for the purpose of carrying out scientific research. 
                                                 
24 Cf. section 2.1. in the main text and Annexes 2 and 3. 
 
IT 27   IT 3. Facilitating return migration 
The return of migrants to thei r country of origin can have a significant positive impact in 
development terms, provided that  it is well prepared and th at the migrant is an active 
protagonist in his/her own return, with a project  – entrepreneurial for example – (s)he intends 
to carry out. While schemes to assist the return  of migrants will usually be focused on legal 
migrants, they should not necessarily be reserved  to them. The experience of the French “aide 
à la réinsertion” scheme shows that such sc hemes sometimes offer an ‘honourable way out’ to 
migrants whose migration project has failed, including some illegal migrants. 
A number of general lessons can  be drawn from the various re turn schemes that have been 
developed, notably at the le vel of EU Member States25, by the Community26 and by 
international organisations such as the Interna tional Organisation for Mi gration (IOM). A first 
lesson is that financial support is not enough to make return a success27. Advice and other 
forms of non-financial assistance, both before  and after the migrant’s return, play an 
indispensable role, especially when the migr ant – who does not necessa rily have directly 
relevant experience – intends to  start his/her own business in the country of origin. Another 
lesson is that migrants are ofte n reluctant to envisa ge a return to thei r home country unless 
they have some guarantee that they will be able  to continue to travel back and forth between 
the country of origin and the (former) country of  destination. This is obviously the case when 
the migrant plans to continue some form of business activity in his/ her former country of 
residence, but such a possibility can also play the role of an insuranc e mechanism, especially 
when the migrant – be he or she a former ref ugee or asylum seeker or not – comes from a 
country whose future stability – economic or political – remains problematic. This problem 
can be addressed, at least on a temporary basis, by granting the returnee a multi-entry visa allowing him/her to return to his/her former coun try of residence. A number of Member States 
have taken steps in this directi on. Another possibility that has sim ilar effects is to maintain the 
validity of the returning migran t’s residence permit for a certain  amount of time after his/her 
return. Such a system exists in Denmark, where,  in addition, refugees potentially willing to 
return to their count ry of origin are given th e possibility of returning temporarily to assess the 
situation and prospects before th ey make a final decision to return, and ref ugees and their 
families who return voluntarily are allowed to go back to Denmark within one year of their 
return. 
The Commission will invite Member  States and other in terested stakeholders to share their 
experience of the elaboration and management of assisted return pr ogrammes and of support 
of countries of origin with the successful reintegration of return migrants. Within this 
framework, it will examine relevant short-term visa policy issues.  
A number of practical steps should also be taken to facilitate th e return of migrants to their 
country of origin: 
                                                 
25 An interesting example is the scheme run by the ‘Gothenburg Initiative’ (Göteborg Initiativet), an NGO 
supported by the City of Gothenburg and the Swedish authorities, which has devised a scheme whereby 
willing refugees, notably from Bosnia and Herzegovi na and Somalia, living in Gothenburg are being 
supported in developing self-employing business activities upon returning to their country of origin.  
26 Especially the Afghanistan return scheme (cf. point 2 of Annex 1). 
27 In addition, exclusively financial support might attr act purely opportunistic applicants with no serious 
interest in developing and implementing a personal project for a successful return. 
 
IT 28   IT • Member States should ensure that the pensions  obtained in a migrant’s former country of 
residence can be paid to him/he r in the country of origin afte r his/her return; or that the 
contributions made by a migrant and by his/he r employers into public pension schemes can 
be paid back to him/her as a lump sum upon his/ her return to the country  of origin in cases 
where the total amounts paid are not e nough to entitle him/her to a pension. 
• Steps should be taken to ensure that a migr ant’s education and qualif ications received in 
the country of destina tion can be easily recogn ised by authorities in the country of origin, 
as this will facilitate his/her pr ofessional integration upon returning28. 
• Member States could offer the possibility for financial institutions to open up special 
savings accounts accessible to migrants intending to return to their home country at the end 
of their work experience. These products coul d benefit from a favourable tax treatment, 
and the Member State of reside nce could also grant an intere st rate subsidy and/or a bonus 
at the time of return. 
• As far as researchers and other skilled professionals are concerned, it is essential that they 
can, upon return, continue to have exchanges with their fo rmer colleagues. Fellowships for 
returning researchers an d instruments such as web portals to allow continuous  interactions 
within trans-national research communitie s are among the instruments that will be 
supported under the 7th Framework Programme on R&D29. 
The Commission will look at the possibility of proposing measur es in areas such as the 
transferability of pension rights,  the recognition of qualifications or mechanisms to ensure that 
researchers or other professionals who have work ed in the EU can keep in touch with their 
former colleagues to facilitat e voluntary returns and help them reintegrate successfully. 
4. Temporary or virtual return 
Migrants do not necessar ily need to return permanently to th eir country of origin to contribute 
usefully to its development. Indeed, temporar y return appears as a promising way in which 
diasporas can be mobilised in favour of countries of origin (cf. section 2.2. in the main text). Obviously, it is up to individual diaspora member s to decide whether and how they want to 
get involved. However, availa ble evidence shows that many diaspora members are already 
active, and many more would be willing to fo llow suit provided that more appropriate 
conditions were in place. This is where public policy can play an important role. 
                                                
 
28 Conversely, steps to facilitate the recognition of th e skills acquired by migrants outside of the EU, if 
feasible, could make it easier to fully use their potential and avoid the risk of ‘brain waste’. The 
development of co-operation with a number of third countries – notably the EU’s immediate neighbours 
– in the area of education could allow for some progre ss in this respect, at least as far as formal 
qualifications (diplomas) are concerned. 
29 Moreover, the Commission has already issued, as part  of the package on the admission of third country 
nationals to carry out scientific research in the European Community - COM(2004) 178, 16.3.2004 -, a draft recommendation encouraging Member States to ‘promote the international mobility of researchers 
from third countries needing to travel frequently within the European Union by issuing them with 
multiple entry visas’. In addition to ensuring brain circulation, such measures can also contribute to limiting the brain drain of scientists from developing countries (cf. section 2.4.  in the main text and 
Annex 6), by lowering the disadvantages for researchers of residing and working in developing 
countries. 
 
IT 29   IT There are several ways in which temporary retu rn can allow diaspora members to contribute 
to the development of their country or region of  origin. Short or medium term secondments of 
scientists, doctors, engineers or other qualified pr ofessionals in institutions in their countries 
of origin can enable them to share their skil ls and knowledge with t hose who have remained 
“at home”. Diaspora skills databases (see point 1 in Annex 4) can enable authorities or institutions in countries to tap into the availa ble skills potential. Inte rnational organisations 
such as IOM (with the Migration for Devel opment in Africa programme – MIDA) and UNDP 
(with the Transfer of Knowle dge through Expatriate Nationa ls scheme – TOKTEN) have 
developed significant expertise in this area, a nd the activities they manage are often supported 
financially by one or several EU Member States
30 or the Community. In this case, temporary 
return can be complemented or in some cas es replaced by “virtual return”, relying on 
electronic communications (for example, via di stance learning, a University professor in an 
EU Member State can also teach to students in a University in his/her country of origin, where 
(s)he could also be physically presen t for a couple of months each year). 
The Commission proposes to build upon existing e xperience in temporary or virtual return 
programmes and extend it, where necessary, to other parts of the developing world. It will 
also look at the possible support that could be  provided to e-learning schemes within the 
framework of Community prog rammes on information a nd communication technologies 
(ICT).   
Furthermore, initiatives will be ta ken within the framework of the 7th Framework Programme 
on Research and Development to facilitate ne tworking between foreign researchers working 
in the EU – especially those working in areas of  direct interest to developing countries – and 
research organisations in th eir countries of origin.  
The Commission will also look at how to ensure  that the residence rights in the EU of 
diaspora members who decide to  engage in such activities are not affected by temporary 
returns to countries of origin.  
Temporary return, and more generally circular migration, can also allow migrants or diaspora 
members who have succeeded in business activiti es in the EU to set up additional business 
activities – either directly connect ed or not to their main activit y in the EU – in their country 
of origin, thereby actively cont ributing to the latter’s development through innovation and job 
creation. The work conducted by the Commissi on in the area of ethnic entrepreneurship31 
shows that migrants and more ge nerally persons of foreign origin  are often likelier than other 
people to engage in entrepreneurial activities. They therefore constitute an important skills 
potential for their countries of  origin, provided that approp riate policies are implemented. 
Their knowledge of both the c ountry of origin a nd the country of residence can be an 
                                                 
30 For instance, a MIDA project for the Great Lakes region was funded by Belgium, and another project 
for Ghana was funded by the UK and the Netherlands. 
31 Following preparatory work, a Commission study on ‘Promoting Ethic Minority Entrepreneurs’ is about 
to be carried out in the framework of the Multi-an nual programme for enterprise and entrepreneurship 
2001-2005. In addition, the Commission’s Action Plan on Entrepreneurship - COM(2004) 70, presented on 11 February 2004 - foresees a key action on «Providing tailor-made support for ethnic minority 
entrepreneurs» and commits the Commission to co llaborate with national and regional authorities to 
address those areas where the needs of ethnic entrepreneurs are still in sufficiently met, namely access to 
finance and entrepreneurial networks. It foresees  that the Commission will encourage networks among 
policy-makers and seek the active involvement of representative bodies of ethnic minorities for building 
a better dialogue at EU, national and regional level.  
 
IT 30   IT important business asset, in particular for mark eting in the EU products  from the country of 
origin32 – or even the country itself as a touris t destination. Some initiatives have been 
developed with a view to facili tating the investments of such pe ople in their count ry of origin, 
for example a project – funded under EC budget lin e B7-667 – to help highly skilled members 
of the Moroccan diaspora in France set up innovative start-ups in Morocco. 
The Commission will continue to make support available in  future, under the Aeneas 
programme, to projects by which migrants or  diaspora members set up sustainable economic 
activities in countries of origin, with a pref erence for projects in third countries involving 
diasporas in two or more Member States. Su ch projects should be coherent with the 
development strategy of the third country concerned. 
In addition, it will further study the ways in whic h interested entrepre neurs from migrant 
communities can contribute to the development of their country of origin, the obstacles they 
face in doing so and the policies that should be followed to overcome these obstacles.  
Perhaps more importantly, in addition to dire ct financial support for such involvement of 
diaspora members, public author ities can also contribute to  such efforts by removing a 
number of obstacles,  in particular by: 
• in the public sector, offering the possibility fo r secondments to institutions in developing 
countries for migrants or di aspora members wishing to engage in such activities; 
• in the private sector, removing legal obstacles  to unpaid sabbatical leaves and encouraging 
businesses to enable their employees of forei gn origin to take unpaid leave for engaging in 
such activities33; 
• in both cases, ensuring that the persons in  question can continue to contribute to and 
benefit from social security schemes, in par ticular health insurance and pension schemes. 
The Commission will foster the id entification of best practices in areas such as secondments 
or sabbatical leaves, and the related social secu rity aspects, that can facilitate temporary 
return, as part of the dialogue to be launched with Member St ates as a follow-up to this 
Communication. 
                                                 
32 Migrants and more generally diasporas can therefore play an important role in helping their countries of 
origin take advantage of the important trade concessions granted by the Community to developing 
countries, notably in the context of the ‘Everyth ing But Arms’ (EBA) initiative, and which at present 
are far from being fully used by beneficiary countries.  
33 This issue may be raised by the Commission with the Social Partners in the framework of the 
discussions underway on Corporate Social Responsibility. 
 
IT 31   IT ANNEX 6: 
INITIATIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATING THE ADVERSE EFFECT OF 
BRAIN DRAIN ON DEVELOPING COUNTRIES  
Whereas there are many cases where migration is  profitable for countries of origin, it can 
cause damage in specific situations. This is  particularly so when emigration leads to 
significant skills shortages in sectors that are es sential for the social or economic development 
of the countries in question. Su ch cases are best documented in the healthcare and education 
sector and the worst affected countries appear  to be in Africa and in the Caribbean, but 
problems could also appear in other sectors or  parts of the world. The phenomenon of brain 
drain affects particularly poorer countries becau se emigrants tend to have a better education 
than those who stay at home (the greater the distance, the greater the difference tends to be) 
and because selective immigrati on policies in developed countri es have contributed to the 
acceleration of the emigration of  skilled professionals.  
It must be noted that education abroad can al so contribute to brain drain if students do not 
return at the end of their st udies. This phenomenon can become  self-sustaining if emigration, 
by depriving universities of thei r best students, leads to lowe r quality levels, encouraging 
further emigration. 
While there is no such thing as a ‘right to migr ate’, it must be acknowledged that the decision 
to look for and take up employment abroad is  largely based on an in dividual assessment by 
the persons concerned of the cost s and benefits of such a choi ce. Public policies often have 
little influence on this decision. In addition, Me mber States retain significant competences in 
the area of economic migration and there are obvious limits to the scope for Community 
action in this area. The Commission believes,  however, that action in this area should 
encompass the following issues: 
1. Improving the evidence base 
The sensitivity to brain drain- type problems varies enormously from country to country and 
from sector to sector. Whereas some deve loping countries suffer from very significant 
shortages of critical skills, others have an excess supply of these skills34, and some even have 
a deliberate policy of exporting sk illed people, often trained in specialised, private educational 
institutions. Any sensible policy on mitigating brain drain should therefore be based on sound 
data at sectoral and country (o r even sub-national, in the case  of large countries) level. 
The Commission, in collaboration with other intere sted organisations and donors, is willing to 
support efforts by interested de veloping countries to improve their knowledge of their labour 
markets, including shortages or excesses of skills at sectoral level. This would serve as a basis 
for countries to devise responses to the identi fied problems, in the framework of their poverty 
reduction strategies.  
The Commission is ready to support such respons es, in the framework of its assistance to 
these countries. In addition, it w ould also make such informati on available to Member States, 
                                                 
34 In other words, a situation where there are not en ough suitable employment opportunities for graduates. 
In such situations the emigration of skilled professionals can be characterised as ‘brain overflow’ rather 
than as brain drain. 
 
IT 32   IT so as to help them steer their recruitmen t policies in a way that does not harm the 
development of countries of origin, as well as to the general public. 
As an example of possible responses, the Co mmission is currently preparing a separate 
Communication on 'Addressing the Crisis in Human Resources for Health', which will aim to 
prepare a set of innovative responses to human re source crisis in devel oping countries, within 
the broader health context of these countries, and building upon the framework set out in this 
Communication.  
2. Disciplining recruitment 
The issue of limiting recruitment of qualifie d professionals from developing countries 
suffering from severe skills shortages in key sectors was raised previously by the Commission 
in the December 2002 Communication. While it is not desirable to prevent individual would-
be migrants from looking for suitable employm ent in the EU, there is a case for limiting 
active recruitment by or on behalf of EU employ ers in those developing countries and sectors 
that suffer from severe skills shortages. Especi ally at a time when the need for skills in 
developed countries is expected to increase, a situation where re cruitment is carri ed out at the 
expense of development objectives must be  avoided. One Member State, the United 
Kingdom, has developed a voluntary instrument in the healthcare sector35 and there is 
therefore already some experience in the EU. In addition, the World Health Assembly has 
called for international action in this area36.  
It is the Commission’s view that isolated actio n by one or a few countries is unlikely to be 
very effective if other developed countries do not  show the same degree of self-discipline. 
The Commission encourages Member  States to develop mechanis ms such as codes of conduct  
to limit active recruitment in cases where it would have significantly negative repercussions 
for targeted developing countries, especially in the healthcare sector, and to coordinate their 
respective efforts in this area.  
The Commission will also strive to persuade ot her important destination countries to work 
towards similar arrangements. The possibilities for a global approach to recruitment policies 
should be explored and this issue be raised in the appropriate international fora, such as the 
WHO. 
The orientations which the Commission will is sue as a follow-up to its Green Paper on 
economic migration could also further contribut e to the debate on di sciplining recruitment37. 
3. Helping developing countries replenish their skills base 
For source countries the phenomen on of brain drain often repr esents a loss of significant 
investment in training and education, at least wh en the people who migrate have been trained 
by public sector institutions. It  is difficult, from a human righ ts perspective, to restrict 
people’s mobility by preventing them from l ooking for better paid employment or better 
                                                 
35 A revised, strengthened version of the Code of conduct on recruitments in the healthcare sector was 
issued in December 2004. 
36 ‘International migration of health personnel: a cha llenge for health systems in developing countries’. 
Resolution adopted by the 57th World Health Assembly on 22 May 2004. 
37 See Section 2.3 of the main text and Annex 5. 
 
IT 33   IT living and working conditions elsewhere38. However, the question ar ises whether destination 
countries could not, in one wa y or another, help developi ng countries that suffer from 
significant skills shortages as a result of migration to replenish their skills base.  
Some Member States are alr eady providing financial support fo r the training of health 
professionals in developing countries where th ey have been actively recruiting. In the 
Commission’s view this type of ‘compensation-schemes’ should not be viewed as a substitute 
for a policy for disciplining recruitment. Ho wever, the Commission encourages Member 
States to consider skill replen ishment schemes in countries that, as a result of brain drain 
processes, need to upgrade their healthcar e and/or education hu man resource basis. 
4. Better use of existing skills  resources within the EU 
An obvious response to the phenomenon of brain dr ain is for the EU to better use its own, 
existing skills resources. In this respect, the Li sbon strategy’s general ob jective of raising the 
activity rate in the EU offers a first respons e. At a more specific level, a well designed 
integration policy39 should also make it easier for the EU to tap into the partly unused 
potential represented by the migrants already residing in the EU. However, the maintenance 
by many Member States of transitional restrictio ns on the free movement of workers from the 
new Member States can also act in some cases as  an obstacle to the optimal use of available 
skills resources40 in the enlarged EU. This would appear  to militate in favour of a relaxation 
of temporary restrictions on free movement of workers from the new Member States. 
5. Fostering institutional partnerships 
It is often difficult for developi ng countries seeking to encourage skilled professi onals to stay 
in these countries rather than to emigrate or to encourage their return to compete against the 
wages and working conditions available in devel oped countries. Still, wages are only part of 
the equation and the Commission believes that  providing such professionals with career 
prospects and an adequate infrastructure could play an important role in changing the working 
conditions. Nowhere is this true r than in the research area. 
Fostering partnerships between institutions in the EU and in interest ed developing countries 
or region could play a role in addressing the causes of brain drain. In each case the precise 
mix of measures to be put in place would depend on a preliminary assessment of the country 
or region’s specific problems a nd needs. Measures could include  support for the creation of 
partnerships between scientific or university institutions in developing countries and in the 
EU to conduct resear ch activities jointly41. 
Other forms of partnerships between research institutions, universities, hospitals or other 
bodies in developing countries and EU Member States to mitigate brain drain could include 
                                                 
38 Even though some developing countries have devised a number of partial solutions. Indian medical 
students, for example, are obliged to spend a certain amount of time working in rural or poor areas 
before  they get their diploma.  
39 Cf. point 3 of Annex 4. 
40 However, consideration must also be taken of th e fact that some of the new Member States may 
themselves be suffering from a situation of brain drai n in specific sectors, as a result of an outflow of 
skilled labour to the EU-15 or other developed countries. 
41 Support to such partnerships is already an important component of EU policy on research and 
development and will be further developed under the upcoming 7th Framework Programme. 
 
IT 34   IT ‘shared work schemes’ in which scientists, researchers, doctors, technicians or other 
professionals from developing countries would sh are their work between an institution in their 
country of origin (University, hos pital, research centre, etc.) a nd a partner institution in an EU 
Member State42. The possibility of provi ding Community support to such schemes could be 
assessed, notably in the framework of the 7th Framework Programme on R&D.  
6. Development cooperation as a source of employment opportunities for skilled 
professionals in developing countries. 
Tens of thousands of skilled professionals from developed countries are employed in the 
elaboration, management and implementa tion of ODA-funded a ssistance projects in 
developing countries. If a significant number of these professionals could be replaced by 
nationals from the beneficiary countries or regions, this w ould create important employment 
opportunities for these nationals. Mo st donors have already taken some steps in this direction, 
but more can be done.  
The Commission believes that donors, in the co ntext of OECD/DAC, could usefully review 
the operational mechanisms of their technical assistance programmes with the specific 
objective of assessing whether stronger incentives for the employment of skilled professionals 
from developing countries by implem enting bodies could be introduced.  
With regard to projects funded by the Europ ean Development Fund (EDF) in ACP countries, 
article 26 of Annex IV of the Cotonou Agreement already provides that, ‘in respect of service 
contracts, given the required competence, pref erence shall be given to 1) experts … from 
ACP States where tenders of equivalent ec onomic and technical quality are compared…”. 
                                                 
42 Such schemes constitute one possible form of ‘circular migration’ (see section 2.3 in the main text and 
Annex 5). 
 
IT 35   IT ANNEX 7 
COMMISSION INTENTIONS WITH REGARD TO THE FOLLOW -UP OF THIS 
COMMUNICATION  
1. Dialogue with Member States 
Once the Council has adopted C onclusions on the implementati on of this Communication, the 
Commission is in favour of initiating a multid isciplinary dialogue with  and between Member 
States on migration and development, in whic h Member States’ Ministries dealing with 
migration in its various aspects – Development,  Employment, External Relations, and Justice 
and Home Affairs – would be re presented. This dialogue would aim at reinforcing coherence 
between the two policy areas. It s tasks would be threefold: 
• informing Member States on the implementa tion of this Communication in general and 
more specifically on progress on a number of initiatives taken in this context; 
• serving as a forum to exchange experiences an d practices in the vari ous areas covered by 
this Communication; 
• and, in doing so, contributing to improve overall coherence of these activities, in particular 
to maximise EU leverage at the global level.  
This dialogue could be complemented by an electronic forum for communication between 
members and an internet portal, also open to al l interested parties, which would help access 
the various studies and research  papers on issues related to the migration and development 
nexus prepared by or on behalf of the Member  States, EU institutions or international 
organisations. This would help ensure that  the significant amount of already available 
information is best used and avoid duplications.  
At a later stage, this internet portal could be  extended to include iden tified best practices in 
the various areas covered by this Communication. 
2. Dialogue with Third Countries 
As developing countries are dir ectly affected by EU policy on migration and development, the 
Commission will continue to in tegrate migration related topics  in the dialogue with these 
countries. A number of the orientations presente d in this communication and its annexes will 
require further debate and cooperation with  interested developing countries, either 
individually or as members of regional gr oupings. These dialogues should use the existing 
institutional frameworks43.  
Policy initiatives, in cluding assistance projects, should be based on an analysis of the situation 
of the country or group of countries concerned and designed and carried  out in a spirit of 
                                                 
43 For example the dialogues with individual ACP countries provided for in Article 8 of the Cotonou 
Agreement, the bodies set up under the Association or Cooperation Agreements, or the mechanisms of 
the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Another example, is that of the countries of South East Asia, with whom the new bilateral agreements which will be concluded will provide for a "comprehensive 
dialogue on all migration-related issues” which could be used for addressing migration and 
development issues, among others. 
 
IT 36   IT partnership with these countri es. Where appropriate, issues linked to the migration and 
development nexus should also be  reflected in the re levant country strategy papers (CSPs) or 
regional strategy papers (RSPs).  
The Commission also proposes the establishm ent of a Migration Pr ofile (MP) for each 
interested developing country. Su ch a document would bring togeth er all information relevant 
to the design and management of an e ffective policy on migration and development44. This 
could help define a policy response which wo uld tailor to th e situation and needs of the 
country or countries concerned the instrume nts presented in a generic manner in this 
Communication and its annexes.  (the proposed MP is furt her described in Annex 8). 
In addition, the Commission is ready to discuss with interested developing countries and their 
regional groupings the possibility  and appropriateness of better reflecting – where appropriate 
– issues related to the migrati on and development nexus in Pove rty Reduction Strategy Papers 
(PRSPs). 
3. Cooperation with international organisations 
In devising and implementing strategies to maximise the contribution of migration to 
development, EU institutions should take proper account of the wo rk already done by a 
number of international organisa tions in these areas and the expe rtise available there in order 
to avoid duplications of effort s. In addition, the Commission does not necessarily possess the 
specialist expertise available in these organi sations. The Commission will therefore reinforce 
its on-going dialogue on issues of migration and development w ith organisations such as the 
World Bank, ILO, UNHCR, the OECD, UNDP or IOM.  
4. Other stakeholders 
The Commission will maintain a dialogue with non-governmental  actors, including social 
partners, on issues related to migration and deve lopment. In particular, it will welcome efforts 
by diaspora organisations engaged in the deve lopment of countries of origin to set up 
mechanism or structures to ensure  their representation at EU level45. This should help these 
organisations express their views on the issues and initiatives set out in this Communication and its annexes and to contribu te actively to its follow-up. 
                                                
 
44 Including aspects such as the gender dimension of mi gration, refugee aspects or  the factors that might 
facilitate illegal migration, smuggling and trafficking. 
45 Cf. point 1 of Annex 4. 
 
IT 37   IT ANNEX 8: 
MIGRATION PROFILES  
Given the impact of initiatives in the area of migration and developmen t, an evidence-based 
approach which takes into account the realities of  developing countries is necessary. In order 
to develop a tailor-made, partnership approach for interested developing countries, a better 
understanding of the migration situ ation and related issues is a pre-condition. With this in 
mind the Commission proposes the establishm ent of a Migration Profile (MP) for each 
interested developing country. Such a doc ument, which would be prepared by the 
Commission in cooperation with the relevant country, would br ing together all information 
relevant to migration and development, thus allowing for a more appr opriate polic y approach 
and contributing to a better understanding of  the results of the policies implemented. 
Each MPs would aim to gather information on i ssues such as the labour market situation, 
unemployment rates, labour dema nd and supply and present or potential skill shortages by 
sector and occupation, skills needs in the countr y, skills available in the diaspora, migration 
flows, incoming and outgoing financial flows linked with migration, including migrant 
remittances, as well as relevant gender aspects and those related to minors.  
MPs would also include an overview of the policy framework of the country considered, 
including legal instruments releva nt to migration. An overview of  relevant projects and other 
initiatives in the country could also be incl uded. They should finally aim to assess both the 
short- and long-term impact on developing c ountries' labour markets of various relevant 
migration-related policies, if possible at a sectoral and occupational level. 
A large amount of information required for de vising MPs is already available, although not 
from a single source and not systematical ly for each country. MPs would provide a 
framework for bringing existing information from different sources together in a structured 
manner. In the beginning, MPs would be inco mplete, but by revealing the gaps in the 
available information, they would make it eas ier to fill these gaps as time went on. 
Besides this factual information MPs should also review the results  of analyses of the various 
areas that are relevant for migration policy. Th ey would help respond to challenges such as 
how to deal with skills shortages or on the cont rary labour surpluses, how to tap into the skills 
of the diaspora or how to maximise inflow s of remittances and make more productive use 
thereof.