WRITTEN QUESTION E-1435/03 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Increasing Third World dependence on emigration to work in rich countries and earnings transfers from rich countries.
Date: 2003-04-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU migration policy, World Bank, capital transfer, developing countries, development policy, financing method, income, industrialised country, migrant worker, report

C 78 E/34

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

(2004/C 78 E/0034)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1435/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(24 April 2003)

Subject: Increasing Third World dependence on emigration to work in rich countries and earnings transfers

from rich countries

1.
Is the Commission aware of the World Bank report of 2 April 2003, entitled ‘Global Development
Finance’, which describes migrant workers who send part of their earnings obtained in countries with
highly developed economies to members of their families who have stayed on in the Third World, or
invest in such countries in some other way, as having now become an indispensable source of funding for
developing countries that also creates more stability than the customary loans?

2.
Is the Commission aware that this source of funding concerns very considerable sums, and that the
total amount originating in all rich countries taken together rose from EUR 64,5 thousand million in 2000
to EUR 74 thousand million in 2002, and that the amounts from EU Member States for the year 2002, in
thousand million US dollars, break down as follows: Germany 8,2; Belgium, 8,1; France, 3,9; Luxembourg,
3,1; Italy, 2,6; Spain, 2,2; the Netherlands, 1,5; and the United Kingdom, 1,3?

3.
How does the Commission view the conclusion by World Bank researcher Dilip Ratha, that more
migration is likely to provide the world with great advantages and that rich countries must therefore make
international migration easier? Is this view compatible, in the Commission’s judgement, with the problems
of pressure on living space and possible confrontations between social groups with different cultures, and
with the EU Member States’ tendency only to admit a limited number of economic migrants who are able
to supply needs that cannot be met, or can be met only partly, by their own inhabitants?

4.
In what way can the EU help to ensure that Third World countries become not more, but less,
dependent on earnings obtained by working in Europe, for instance by directly ensuring that economic
growth increasingly occurs elsewhere in the world, rather than encouraging it in the EU and subsequently
investing the profits from it elsewhere?

Source: Dutch newspaper ‘De Volkskrant’ 3.4.2003.

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2003)

Yes, the Commission is aware of the World Bank report referred to. It contains a chapter entitled
1.
‘Workers’ Remittances: an important and stable source of external development finance’, by World Bank
researcher Dilip Ratha.

2.

The Commission has noted that these figures are mentioned in the report.

3.
The report says that ‘facilitating labor mobility between source and destination countries is perhaps
the most crucial (cid:1) and controversial (cid:1) means of increasing remittance flows to developing countries’. This
may be true, but this is not, in the view of the Commission in itself a reason to favour an increase of
international labour mobility. Seen from the perspective of developing countries, international migration
may lead to negative ‘brain drain’ phenomena, as it is already the case in several sectors and regions
(e.g. the medical profession in African countries). While the net effect for developing countries does not
need to be negative as output losses from the migration of skilled workers are to some extent offset by
gains from remittances and network effects (business contacts, investments, technological help, support to
education, etc.), migration needs to be managed very carefully. There are well known domestic reasons for
the Union not to opt for a fully liberalised international labour market. Its migration policy is and will
continue to be based on the concept of migration management, which allows, inter alia, for the creation of
synergies between development and migration policy objectives.

On the specific subject of migrants’ remittances, one of the aspects where (cid:1) e.g.
in the context of
development cooperation (cid:1) meaningful support may be given is to make the transfer of remittances
cheaper and more reliable. The report mentions the fact that the cost of transferring remittances often
exceeds 20 %. Reducing such costs to less than 10 % would (cid:1) according to the report (cid:1) imply an annual
saving of EUR 3,5 billion to migrant workers.

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/35

The promotion of high and sustainable growth within developing countries themselves is one of the
4.
priorities of the Union’s external policy and is supported through a variety of financial and technical
assistance instruments world-wide. In its recent Communication on ‘Integrating migration issues in the
EU’s relations with third countries’ (1) the Commission has proposed several relevant policies, including ‘the
improvement of effective market access of developing countries’ products into the EU’,‘the enhancement of
south-south trade’, ‘the promotion of foreign direct investments into developing countries’, ‘the promotion
of outsourcing arrangements between developed and developing countries’ (notably in the information
technology and research and Technological development sectors), ‘the facilitation of migrants’ efforts to
contribute to the economic and social development in their countries of origin (without permanently
returning to it), etc. Workers’ remittances can contribute to higher and more stable growth in recipients’
countries, as supported by the fact that remittances are increasingly used for investment purposes.

(1) COM(2002) 703 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0035)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1483/03

by Johanna Boogerd-Quaak (ELDR) to the Commission

(23 April 2003)

Subject: Protection of information concerning air passengers (cid:1) Joint Declaration of 4 March 2003

Since the beginning of March, airlines have been required by an American law, on pain of heavy fines, to
provide all kinds of
their passengers. The Commission recently issued a Joint
information about
Declaration with the USA on this subject.

Does the Commission agree that, in the light of the case law of the Court of Justice of the EC, this is a field
where joint competence exists?

If so, when did the Commission inform the Member States of the relevant developments?

How are the Member States kept informed of the latest developments in this field?

Were the Member States in any way involved in the decision-making leading to the Joint Declaration of
4 March 2003?

Does the American law conflict with the national legislation of any of the Member States?

If so, which Member States and what are the consequences?

Are there any Member States which have concluded individual agreements with the USA on this subject?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2003)

The transfer of personal data by airlines to the American authorities is a complex issue, certain aspects of
which fall within the Community’s field of competence. The processing of personal data by airlines in the
context of their economic activities, for example, is clearly regulated by Community law. The information
requested by the US authorities includes this type of data.

Since 2002, the Commission has kept the Member States informed about the situation at meetings of the
Council’s Working Parties, particularly those dealing with transport and trans-Atlantic relations. The
Commission has also provided detailed information for the Committee set up by Article 31 of Directive
95/46/EC (1), which is composed of representatives of the Member States. This information was provided
on 12 December 2002 and 21 February 2003. The Commission also reported to Coreper on the latest
developments with the dossier, principally in February 2003 when discussions were held on the Joint
Declaration mentioned by the Honourable Member.