Luca Barbone discussing the role of remittances in Poland

Luca Barbone presented the main findings of the study on remittances in Poland during an event organized by CEPS in Brussels on January 24th, 2013. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the role of remittance services in EU market integration and growth, as well as the way in which these services could be further developed. Other speakers during the event included representatives of the World Bank, European Commission, Western Union, and International Association of Money Transfer Networks.

In his presentation, Mr. Barbone discussed the impact of remittances (money sent by individuals working abroad to their home country) on Poland’s economy, focusing on their influence on annual household income growth, and consequently, annual GDP growth. The study shows that the impact of remittances significantly rose after Poland joined the EU in 2004, giving Poles the opportunity to work in other European labor markets. Statistics from 2008 show that 2.5 percent of Polish households receive such help, with the largest proportion of these families living in small towns and villages.

See also the CASE Network E-brief entitled “The Impact of Remittances on Poland’s Economy”.
 

More information about the event is available on the CEPS website.