EUROPE - The European Parliament is to study ways for migrants to access their European pension rights when they return home.

The Parliament's Directorate-General for Internal Policies, Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs is planning "a comparative study of the laws in the 25 EU Member States for legal immigration including an assessment of the conditions and formalities imposed by each Member State for newcomers".

Among the "possible cooperation measures envisaged with developing countries" is the migrant pensions issue.

The tender states that under review will be "possible schemes in the host State to enable, upon return to their country of origin, for the migrants to access the social security and pension rights paid by them in the host State during their stay in Europe".

"The challenge is how to define a common migration policy in a Europe of 25 Member States," it says.

The parliament resolved in its October 2005 EU-wide approach to managing economic migration that the "effective development of a common migration policy with due regard for fundamental rights and international human rights is a priority goal of European integration".

The move comes as members of the Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee were set to discuss the European Commission's controversial pensions portability proposal at a meeting in Strasbourg this evening.

Last month, the European Commission disclosed it was planning to look at the problems of life insurance guarantee schemes in the European Union.

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