Balance of payments (BoP) reporting issues were discussed in a number of fora. These included the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics, Eurostat's Balance of Payments Working Group, and a high-level Joint Task Force on the use of Payments Data for the Balance of Payments Statistics, set up by the European Central Bank (September 2007–January 2008).

The options related to BoP reporting are (4) maintain the existing threshold that exempts payment service providers from reporting on payment transactions below EUR 12 500; (5) create a voluntary Additional Optional Service (AOS) Community within SEPA that would allow the collection of statistical data from settlements to continue; (6) encourage voluntary adjustments by the Member States; and (7) address the BoP reporting problems through legislation, with three sub-options: (7a) raise the exemption threshold to EUR 50 000; (7b) abolish settlement-based BoP reporting obligations imposed on payment service providers; and (7c) raise t ...[+++]he exemption threshold to EUR 50 000 followed, in a second phase, by abolition of BoP reporting based on settlements by January 2012.

Where one or more Member States of the Community, or Algeria, is in serious balance of payments difficulties, or under threat thereof, the Community or Algeria, as the case may be, may, in accordance with the conditions established under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and Articles VIII and XIV of the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund, adopt restrictions on current transactions which shall be of limited duration and may not go beyond what is strictly necessary to remedy the balance of payments situation.

(8) Collectively, the Balance of Payments Manual of the International Monetary Fund, the Guideline of the European Central Bank of 2 May 2003 on the statistical reporting requirements of the European Central Bank in the field of balance of payments statistics and international investment position statistics, and the international reserves template , the Manual on statistics of international trade in services of the United Nations, and the OECD Benchmark Definition of Foreign Direct Investment, define the general rules for compiling st ...[+++]atistics on balance of payments, international trade in services, and foreign direct investment.

Second, the overall objective of MFA falls in the scope of Title XXI of the TEC, and it is granted for 'balance-of-payments aid' and for budgetary support to third countries faced with serious economic, financial or social crises leading to a detrimental effect on the balance of payments.

Where one or more Member States of the Community, or Tunisia, is in serious balance of payments difficulties, or under threat thereof, the Community or Tunisia, as the case may be, may, in accordance with the conditions established under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and Articles VIII and XIV of the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund, adopt restrictions on current transactions which shall be of limited duration and may not go beyond what is strictly necessary to remedy the balance of payments situation.