*  *  *  Harmonization of the banking sector should not be seen as an objective in itself for the member countries of SAARC region but it should be considered as a tool for achieving a large objective. South Asia has the largest number of poor people in the world.
Obviously, the experience gained from the adjustment programmes does not concern only the Member States that have implemented them. In a union with the level of integration of the European Union and, even more, when we speak of the Eurozone, a severe crisis in one Member State poses a risk to the other Members and also for that should be a common concern.