On 27 January 2021, Paolo Panico TEP, the Chair of STEP Europe, moderated a webinar hosted by Anti-Money Laundering Europe (AME) on the future of the European Union’s policy on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.

The panel included Steve Ryan, deputy head of the financial crime unit in the Directorate-General (DG) Internal Market and Services of the European Commission (EC); Eero Heinäluoma, Member of the European Parliament (EP); and Roger Kaiser, Senior Policy Advisor, European Banking Federation.

The EC stated that it planned to unveil its consultation feedback and a new legislative package in the near future following the May 2020 action plan.

The consultation feedback had reportedly showed support for EU action in this area as well as significant support for further harmonisation in all areas, particularly for obliged entities and beneficial ownership registers.

The proposed legislative package will focus on only three out of the six pillars of the action plan, which are a harmonised rulebook; EU level supervision; and a coordination and support mechanism for financial intelligence units (FIUs). The plan is for the package to be adopted in spring 2021.

The main proposals of the package for each pillar are:

• to put in place a more integrated framework;
• to establish a new AML authority at the centre of an EU AML supervisory system. This should have direct supervisory powers over financial institutions and oversight/coordination powers in the non-financial sector;
• to set up a mechanism to coordinate and support FIU work, fully integrated in the new AML authority. It will provide technical support and assistance to analysis produced by FIUs, including joint work.

The EP representative called for an updated rulebook to keep up with new developments like crypto-assets, and noted that supervisors should be supported with appropriate tools and resources. It stressed that reform is needed and was looking forward to receive the EC proposal.

Industry representatives called for a single EU rulebook and supervisory convergence and stressed the need to avoid a ‘tick the box’ approach, or any regulatory or supervisory fragmentation. It also called for guidance to help balance out GDPR and AML requirements.

 

Robert Carington is Policy Executive at STEP