Action against Corruption and Economic Crime

ECCD Newsletter14th Edition| January 2025


Welcome to the fourteenth edition of the ECCD Newsletter!

The Economic Crime and Cooperation Division (ECCD) is responsible for the Council of Europe's cooperation and technical assistance activities concerning the implementation of international standards against corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing. In the January 2025 Edition of the ECCD Newsletter you will find updates on our recent activities and useful publications, as well as key developments from the Council of Europe monitoring bodies GRECO and MONEYVAL.

Conference “Practical Application of EU Sanctions – State of Play and Way Forward”

20-21 November 2024

Representatives from 24 EU Member States, Council of Europe, European Commission and Europol, engaged in fruitful discussions regarding key topics of the EU's sanctions enforcement framework. In addition, the event allowed to present the results of the research conducted by the ECCD which looked into the role of national competent authorities (NCAs) and the current frameworks and effective application of the NCAs’ powers in identifying and freezing assets.

Training on crypto-assets and decentralised finance for Tracfin agents

13-15 January 2025

The advanced-level training held on 13-15 January 2025 aimed at enhancing investigative capabilities of Tracfin specialists in handling blockchain-based financial crimes. This marked the final step in a series of capacity-building activities to equip Tracfin staff with the skills needed to investigate ML/TF cases involving crypto-assets.

Discussing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives against financial crime

25-26 November 2024

Practitioners from Eastern Partnership countries and EU member states discussed best practices, legal considerations, and data protection in PPP initiatives. The event emphasized the need for tailored PPP models and highlighted the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors to detect and disrupt financial crime.

Countering emerging crime risks linked to innovative technology in financial services

25-26 November 2024

The regional workshop gathered AML/CFT supervisors from the Western Balkans and EU Member States to discuss and exchange on the risks and challenges of overseeing tech-enabled financial services. The event aimed to strengthen authorities' capacity to tackle emerging threats and ensure robust oversight.

Awareness raising on money laundering risks for the private sector in Austria

September-October 2024

In cooperation with Austrian authorities and Economic Chambers, the ECCD conducted a series of awareness raisig workshops on the risk-based approach to detecting and mitigating ML/TF risks for private sector representatives, including real estate agents, insurance intermediaries, high-value good dealers, and business consultants.


Council of Europe Monitoring Updates

*GRECO* GRECO publishes new Evaluation and Compliance reports on the Fourth Evaluation Round (Andorra, Armenia, Republic of Moldova, Poland and Switzerland) and the Fifth Evaluation Round (Finland, San Marino,Slovenia, Switzerland). GRECO President on Anti-Corruption Day: “States must take determined action to protect democracy against corruption”. Outcome of the 98th plenary of GRECO. *MONEYVAL* MONEYVAL publishes the Fifth Round Mutual Evaluation Report on Jersey and follow-up reports on Croatia,Estonia, Georgia, Monaco, Poland, Slovak Republic. MONEYVAL continues the evaluation process of Latvia. MONEYVAL launches the evaluation process of Armenia and Slovenia. EU Supranational Measures in MONEYVAL 5th Round Mutual Evaluation Reports. MONEYVAL calls for effective implementation of international standards to counter money laundering and terrorist financing in Europe. Outcomes of MONEYVAL 68th Plenary meeting


In Other News

FATF consolidated assessment ratings The EBA and ESMA analyse recent developments in crypto-assets FATF publishes Money Laundering National Risk Assessment Guidance European Commission presents a new study on areas most at risk of corruption FATF changes its grey listing criteria to further focus on risk 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2024 EBA final guidance on internal policies, procedures and controls to ensure the implementation of Union and national sanctions The EBA provides further guidance on reporting requirements under the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation

Publication "Guidelines for the management of seized assets"

This publication offers comprehensive guidelines on various aspects of asset management in criminal proceedings. Providing an overview of supranational standards and a step-by-step framework, the publication looks into institutional arrangements, case-studies, best practices and core principles related to social reuse and the environmental dimension of asset management. A practical checklist is included to help countries evaluate their asset management systems against these standards and identify potential areas for improvement.

Publication "Guidelines for the management of seized assets"




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