|
During the discussion, ministers expressed broad support for the draft Council conclusions as prepared by Coreper and at expert level.
In the draft conclusions, the Council outlines various areas in which the Commission should consider harmonising the EU rules via a directly applicable regulation. The Council also supports setting up an EU-level supervisor with direct supervisory powers over a selected number of high-risk obliged entities, as well as the authority to take over supervision from a national supervisor in clearly defined and exceptional situations.
The Council is due to approve the conclusions by written procedure after the video conference.
The fight against money laundering and terrorism financing is a top priority for the German presidency. Recent alleged money laundering cases, including in the EU, underline the urgency to act. More harmonised rules and EU-level supervision will allow us to be more effective and to strengthen the EU's anti-money laundering framework. It is an important sign that we all stand united for tough anti-money laundering measures.
Olaf Scholz, Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor