The Council of Europe’s Economic Crime and Cooperation Division (ECCD) organised the Closing Conference of the Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) initiative “Enhancing effectiveness of the AML/CFT regime in the Czech Republic”, in Strasbourg, France, on 19 December 2022.
The event was convened with the aim of presenting and reflecting on the project results and achievements with all Steering Committee Members and other stakeholders who were involved in the implementation of different project activities. The conference was attended by the representatives of the Financial Analytical Office (FAO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Notarial Chamber and Bar Association, as well as the European Commission – DG REFORM and the Council of Europe.
One of the main project achievements underlined during the event was the development of the Proliferation Financing National Risk Assessment (PF NRA) Methodology and the launching of the OF NRA process in the Czech Republic, including through the organisation of a series of awareness-raising events on proliferation financing (PF) risks for public officials, as well as for obliged entities and industry representatives.
In addition, the project supported the authorities with the development of a set of studies and guidelines. For instance, Czech authorities have received technical assistance in conducting a “Study on the AML/CFT risks associated with the processes of entering the financial market or business by a selected group of obliged entities”, as well as with a Technical Paper on mapping of products offered and provided by the legal professionals in the Czech Republic. In addition, “Guidelines for Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) on conducting ML/TF Risk Assessment” have been developed and promoted among the Czech NPO sector representatives in close cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Financial Analytical Office. Finally, the project contributed to developing targeted AML/CFT Guidelines for the legal professionals, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and the real-estate sector, as well as organised a number of awareness-raising workshops on ML/TF risks related to different sectors’ business activities.
Finally, the project also provided an opportunity for representatives of relevant competent authorities to be engaged in a number of peer-to-peer exchanges with counterparts from other EU Member States, in Czech Republic and abroad.
Besides focusing on achievements, the project closing event was also an opportunity to gather the Czech authorities’ feedback regarding the implementation of the technical assistance Project, including its relevance, sustainability and encountered challenges. Last but not least, the event allowed to discuss future technical assistance needs and further opportunities for cooperation between the Czech authorities and the Council of Europe’s Economic Crime and Cooperation Division.
This event was organised within the framework of the Structural Reform Support Programme project on “Enhancing effectiveness of the AML/CFT regime in the Czech Republic”, funded by the European Commission Directorate General for Structural Reform Support and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.