Opening remarks Hanne JUNCHER
Director of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law
Start-up Conference
Action against Corruption and Money Laundering in Europe
25-26 November 2025 Agora (Room G02)
Distinguished colleagues, esteemed representatives of the Beneficiary and Donor countries
Thank you for your active participation during the Start-up Conference of the “Action against Corruption and Money Laundering in Europe”, and for the strong commitment each of you brings to this cooperation.
I am also very grateful for the engagement of our donor partners - Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Together, we can build stronger anti-corruption and anti-money laundering frameworks that deliver lasting impact.
All the discussions during the event have underlined a shared ambition to enhance the rule of law and safeguard our democratic achievements by countering financial and economic crime threats.
In the anti-corruption field, strengthening the integrity, accountability, and effectiveness of public institutions in preventing and combating corruption is a clear common commitment.
The priorities highlighted - from reinforcing integrity frameworks and modernising asset-declaration systems, to building capacities in corruption-risk assessment - show a strong demand for practical tools, targeted guidance, and improved implementation support.
We see this as an opportunity for tailored assistance from the Council of Europe that enhances preventive mechanisms and embeds a stronger culture of integrity across institutions.
At the same time, the emphasis on strengthening investigative, prosecutorial, and judicial capacities confirms the importance of supporting authorities to address what are increasingly complex corruption schemes. Support through specialised training, and practical toolkits for financial investigations and asset recovery can reinforce operational capabilities.
Similarly, the growing focus on corruption risks associated with environmental crime highlights an emerging area where support should be able to make a difference.
In the AML field, a strong and consistent commitment was demonstrated here to strengthening AML/CFT/CPF frameworks through enhanced risk identification, improved analytical capacity, and more effective coordination.
We can only agree that better identifying money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing risks, improving the accuracy of beneficial ownership information and addressing vulnerabilities linked to VASPs, NPOs, and cross-border activities are critical elements of our joint effort. Tailored assistance can help authorities apply risk-based approaches and strengthen oversight practices to mitigate financial-crime risks more effectively.
At the operational level, authorities have expressed a need for comprehensive capacity-building across the financial-crime response chain, and with a strong focus on effective asset-tracing, confiscation, and management.
Support in developing advanced analytical tools, strengthening FIUs’ operational and strategic analysis, and equipping investigators, prosecutors, and judges to handle complex financial crime cases and target illicit proceeds will be essential, including as all this relates to the emerging threats that technology is bringing.
Finally, we all note the need to improve inter-agency and cross-border cooperation to address sophisticated money laundering and terrorist financing threats.
Let’s conclude this event by noting that what comes next is important. The tools, knowledge, and partnerships formed through this programme must translate into measurable improvements on the ground.
I am confident that with the expertise and dedication present in this room, we will deliver concrete outcomes that strengthen anti-corruption and AML/CFT efforts in Europe.
Thank you for your active engagement throughout this event. I look forward to continuing our co-operation and to seeing the positive impact this programme will deliver.