The CoE has started the implementation of a project to assess the concrete implementation of the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive of the EU (Directive (EU) 2015/849). The assessment is conducted within the framework of a contract between the EU and the Council of Europe, and envisages a review of all 28 EU Member States.

The presentation of the project and the methodology of the assessment process took place on 4 October 2019 in Brussels. The meeting was organized by the European Commission as part of the regular forum of EU AML/CFT experts, and aimed to promote the understanding of assessment modalities, timelines and outcomes of the project.

The successful implementation of the process will be of major importance for ensuring a coherent application of the measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in the EU context in order to effectively address the supranational nature of ML/TF risks.

The Council of Europe built upon its extensive expertise in the AML/CFT field to develop a comprehensive dedicated platform for the assessment of the effective application of select measures of the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The assessment methodology will be further elaborated and amended as a result of the cooperation with the EU Member States in order to ensure sustainable results of the process.

The amended assessment platform is expected to be applied by all Council of Europe experts participating in the assessment process to ensure horizontally uniform results for all EU Member States and consistency of separate country assessments. To this end, a training of all stakeholders will be organised in Strasbourg.