As the Republic of Moldova advances on its path towards European Union membership, strengthening the country's ability to prevent and detect financial crime remains a key priority.
In 2024, the European Union adopted a comprehensive reform of its framework for preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which is commonly known as EU Anti-Money Laundering Package. The new rules aim to harmonise rules across the EU, making financial systems more transparent, strengthen the identification of suspicious transactions, improve access to information on the real owners of companies, and enhance cooperation between authorities responsible for combating financial crime.
As the Republic of Moldova continues aligning its institutions with the EU standards, understanding these changes are becoming increasingly important to further implement them effectively. To support this process, the Council of Europe organized a four-day workshop in Chisinau for key national stakeholders – the Financial Intelligence Unit, the National Bank of Moldova, the National Commission for Financial Markets, the Public Services Agency, and the State Tax Authority.
Throughout the workshop, participants explored how the new EU standards can be applied in practice and discussed approaches to potential challenges that authorities may encounter when implementing the new requirements. Particular attention was given to the responsibilities of entities required to identify and report suspicious activities, assessing and addressing money laundering risks, verifying customer identities, increasing transparency regarding company ownership, and strengthening the effective implementation of preventive measures.
By helping professionals build knowledge and skills to protect the financial system, the workshop contributes to more effective detection and prevention of financial crime. In the long term, these efforts are expected to contribute to safeguarding the integrity of the economy, supporting transparency, and helping create a safer and more competitive economic environment for citizens and businesses alike.
The activity was co-organised within the framework of the projects: “Action against money laundering and terrorism financing in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by a grant from the U.S. Government, and the “Enhancing the anti-money laundering and asset recovery regime in the Republic of Moldova”, implemented under the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Partnership for Good Governance.”
