Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

The rapid growth of digital payment services and virtual assets presents new opportunities and challenges for investigation and prosecution in the Western Balkans Beneficiaries. Over 30 professionals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, representing financial intelligence units, prosecution services, law enforcement and asset recovery offices, consolidated their capacities in detecting, investigating and prosecuting cross-border illicit financial flows involving digital payments and virtual assets.

Over the course of a two-day workshop, organised in Strasbourg on 9-10 July 2025, participants explored latest investigative techniques and cross-border co-operation mechanisms to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital financial landscape.

Mechanisms for seizing and confiscating virtual assets were broadly discussed. The importance of private sector engagement and co-operation protocols with virtual assets service providers and payment services were highlighted as an essential aspect in ensuring timely evidence collection and preservation. Likewise, the admissibility of electronic evidence in investigations involving virtual assets represents a challenging aspect. Participants received insights regarding international legal instruments in this area, emphasising the authenticity, integrity, procedural safeguards and human rights implications in managing electronic evidence.

This event contributes to the ongoing efforts of the Council of Europe to improve capabilities to address money-laundering and financing of terrorism risks from emerging technologies in the Western Balkans region.

This workshop was organised by the Action against Economic Crime in the Western Balkans within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”. The action is supporting public actors in the region in improving their anti-corruption and anti-money laundering policy and operational responses, in line with European standards and good practices. 

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*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.