Poland's Ministry of Finance hosted a seminar in Warsaw on implementing the European Union legislative package on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), covering both legal and practical aspects. The meeting focused on agreeing a uniform interpretation of the new framework to support consistent implementation across EU countries and on presenting this approach to European Economic Area states and EU candidate countries seeking to align their legislation with EU rules. The inaugural session included the Chair of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (AMLA) and highlighted AMLA’s role in strengthening AML/CFT supervision and cooperation among financial intelligence units (FIUs), alongside commitments from the European Commission, Europol, MONEYVAL and the Egmont Group to cooperate with AMLA and support member states. Panels examined supervisors’ expanded responsibilities and cross-border cooperation mechanisms, with attention to higher-risk sectors such as fintech and crypto-assets, and discussed FIUs’ evolving role, including new obligations and information-sharing arrangements with AMLA. A further session reviewed current and upcoming requirements for crypto-asset service providers and discussed new targeted financial sanctions requirements, including widened obligations for national authorities and FIUs to strengthen sanctions enforcement and address evasion methods. Poland’s Finance Minister indicated that, during Poland’s presidency, Poland will encourage member states to take steps to ensure the implementation process is timely and proceeds without disruption.

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