Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

The European Commission in Brussels today updated its list of high-risk countries that suffer from strategic gaps in their national systems for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. According to a European statement distributed in Brussels on Thursday, this update follows the decisions taken by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its list of "countries under heightened monitoring" (the "grey list"), following plenary sessions held in June and October 2025.

EU entities covered by the anti-money laundering framework must apply enhanced due diligence in transactions involving the listed countries. This is crucial for safeguarding the integrity of the EU's financial system.

The EU added new countries to the list (Bolivia and the British Virgin Islands) and removed several others (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania).

As a founding member of the FATF, the Commission is closely involved in monitoring the progress of the listed countries and assisting them in the full implementation of their agreed FATF action plans. Alignment with the FATF is essential to fulfilling the EU's commitment to promoting and implementing global standards.
Article 9 of the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive obliges the Commission to... The list of high-risk jurisdictions in third countries is updated regularly. The update takes the legal form of a delegated regulation, which enters into force after scrutiny and no objection from the European Parliament and the Council within one month (this period can be extended for another month).