BRUSSELS – The European Union's executive arm unveiled plans Thursday for improving how money laundering and financing for extremist groups are countered across the 27-country bloc, with the goal of creating a supervising authority to ensure every member nation follows EU rules.
The European Commission's proposal describes an EU-level position with investigative powers and the job of making efforts to halt the cross-border flow of dirty-money more effective and efficient.
To develop “high-quality standards” across the EU, it will be crucial for the oversight body to have authority to conduct on-site inspections, the commission said. “Supervision within the EU is currently member state-based.