The Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) will host a series of webinars on the European Union’s (EU) List of Non-Cooperative Tax Jurisdictions and that of Third Countries, regarding Anti‑Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism. They will be held from June 21 to 24.
In May 2020, the EU introduced a new delegated regulation to amend and supplement previous delegated regulations.
The new regulation included a list of so-called high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regimes, based on the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) list and the EU’s directives.
Ten OACPS members, out of a total of 20 states, are on the list, and this number could increase based on the changes to the FATF’s list, as it has added new OACPS members to its grey list, following its meetings in February 2021.
The webinars aim to contribute to the dialogue between the OACPS and the EU on the list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions and that of high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies in their AML/CFT regimes, in order to enhance international cooperation on these matters; encourage investment for development, and maximise domestic resource mobilisation.
They also aim to encourage effective exchange of information and strengthen cooperation at the regional and international levels between OACPS members and three strategic partners, as well as share best practices on AML/CFT issues with a view to establishing a common approach to dealing with these issues.
Some of the expected outcomes from the webinars include: adopting a coordinated approach to removing the countries concerned from the list and adopt measures and actions to prevent OACPS members from being added to the FATF, OECD and EU lists; analysing the situation of the countries concerned; examining how to increase transparency and consistency in the listing process, and giving countries the right to be heard during the deliberations of the EU member states and the relevant EU institutions.
The webinar on June 21 will begin at 12:00 noon local time, while those from June 22 to 24 will begin at 1:00 p.m. local time.
Interested persons must register in advance for the webinars by clicking here. After registering, persons will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.