With the deadline for applications to host the future European Anti-Money Laundering Agency (AMLA) set for this Friday 10 November, several candidate countries have launched a ‘seduction’ operation (see EUROPE 13259/10).
“The European Commission is ready to work quickly on an objective and neutral assessment of the applications we receive, but for that assessment to start, co-legislators should reach an agreement on the final decision-making process for the seat”, stressed Mairead McGuinness, European Commissioner for Financial Services, at the Ecofin Council on Thursday 9 November.
“Here we call for openness and flexibility on all sides, so that a workable agreement can be reached at the political trilogue later today” scheduled for the evening of the 9th, she added.
On Tuesday 7 November in Brussels, Spain extolled the virtues of its capital to the press. On Thursday, it was the turn of Germany and the Land of Hesse to present the advantages of Frankfurt am Main.
On the Spanish side, the Secretary General of the Treasury, Carlos Cuerpo, highlighted the Spanish framework for combating money laundering. “We think we are one of the strongest not only in Europe, but in the world”, he said, referring to the assessment by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). He emphasised his country’s strong links with Latin America, which “considers the Spanish case to be one of the references for them in terms of best practice”.
On the German side, Finance Minister Christian Lindner emphasised the close links with other EU institutions, such as the European Central Bank and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). He also mentioned the fact that Frankfurt was a major financial centre, with “a deep talent pool”.
Paris, Vienna, Vilnius, Dublin, Brussels, Rome and Luxembourg have also announced their candidacy for the call for candidates launched by the European Commission in September. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)