Those fascinated by European measures regarding anti money laundering and combating terrorist financing and the fact that these measures lead to permanent monitoring (surveillance) of all citizens, should read Ben Hayes paper “Counter-terrorism, ‘policy laundering’ and the FATF – legalising surveillance, regulating civil society” (pdf).

On page 9 the summary starts, the title is:

How international rules on countering terrorist-financing are undermining freedom of association: an analysis of the impact of FATF ‘Special Recommendation VIII’ on non-profit organisations

The author criticizes the intransparant way organisations like FATF create rules and systems and the uncritical way these rules are accepted by governments. He writes e.g. on page 11:

The workings of the intergovernmental bodies that developed and implemented these rules are largely shielded from public scrutiny; the ‘international community’ has accepted the rules uncritically while failing to subject the bodies that created them to meaningful scrutiny or democratic control. In turn the exceptional measures they introduced after 9/11 have become the norm. Without urgent reform, the often obtuse nature of a large tranche of international ‘counter-terrorism’ legislation will continue to serve as a pre-text for every day restrictions on the political space in which people exercise their democratic freedom to organise, debate, campaign, protest and attempt to influence those who govern them.

On the website Statewatch the contributors follow developments in the EU regarding the state and civil liberties.