The university of Catania is working on a EU-funded project that includes anti-money laundering (AML) and countering terrism financing (CFT). Though the title of the project suggests that the project is limited to the EU’s financial interests, it can be inferred from the description that the remit is much broader and also encompasses the European AML/CFT framework, under which public tasks (crime detection) are outsourced to companies (‘obliged entities’, ‘OEs’), e.g. banks.

Is is surprising that the AML/CFT system is also under review, even though it is undergoing major changes as a result of the AML Package. In the presentation it is described as follows:

Anti-Money Laundering and the Protection of EU Financial Interests: An Analysis of AML Measures at EU and National Levels (February 2026 – August 2026)

In its 3rd step 2024-IT-PIF is aimed to:

• to analyse existing anti-money laundering (AML) legislation at the EU level and its implementation in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Ireland;
• to delve into Know Your Customer (KYC) practices;
• to analyse crucial issues such as the compliance with the ne bis in idem principle with regard to the offence of self-laundering and the challenges raised by new technologies, especially crypto-assets, about the respect of AML laws;
• to analyse the role of organised crime in the commission of PFI offences and to delve into the EU legislation against organised crime, in particular the Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA.

It is strange that regulations that are being phased out are being investigated.

The following publications on AML/CFT are expected:

Anti-Money Laundering and the Protection of EU Financial Interests: An Analysis of AML Measures at EU and National Levels
1. Analysing anti-money laundering (AML) measures and their impact on the proception of EU financial Interests
2. Self-laundering and ne bis in idem in comparative law: how to balance the need to fight fraud against the EU financial interests and the protection of ne bis in idem
3. Organised crime and PFI offences: the cooperation between supranational and national authorities in prosecuting PFI offences committed by criminal organisations
4. Technologies, especially crypto-assets, and the related new challenges in tackling money-laundering: the protection of EU financial interests in the era of new technologies

More information:

• page of the 2024-IT-PIF project;
• the presentation ‘Strengthening the protection of EU’s financial interests via criminal law: a comprehensive study on fraud prevention, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering measures and corporate crime‘;
• article by Amalia Orsina, ‘Strengthening the Protection of EU’s Financial Interests via Criminal Law. A comprehensive study on fraud prevention, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering measures, and corporate crime‘.