Speeches

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, at the end of three years of work, we are finally giving the European Union a new legal framework to prevent and combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The new legislation is a huge step forward in the European strategy against transnational crime, because it will finally make it possible to harmonise the existing national rules, which at the moment are still too fragmented and poorly coordinated. It will shed light on who actually owns or controls opaque legal structures and allow adequate anti-money laundering controls on high-value transactions. Particular attention will be given to the cryptocurrency sector, football clubs and the risks arising from the golden visas of the European Union. The turning point is the emergence of the new Anti-Money Laundering Authority, which will oversee the 40 riskiest financial entities and oversee both the financial and non-financial sectors at national level. The Authority will ensure better cooperation with national supervisors and Financial Intelligence Units in a cross-border environment where risks are growing at a steady pace, affecting the entire internal market and, ultimately, our democracies.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, respect for the rule of law must be our top political and institutional priority. For this reason, it is regrettable that the passivity of the bodies that have the duty to monitor the protection of the rights of European citizens has led the situation to deteriorate so worryingly in Hungary and Poland. Our task is to defuse with regulatory and persuasive tools the attacks, including media attacks, against magistrates, journalists, NGOs and LGBT people, who unfortunately circulate with insistence on our continent. The rule of law is the foundation of the European Union, and we are also seeing it these days, and it strengthens citizens' trust in the institutions. However, it is fragile, because it is based only on the rule of the law, it claims the exclusive rule of the law. This is only possible when the powers of the state are separated and well balanced, so that none of them can overwhelm the others. Other preconditions for ensuring equality and the protection of citizens' rights before the law are the efficiency of judicial systems and the independence of magistrates, since the efficient management of justice takes place only where independent judges and prosecutors operate, with adequate human and financial resources and permanent and professional training for the magistrates themselves: We are also seeing this in these days with the topic under discussion of the application of artificial intelligence to judicial systems. Moreover, and I shall end by saying, an efficient and transparent public administration, with codes and management procedures that prevent illegal behaviour, is of the utmost importance for an effective fight against corruption; We must aim to step up measures to limit the duration and costs of litigation and trials, as well as the funds available for legal aid and redress for citizens in need to facilitate access to justice for all.