As Albania advances its approximation with the European Union acquis, particularly under Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), BIRN Albania has published a series of legislative briefings analysing key elements of the EU’s 2024 Anti-Money Laundering (AML) package. The materials, prepared by Transparency International EU within the project “Follow the Money: Strengthening Albania’s Anti-Money Laundering Initiatives”, cover areas including crypto-assets, beneficial ownership transparency, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), obliged entities, and real estate-related risks.
The European Union’s 2024 AML package represents the most comprehensive reform of its financial integrity framework in over a decade. It introduces a directly applicable single rulebook, strengthens transparency requirements, expands obligations for private-sector gatekeepers, enhances cooperation between Financial Intelligence Units, and establishes a new supranational supervisory authority — the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA).
These developments are particularly relevant for Albania’s ongoing legislative and institutional alignment process. The new EU framework reshapes how risks related to money laundering, organised crime proceeds, corruption-related assets and opaque ownership structures are identified, monitored and addressed. It also introduces important changes in areas such as beneficial ownership transparency, supervision of non-financial professions, access to registries, financial intelligence functions, and cross-border cooperation mechanisms.
The briefing papers are published in Albanian to support informed engagement by civil society organisations, journalists, researchers and other stakeholders in consultation processes related to these reforms. By making complex EU regulatory developments more accessible, the series aims to strengthen evidence-based public debate and support external monitoring of key areas, including:
- beneficial ownership transparency,
- supervision of obliged entities and professional intermediaries,
- the operational capacity and independence of the Financial Intelligence Agency,
- risks linked to organised crime proceeds and opaque ownership structures, and
- transparency in higher-risk sectors such as real estate and crypto-assets.
These publications seek to support broader engagement with the EU AML reform agenda and to strengthen the capacity of watchdog actors to contribute to accountability during the implementation of upcoming legislative changes. As Albania continues its alignment with European standards in financial transparency and integrity, informed participation by non-state stakeholders will remain essential to an effective and resilient anti-money laundering system.
Read the briefing papers (in Albanian):