Speaking alongside representatives from the German and Italian authorities, Szego emphasised the link between serious organised crime and money laundering. She noted that according to Europol, almost 70% of criminal networks operating in the EU use basic money laundering techniques, while the remaining 30% engage with professional money laundering networks or underground banking systems.
The Chair explained AMLA's three-part mandate: developing a single set of AML/CFT rules applying uniformly across all Member States, working with national supervisors to promote consistent enforcement, and coordinating the 27 national Financial Intelligence Units to enable European-level financial intelligence. She highlighted joint analysis of cross-border cases as a key tool, allowing FIUs to collectively examine cases spanning multiple Member States and produce a consolidated picture of how criminal operations are financed.
Szego stressed that for law enforcement, AMLA's value lies in actionable, cross-border financial intelligence that can expose links between cases in different Member States, identify individuals not yet visible through traditional channels, and support asset tracing and confiscation efforts. She noted that AMLA is building structured cooperation with Europol, Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor's Office and OLAF.
The Chair concluded by encouraging national police authorities to fully engage with this European approach, noting that financial flows do not stop at borders and neither should the response.
The full speech is available here.
