Infringement proceedings against Germany for failure to adequately implement anti-money laundering rules
- 1 Minute Lesezeit
The EU Commission calls on Germany, France and Austria to correctly transpose the provisions of the Directive on combating money laundering by criminal law.
The European Commission decided to open infringement proceedings by sending a letter of formal notice to Germany, France and Austria for failing to correctly transpose provisions of the Directive on combating money laundering by criminal law (Directive (EU) 2018/1673), including definitions and rules on the liability of legal persons.
The Directive defines criminal offences and sanctions against natural and legal persons in relation to money laundering, with the aim of facilitating police and judicial cooperation between EU Member States and preventing criminals from taking advantage of more lenient legal systems.
In view of the incorrect transposition of the Directive including on definitions and rules on the liability of legal persons, the Commission is sending a letter of formal notice to Austria, Germany and France. These Member States now have two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasonable opinion.
Source: EU Commission, online announcement of 29 April 2026.