The second session of the European Union (EU) – United Arab Emirates (UAE) Structural Dialogue

The second session of the European Union (EU) – United Arab Emirates (UAE) Structural Dialogue was convened virtually on Wednesday, 11 November 2020. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Amna Fikri, Director of the Economic and Trade Affairs Department, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ms. Raluca Prună, Head of the Financial Crime Unit, the EU Commission Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and the Capital Markets Union.

Attendees of the session included senior representatives from the Executive Office of the UAE’s National Committee for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism and Illegal Organizations Committee; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Economy; the Ministry of Finance; the Federal Customs Authority; the Central Bank; other Emirate- and Federal-level law enforcement bodies; and the UAE Embassy in Brussels.  

From the EU side, senior representatives from the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development; the European External Action Service; and the Delegation of the European Union to the UAE were in attendance. 

The purpose of the second session was to discuss the UAE’s ongoing and firm commitment to tangibly addressing the threats associated with money laundering and terrorist financing, and to engage in open dialogue on international best practices relating to Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) policies, more generally. 

The UAE delegation provided updates pertaining to the role of the Higher Committee overseeing the National Strategy for AML/CFT; broader progress relating to the UAE National Action Plan on AML/CFT; the implementation of the National Economic Register (NER); international cooperation efforts to address issues pertaining to CFT; newly enforced policies in respect to countering trade-based money laundering; and conveyed a number of proposals to implement joint capacity building and information sharing programs.

At the conclusion of the session, the UAE delegation underlined the importance of building close and constructive partnerships with the EU in countering the risks associated with money laundering and terrorist financing at the national, regional, and international levels. 

Both the UAE and EU delegations affirmed the importance of continued engagement through the Structural Dialogue, and committed to expanding tangible cooperation on AML/CFT issues into the future.