Oksana Ihnatenko, CFI’s Managing Director, conducted a working visit to Brussels, where she and Kinga Redlowska, Head of CFS Europe, met with representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, civil society partners, and other stakeholders involved in Ukraine’s European integration process.
The visit focused on recent developments in Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, particularly following the opening of the first negotiation cluster, “Fundamentals” on 15th June. Discussions explored the reforms and benchmarks that Ukraine will need to fulfil throughout the accession process, including those related to anti-money laundering (AML), financial integrity, and financial sector regulation.
While AML-related requirements are spread across several chapters, they will form an integral part of Ukraine’s accession process. The meetings highlighted several key priorities in this area, including:
Experts also discussed the implications of the EU’s evolving AML framework and the challenges associated with aligning Ukraine’s legislation and institutions with new European standards. At the same time, stakeholders stressed that sustainable progress towards EU membership will depend on Ukraine’s ability to demonstrate effective implementation of its commitments.
The visit also highlighted the significance of Ukraine’s forthcoming MONEYVAL assessment, which remains an important indicator of the resilience and credibility of the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework.
Oksana Ihnatenko and Kinga Redlowska presented the outcomes of the joint work of the Center for Financial Integrity and the Centre for Finance and Security (СFS) at RUSI within the Taskforce on Public–Private Partnerships in Fighting Financial Crime in Ukraine. The briefing highlighted key AML/CFT challenges, the role of public–private partnerships in strengthening Ukraine’s financial crime prevention framework, and ongoing efforts to develop a Ukrainian PPP model aligned with European and international best practices.
The meetings provided valuable insights into the expectations of European institutions and reinforced the importance of continued cooperation between Ukrainian authorities, civil society organisations, and international partners as Ukraine advances on its path towards EU membership.
