The European Parliament has published a press release stating that MEPs have adopted the proposed Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (MLD4) and the revised Wire Transfer Regulation (WTR).

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached political agreement on the MLD4 and the WTR in December 2014. In February 2015, the Council of the EU announced that it had approved the agreement reached with the European Parliament and on 20 April 2015 adopted texts of the MLD4 and the WTR.

The MLD4 comes into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the EU (the OJ). Member States then have two years to transpose the MLD4 into their national law. The WTR enters into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the OJ and applies on the date coinciding with the MLD4 implementation date.

View Tougher rules on money laundering to fight tax evasion and terrorist financing, 20 May 2015