The 23rd of April saw the conclusion of The Malta Workshops – a series of five workshops led by international experts that dealt with a range of important and key topics, including the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, organised crime, the risks associated with high net worth individuals, and the evasion of sanctions.
With an average of 500 participants per day, more than 2,500 government officials and representatives of international financial authorities and centers met throughout the course of last week in a context of sincere cooperation to discuss the challenges and vulnerabilities they face to attract and regulate international business.
Participants included representatives of important international institutions, including MONEYVAL, the International Monetary Fund, the Council of Europe, the European Central Bank, Egmont, the Eurasian Group and UNODC.
The success of The Malta Workshops – held for the first time on the initiative of the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs in collaboration with the National Coordinating Committee on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing – provided a solid platform to strengthen cooperation between different jurisdictions, which is so crucial in overcoming the common enemy of financial crime.
In his concluding address, Minister Evarist Bartolo explained how this initiative stemmed from the basic tenet that these challenges are universal in nature and not unique to one territory, country, region or continent. In this context, the Minister stressed the need for countries to work together for the sustainable development of small international financial centers because, however wide-ranging they may be, individual efforts of a single country may only come to fruition when they form part of a collective effort and when they operate within the global framework.
The Minister reiterated his commitment to ensure that those measures and proposals put forward during this week’s discussions are taken forward and are given the necessary impetus by the government of Malta together with its international partners.
He concluded by announcing the intention to hold the second edition of The Malta Workshops next year, not only to continue the exchange of information and intelligence in this very important sector, but also to report on concrete results and successes.
Photos: DOI, MFEA
