EUROSTAT
Directorate F: Social and Information Society Statistics; Crime /
Doc. CR/WG2011/6
Collection of data on money-laundering
Document for item 6 of the agenda
statistics on crime and criminal justice, working group meeting
luxembourg, 9-10 June 2011
JeanMonnetBuilding, room M3
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Political framework
Following the mandate given to Eurostat in the Hague Programme in 2004 to collect data on crime and victimisation[1], a number of priority actions needed to achieve this objective were set out in the 2006-2010 Action Plan.[2]These included the development indicatorsin a number of specific areas, one of which was money-laundering. Other ‘specific indicators’ which were identified in the same section of the Action Plan concerned a whole range of crimes often grouped together under a number of alternative headings such as ‘new crime types’, ‘organised crime’ ‘transnational crime’ etc. These included for example terrorism, environmental crime and trafficking in human beings.
Under the procedure set up under the Action Plan, a number of sub-groups of the Expert Group on policy needs for data on crime and criminal justice were created to develop indicators in selected fields. The sub-group on financial crimes was the first of these to finalise a methodology for collecting data in one of these fields, namely money-laundering. A list of indicators was therefore available to Eurostat, together with detailed guidelines to facilitate the collection process.
The new Action Plan, covering the period 2011-2014, like its predecessor includes the development of indicators and data collections. In many cases the areas covered are the same as in the earlier Action Plan, reflecting the difficulty of making progress in many of these areas. It is therefore important to summarise the experience of the money-laundering exercise as this may be a useful precedent for collecting other types of data referred to in the Action Plan.
Full details of the purpose and background of the project appear in the Working Paper, Money laundering in Europe[3] and the Executive Summary produced by DG Home Affairs.
Collection of data on Money laundering
The proposal to collect data was first made to the Working Group on Crime and Criminal Justice in February 2008. A pilot exercise was conducted later that year and the results were reviewed by a Task Force in November 2008.Based upon the recommendations of the Task Force, in February 2009 the Working Group agreed to conduct a new full-scale collection (launched in May 2009).
A Task Force met in October 2009 to review the results and to make recommendations to the Working Group for publication of the data. The Working Group in February 2010 agreed on the publication of a limited number of tables as a Eurostat Working Paper.
Working Paper (data up to the reference year 2008)
The published data covered indicators for the three stages of the anti-money laundering regime (reporting/intelligence, investigation and judicial).
The Working Paper was published in November 2010 and was downloaded from the Eurostat website about 540 times in that month and about 250 times in December 2010 and January 2011.
All EU Member States participated but one country was only able to provide the information for the 2 tables on cash controls (obtained from DG Taxation and Customs Union).
Countries faced many problems in adhering to the proposed definitions. In addition, in editing the metadata for the publication, some important information may have been excluded. It should also be noted that for the previous Working Paper it was possible to publish only 10 tables out of the total of 23 indicators for which data had originally been collected. These issues will be addressed and attempts made to resolve them before publishing the data for 2009.
Current ongoing data collection (to the reference year 2009)
In line with the decision to collect money-laundering data every two years, a request was sent out in April 2011 with a deadline of endMay 2011. All the EU Member States, the Candidate countries, the Potential Candidate countries and the EFTA/EEA countries have been asked provide data. The Eurostat contact persons were provided Guidance Notes and a list of the sources of information in their country.
Next steps
1. To date, only a few countries have replied to the latest data request. The members of the Working Group are asked to indicate how much time is required for this collection, and also how much of the required data can be provided in view of the difficulties experienced in the previous exercise.
2. When all countries have replied, it is planned to send out a draft of the Working Paper to enable each country to check its own figures.
3. The results are due to be published in October 2011.
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[1]Hague Programme
[2] Developing a comprehensive and coherent EU strategy to measure crime and criminal justice
[3]Money laundering in Europe published 11 November 2010