United Arab Emirates: Ninth EU-UAE Structural Dialogue on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Concludes Virtually

The United Arab Emirates and the European Union successfully concluded the Ninth EU-UAE Structural Dialogue on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), which was held virtually. The Dialogue reaffirmed the strong strategic partnership and ongoing cooperation between the UAE and the EU in combating financial crime, enhancing international collaboration, and advancing shared efforts to strengthen global AML/CFT frameworks.

Senior representatives from both sides discussed key areas of cooperation, including judicial cooperation in criminal matters, collaboration between law enforcement authorities, the exchange of financial intelligence, and further strengthening UAE-EU partnerships to enhance coordination, and mutual effectiveness in addressing global financial crime.

The Dialogue included a comprehensive review of ongoing cooperation between the respective UAE and EU authorities, with discussions focusing on global trends, emerging risks, and evolving challenges related to combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Both sides also explored opportunities to further enhance joint cooperation aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the international financial system, addressing illicit financial activities, and upholding global compliance standards.

Both sides agreed to continue advancing a clear set of technical and tangible deliverables aimed at further strengthening cooperation, coordination, and communication between the relevant UAE and EU authorities, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to continued cooperation and constructive engagement moving forward.

During the Dialogue,  Omran Sharaf reaffirmed the longstanding and robust UAE-EU partnership, emphasising the importance of advancing strategic collaboration to address evolving financial crime threats and strengthen international cooperation. His Excellency underscored that regular technical exchanges between both sides contribute to enhancing collective efforts, supporting international standards, and promoting the integrity and stability of the global financial system.

Commenting on the Dialogue, Omran  Sharaf said: "The ninth edition of the EU-UAE Structural Dialogue on AML/CFT reflects our shared commitment to strengthening cooperation against financial crime and safeguarding the integrity of the global financial system." 

His Excellency added that reaching the ninth edition demonstrates the trust, sustained engagement, and shared resolve of both sides to advance these efforts.

The EU side emphasised that in the current geopolitical environment, EU and UAE support to the international rules-based order is as important as ever. The UAE remains a key security partner, also in view of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism. The current dialogue therefore serves to identify mutual priorities, to understand problems in time, and find solutions before issues develop into serious obstacles. The need to tackle sanctions circumvention was also flagged by the EU, notably under the current geopolitical context in Middle East.

To that end, both parties underlined that improving judicial and law enforcement cooperation is a key factor for progress, adding that the dialogue has proven to be most fruitful in this regard. Moreover, the EU expressed trust that the advancements made by the UAE on this front will be visible in its upcoming FATF evaluation due in February 2027.

The 9^th EU-UAE Structural Dialogue was co-chaired by Omran Sharaf, Assistant Foreign Minister for Advanced Science and Technology Affairs, and Rosamaria Gili, Deputy Managing Director MENA, European External Action Service (EEAS).

In attendance from the UAE were Mohamed Al Sahlawi, UAE ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the European Union,  Judge Abdulrahman Murad Al Blooshi, Assistant Undersecretary of the International Cooperation and Legal Affairs Sector in the Ministry of Justice,  Brigadier General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ahmed, Director General of the Federal Criminal Police in the Ministry of Interior, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice Ministry of Interior, Dubai Economic Security Council, the Secretariat General of the National AML/CFT Committee, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and UAE Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation.

Participating EU institutions were the European Commission Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA), the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST), the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME), the External Action Service (EEAS), including the EU Delegation to the UAE, as well as Europol.