Compliance covers a whole range of areas of the law, all based on the same principle: when companies take them on board and understand their positive impact on both their image and their bottom line, an initially negative and costly impression can be transformed into a real opportunity. One of these areas, at the root of compliance, is the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In order to guarantee a non-competitive approach in the application of the rules that underpin this fight against financial crime, it is essential that European companies are able to apply these standards without fear that the associated costs, reflected in part in the prices of sales or services, will distort competition in favour of the less proficient. Harmonisation in this area is therefore crucial. This is now a reality following the adoption, before the European Parliament was dissolved, of the new AML/FT preventive and supervisory framework.

Given the importance of this harmonisation for everyone involved in compliance, we are devoting a special issue to this reform. We are also taking the opportunity of this issue to review the recent complementary adaptations to Belgian law (new criminal provisions) and EU regulations. All in all, this issue will provide you with the essential compendium you need.