23/04/2026 Session
PACE has recommended the swift adoption of a new protocol which updates an existing Council of Europe treaty on the laundering, seizure and confiscation of criminal or terrorist funds, noting that it “significantly expands” the tools allowing assets to be traced across borders and victims to be compensated.
In an opinion, based on a report by Constantinos Efstathiou (Cyprus, SOC) and presented by Gustaf Göthberg (Sweden, EPP/CD), the Assembly said the draft additional protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism was “an answer to its long-standing recommendations”.
The protocol will make it easier for states to confiscate property or assets presumed to be of unlawful origin, whether there have been criminal convictions or not, while introducing robust safeguards against misuse.
The Assembly regretted that – despite being open for signature for more than two decades – some member states, as well as the EU, had still not signed or ratified the main convention, and urged them to do so.
“Once adopted, the draft additional protocol will become the most significant update to the Council of Europe asset recovery framework, further strengthening the Organisation’s leading role in the fight against organised crime,” the parliamentarians said.
The Assembly is asked for its opinion on all draft treaties prepared within the Council of Europe before they are finally adopted.