Government approves draft law on preventing money laundering — final step towards SEPA membership

The Government of Kosovo has approved the Draft Law on amending and supplementing the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, as Ekonomia Online reports. Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at the Government meeting that the changes aim to harmonise Kosovo’s legislation with FATF and European Union standards — strengthening preventive measures, transparency, institutional competences and international cooperation.

According to the report, the changes also address the requirements for advancing the Central Bank’s process towards membership in SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area).

Finance Minister Hekuran Murati described this as the last legal condition Kosovo needs to fulfil for SEPA membership. He said that lowering fees for international transfers will bring savings of around 58 million euros a year in bank fees paid by businesses and compatriots for remittances.

Murati stressed that this is the third time the draft law has been proceeded in the Government: the first time it had passed in the Assembly, but the Constitutional Court struck it down on procedural grounds at the end of 2024; the second time it passed the first reading in the previous legislature, but the second reading was not completed because the Assembly was dissolved. He called on the Assembly to approve it this time.