Monaco Hosts a Meeting of the Egmont Group

H.S.H. Prince Albert II in the centre, with Marie-Pascale Boisson, Director of the SICCFIN and Sergio Espinosa, President of the Egmont Group on the left and Kevin Stephenson, Secretary General of the Egmont Group, on the right.  ©Government Media Bureau / Charly Gallo

An Egmont Group session is currently taking place in the Principality, and will continue until 5 February.  It opened with a speech by H.S.H. Prince Albert II, in the presence of the Minister of Finance and Economy, Jean Castellini, and numerous dignitaries.  It demonstrates the Prince's Government's commitment to combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism at a time when the challenges faced are unprecedented.

As long ago as 2002, Monaco hosted the Egmont Group's 10^th Plenary Assembly.  At the time, the Group only had 51 members.

Today, this organisation, which was founded in 1995, groups together 151 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) throughout the world.  It aims to bring members together on a regular basis so they can share their experience, advise on good practice, organise training courses and put in place legal, technical and logistical tools aimed at facilitating information exchange between the FIUs and complying with international standards.

The Monegasque FIU, the Service d'Information et de Contrôle sur les Circuits Financiers (SICCFIN), participates regularly in these meetings, and shares the same mission as the other intelligence units that are members of the Egmont Group – fighting money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism.