On September 20, 2016, a Commission Delegated Regulation identifying high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies under the Fourth Money Laundering Directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, based on deficiencies identified by Financial Action Task Force.

The Regulation lists high-risk third countries which have provided a written high-level political commitment to address identified deficiencies and have developed an action plan with the FATF; countries listed: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guyana, Iraq, Lao PDR, Syria, Uganda, Vanuatu and Yemen. The Regulation identifies Iran as a high-risk third country that has provided a written high-level political commitment to address identified deficiencies and has decided to seek technical assistance in the implementation of the FATF action plan. The Regulation also identifies the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a high-risk third country which presents ongoing and substantial money-laundering and terrorist-financing risks, having repeatedly failed to address identified deficiencies.

The Regulation is available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2016.254.01.0001.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2016:254:TOC