Objection to an implementing act: Adding Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Tunisia to the list of high-risk third countries

The Confederal Group of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE / NGL) in the European Parliament represented by the Euro-deputies Marie-Christine Vergiat, Cornelia Ernst, Marisa Matias, Merja Kyllonen, Helmut Scholz, Barbara Spinelli, Lola Sanchez Caldentey, presented on 31/1/2018 a proposal for an objection resolution on the Commission’s Delegated Regulation (of the 13th of December 2017) concerning adding Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago and Tunisia to the list of third countries at high risk for money laundering and terrorist financing.

The resolution challenges adding Tunisia to this list, considering that the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) adopted, on the 6th of December 2017, a more favorable assessment of Tunisia, that was not taken into consideration by the Commission when it motivated adding Tunisia.

Recalling that the EU Parliament rejected previously two amending delegated regulations (C (2016) 07495 and C (2017) 01951) on the grounds that the Commission’s process lacked autonomy.
A plenary vote in the European Parliament on this resolution took place on Wednesday, 7 February 2018.

Unfortunately, the European Parliament failed to obtain the necessary absolute majority of 376 votes to reject this delegated act of the Commission. (result of the vote: 357 votes For the rejection of the delegated act, 283 Against, 26 Abstentions.)

It should be pointed out that delegated acts are a delegation of power that the Parliament or the Council may delegate to the Commission, (in accordance with Article 290 of the EU’s Operational Treaty). The delegated act may enter into force only if the European Parliament or the Council do not object.
The GUE / NGL Group has objected to rejecting this delegated act, but the absolute majority of votes was not reached.