EU signs Additional Protocol to Warsaw Convention on asset recovery and money laundering

The EU has signed the Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe's Warsaw Convention, updating a 2009 framework on laundering, seizure and confiscation. This segment covers what the Protocol adds, why Brussels is pursuing it, and the ratification steps still outstanding before any of it binds authorities or firms.

• The EU signed the Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention on 14 October 2026 in Strasbourg.
• The Protocol strengthens rules on freezing and confiscation, asset management, and police and judicial cooperation.
• Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino and the UK also signed the Protocol.
• The Protocol was adopted by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers on 15 May 2026 and is not yet in force.
• Conclusion requires a Council decision and the consent of the European Parliament; the 2009 Convention remains unratified.

Executive summary

On 14 October 2026 the EU signed the 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, known as the Warsaw Convention. The EU…

Machine-verified against the primary source, then read, edited and published by the Regulus editorial desk on 19 Oct 2026.