Latvian president calls for EU-wide anti-money laundering guidelines

Europe needs to develop common guidelines for the prevention and combating of money laundering, Latvian President Egils Levits said on Friday. The Latvian leader made the remarks while attending a meeting with ambassadors of the European Union (EU) member states and candidate countries at Riga's historic Blackheads House.

The event was hosted by Croatia which holds the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Addressing the meeting, Levits said that the four priorities set forth by the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU -- Europe's growth and competitiveness, connectivity and security -- are equally important to Latvia.

Levits stressed the significant role of the EU's digital single market and the need for Europe to work out common guidelines for fighting the legalization of proceeds from crime, adding that the rest of Europe might find Latvia's expertise in this area useful.

Speaking of the connectivity of Europe's regions, as well as transport and logistics-related issues, Levits underlined the Three Seas Initiative, which is a forum of 12 EU countries, as well as the Rail Baltica European-gauge railway project.