EU - North Macedonia - Iran

European Union: Updates Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) blacklist. In part based on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations and reports, the EU has added the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gibraltar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to its list of "high-risk third countries". Nicaragua, Pakistan and Zimbabwe have been removed from the list on the basis of recent improvements.

Mondaq: https://www.mondaq.com/money-laundering/1289488/eu-updates-amlcft-blacklist-and-adds-five-countries

 

OSCE Mission To Skopje partners with State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC). An MoU was signed between the OSCE mission and SCPC to enhance anti-corruption policies and actions in North Macedonia. As part of the agreement, the Mission will provide assistance to detect and address corruption risks, promote evidence-based policies and strengthening the country's integrity system.

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): https://www.osce.org/mission-to-skopje/538422

 

Worsening corruption is a key challenge in Iran. Policymakers in Iran face numerous economic challenges. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, high unemployment and worsening corruption have together with sanctions caused a decline in economic growth, increasing poverty and devaluation of the country's currency. This increases the risk of internal conflict and instability says the Economics Observatory.

Economics Observatory: https://www.economicsobservatory.com/what-are-the-big-economic-challenges-facing-the-government-in-iran