On 20 June 2018, the Council, following a provisional agreement with the European Parliament, agreed on new rules concerning the mutual recognition of freezing and confiscation orders. The new regulation aims to ensure the effective freezing and confiscation of criminal assets across the EU. This will contribute to making the EU more secure by combating the financing of crime, including terrorist activities.
"We are today sending a strong signal: crime will no longer pay. Criminals will no longer be able to exploit loopholes within the EU to move their assets and avoid freezing or confiscation orders. It will also help us prevent that those funds are used to finance new criminal activities, including terrorism."
Tsetska Tsacheva, Bulgarian minister of Justice