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France urges EU crackdown on terror financing, proposes new measures

Associated Press
Published | Updated

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, center, arrives for a meeting of the eurogroup at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015. Even before Eurozone nations could fully assess the impact of the Greek election victory of a firebrand left-winger on their shaky shared currency, Alexis Tsipras moved with stunning speed to form the anti-austerity government that many feared. Still, reactions from the other nations sharing the euro echoed compromise more than imminent chaos. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) (The Associated Press)

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, center, walks by French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, left, and European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer, right, during a meeting of EU finance ministers at the EU Council building in Brussels on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. France is urging its EU partners to step up the fight against terror financing and will propose new measures to make sure transactions are more transparent. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) (The Associated Press)

EU counter-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove attends a meeting of the committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs at the European Parliament in Brussels Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert) (The Associated Press)

France is urging its European Union partners to step up the fight against terror financing and will propose new measures to make transactions more transparent.

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said Tuesday that the aim is to rapidly seal a new EU anti-money laundering deal "and to accelerate other complementary measures to be able to locate all these small movements that are at the heart of terrorist financing."

France wants tighter cooperation on sharing intelligence related to money laundering, tougher legislation on freezing suspects' assets, and to improving the ability of customs services to track things like gold.

Sapin expects a good reception for the proposals from EU finance ministers "because terrorism affects every country."

France was hit by terror attacks early this month that left 20 people dead.