(Strasbourg) Convened for its Plenary Session, the European Parliament voted to appoint the Italian nominee Bruna Szego as President of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority of the EU. Bruna Szego, who is currently heading the Anti-Money Laundering Supervision and Regulation Unit at the Bank of Italy, received 569 votes for, 20 against, and 61 abstentions in a secret ballot. Based in Frankfurt, the new EU Authority against money laundering and the funding of terrorism will be responsible for coordinating the efforts of national financial intelligence units and directly supervising specific at-risk financial institutions in several member states. To be appointed President, Bruna Szego shall also be supported by the EU Council by qualified-majority voting.
In addition, the European Parliament approved the amendments submitted by the Conference of Presidents and established two new standing committees and two special committees. They are the Standing Committees on Security and Defence and on Public Health, each one composed of 43 members; the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, composed of 33 members; the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union, composed of 33 members.