ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Wednesday asked the European Commission to begin work to remove Iraq from the list of countries deemed weak in combatting money laundering and terror financing.
Kadhimi, on a trip to Brussels, met with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and told her Iraq was looking for European support to be removed from the Commission's list of high-risk countries.
He told her of "efforts being made to remove Iraq's name from the European Commission's list of countries with a high risk of money laundering, and we call for the formation of a committee to coordinate between the two parties in this regard to support the government's efforts to fight corruption and recover and prosecute smuggled funds in European countries," reads a statement from Kadhimi’s office.
Iraq is on the list of 23 countries that “have strategic deficiencies” in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing laws.
In April, the Central Bank of Iraq announced the country will not be included in the British classification of high-risk countries.
According to the statement from Kadhimi’s office, Von der Leyen said the Iraqi government’s White Paper on economic reforms and anti-corruption mechanisms are “bold steps” towards reforms that are important for Iraq to pursue.
The government introduced in October its White Paper that details plans for sweeping reforms to oil, electricity, agriculture, and education sectors, as well as tacking waste and corruption, but it has yet to be implemented.
Von der Leyen tweeted after her meeting with Kadhimi: “Our partnership will continue to work for a stable, prosperous and democratic Iraq through reconstruction and economic reforms."
Corruption is rife in Iraq and an estimated $150 billion has been taken out of the country since 2003.
Kadhimi arrived in the Belgian capital of Brussels on Tuesday, on an official visit to European Union headquarters where he has also met with members of the NATO military alliance.
