Anti-Money Laundering: Frankfurt hosts the headquarters of the new EU agency. Rome beaten

Frankfurt, capital of Hesse, the financial heart of Germany and seat of the ECB: this will be the city that will host Amla, the new EU anti-money laundering authority. The long battle between the nine candidate cities to host the new European agency saw Rome in the field and in the game for a good part of the complex voting that involved first the EU Council and the Permanent Representatives of the 27, and then again the EU governments but this time together with the representatives of the Eurochamber. The capital eventually remained on the short list, coming fourth, after Frankfurt, Madrid and Paris.

"Amla will have direct and indirect supervisory powers. Today's vote represents not only the choice of a city, but above all a significant step forward in the fight against financial crime," the Belgian presidency emphasised, pointing out that the authority "represents a powerful tool to ensure the integrity of the EU financial system" and "protect citizens from the harmful impact of money laundering and terrorist financing". Voting, all by secret ballot, began in the afternoon at the Europa Building. The nine cities to come forward, in a months-long contest, were Rome, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Dublin, Vienna, Vilnius and Brussels. A few weeks ago, representatives of the governments or administrations of the contenders had been heard in the EU Parliament, and there the intervention of the mayor Roberto Gualtieri had made a good impression in the eyes of the MEPs.

In the end, however, this was not enough. The EU Council, at the end of the first round of voting, opted for Frankfurt. Followed by Paris, Rome and Vilnius. In the ballot with the representatives of the Eurochamber, Madrid leapt ahead, also because the European Parliament itself, in its short list, had indicated Rome, Paris, Frankfurt and the Iberian capital. The epilogue, however, did not change. In the end, it was the political weight of the government led by Olaf Scholz that proved decisive, having already reserved three buildings for Amla. The Hessian city - already the seat of the ECB and the European Insurance Supervisory Authority (Eiopa) - was strongly supported by the fierce Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, who at the last public meeting in front of the MEPs had promised to double the public funding dedicated to the new authority from 10 to 20 million euros, which would be useful to cover the rent in the first years.

One of the strengths highlighted in a ten-minute presentation was the proximity to the Eurotower and the 280 banks located in the major financial hub, as well as an international labour market with English-language support services and international schools for employees. Three possible buildings are included in the slides presented by the German government with the city's skyline: the 185 Tower, the Flow in the Gateway Gardens district, and the Trade Fair Tower. All three, in the words of Frankfurt's mayor, Social Democrat Mike Josef, are already 'ready for immediate occupation'. And now, exulted Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 'Frankfurt will be an even stronger centre of finance'.

In Italy, however, the defeat in Rome triggered attacks from the opposition. 'This is yet another defeat for the government,' stressed M5S delegation leader in Strasbourg, Tiziana Beghin. "It is clear that it is Italy's isolation that is weighing on us," said Fabio Massimo Castaldo and Giosi Ferrandino of Azione.