From Fragmentation To Coherence Legal Integration Of Anti-Money Laundering Compliance and Sanctions Enforcement In The EU

The European Union's sanctions regime has become one of the Union's central foreign policy instruments, particularly following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sanctions are typically adopted alongside other related regulations, including counterterrorism legislation, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) listings, anti-corruption measures, and export controls. This study examines whether fragmentation exists between Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance frameworks and sanctions regimes. If yes, what legal and institutional reforms are necessary to establish a coherent EU framework that aligns anti-money Laundering compliance with financial sanctions enforcement, thereby closing regulatory and operational gaps?