Article 6
1.
The Commission shall conduct an assessment of the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing affecting the internal market and relating to cross-border activities.
To that end, the Commission shall, by 26 June 2017, draw up a report identifying, analysing and evaluating those risks at Union level. Thereafter, the Commission shall update its report every two years, or more frequently if appropriate.
2.
The report referred to in paragraph 1 shall cover at least the following:
(a)
the areas of the internal market that are at greatest risk;
(b)
the risks associated with each relevant sector including, where available, estimates of the monetary volumes of money laundering provided by Eurostat for each of those sectors;
(c)
the most widespread means used by criminals to launder illicit proceeds, including, where available, those particularly used in transactions between Member States and third countries, independently of the identification of a third country as high-risk pursuant to Article 9(2).
3.
The Commission shall make the report referred to in paragraph 1 available to Member States and obliged entities in order to assist them in identifying, understanding, managing and mitigating the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing, and to allow other stakeholders, including national legislators, the European Parliament, the European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority) established by Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (
12
) (EBA), and representatives from EU Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), to better understand those risks. The report shall be made public at the latest six months after having been made available to Member States, except for those elements of the report which contain classified information.
4.
The Commission shall make recommendations to Member States on the measures suitable for addressing the identified risks. In the event that Member States decide not to apply any of the recommendations in their national AML/CFT regimes, they shall notify the Commission thereof and provide a justification for such a decision.
5.
By 26 December 2016, the ESAs, through the Joint Committee, shall issue an opinion on the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing affecting the Union's financial sector (the ‘joint opinion’).
Thereafter, EBA shall issue an opinion every two years.
6.
In conducting the assessment referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission shall organise the work at Union level, shall take into account the joint opinions referred to in paragraph 5 and shall involve the Member States' experts in the area of AML/CFT, representatives from FIUs and other Union level bodies where appropriate. The Commission shall make the joint opinions available to the Member States and obliged entities in order to assist them to identify, manage and mitigate the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing.
7.
Every two years, or more frequently if appropriate, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the findings resulting from the regular risk assessments and the action taken based on those findings.
( 12 ) Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Banking Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/78/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 12).