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Official Journal |
EN L series |
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2025/2393 |
5.12.2025 |
Amending Protocol to the Agreement between the European Union and the Principality of Monaco on the exchange of financial account information to improve international tax compliance in accordance with the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
THE EUROPEAN UNION
and
THE PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO,
both hereinafter referred to, individually, as ‘Contracting Party’ and, jointly, as ‘Contracting Parties’,
WHEREAS the Contracting Parties have a longstanding and close relationship with respect to mutual assistance in tax matters, which consisted, initially, in the application of measures equivalent to those laid down in Council Directive 2003/48/EC (1) and which was later developed into the Agreement between the European Union and the Principality of Monaco on the exchange of financial account information to improve international tax compliance in accordance with the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2) (‘the Agreement’), as amended by the Amending Protocol to the Agreement between the European Community and the Principality of Monaco providing for measures equivalent to those laid down in Council Directive 2003/48/EC (3), based upon the reciprocal automatic exchange of information by means of implementing the OECD Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters (‘the Global Standard’),
WHEREAS, following the OECD's first comprehensive review of the Global Standard, amendments to the Global Standard were approved by the OECD's Committee on Fiscal Affairs in August 2022 and were adopted by the OECD Council on 8 June 2023 by means of its revised Recommendation on the International Standards for Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax Matters (‘the update to the Global Standard’),
WHEREAS the OECD comprehensive review identified the increasing complexity of financial instruments and the emergence and use of new types of digital assets and acknowledged the necessity of adapting the Global Standard to ensure comprehensive and effective tax compliance,
WHEREAS, the update to the Global Standard expanded the scope of reporting to include new digital financial products, such as Specified Electronic Money Products and Central Bank Digital Currencies, which offer credible alternatives to traditional Financial Accounts, which are already subject to reporting under the Global Standard,
WHEREAS the new OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (‘CARF’), which was introduced in parallel to the update to the Global Standard, serves as a complementary mechanism at the global level and is specifically designed to address the rapid development and growth of the Crypto-Asset market,
WHEREAS it was considered imperative to ensure an efficient interaction between those two frameworks, in particular to limit instances of duplicative reporting, by: (i) excluding Specified Electronic Money Products and Central Bank Digital Currencies from the scope of the CARF, given their coverage under the updated Global Standard; (ii) considering Crypto-Assets within the scope of the updated Global Standard to be Financial Assets for the purpose of reporting Custodial Accounts, Equity or Debt Interests in Investment Entities (except in cases of provision of services effectuating exchange transactions for or on behalf of customers, which are covered under the CARF), indirect investments in Crypto-Assets through other traditional financial products or traditional financial products issued in crypto form; and (iii) providing for an optional provision for Reporting Financial Institutions to switch-off gross proceeds reporting for assets that are classified as Crypto-Assets under both frameworks, when such information is reported under the CARF, while continuing to report under the Global Standard all other information, such as account balance,
WHEREAS the CARF has been implemented within the European Union by way of Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 (4), which amended Council Directive 2011/16/EU (5), with those provisions applying from 1 January 2026,
WHEREAS the Principality of Monaco has not been identified as a jurisdiction of relevance for the implementation of the CARF by the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (‘the Global Forum’) at this stage, but remains ready to take all steps necessary to implement and apply the CARF in an expedited manner when the Global Forum deems it to be such a jurisdiction,
WHEREAS, with a view to limiting instances of duplicative reporting, where the Principality of Monaco implements the CARF with regard to Member States, the Contracting Parties should distinguish the scope of application of the Agreement, the CARF (for the Principality of Monaco) and Directive (EU) 2023/2226 (for EU Member States) in a manner consistent with the distinction of the scope of application between the updated Global Standard and the CARF,
WHEREAS, with the aim of improving the reliability and use of the exchanged information, the update to the Global Standard introduces more detailed reporting requirements and strengthened due diligence procedures,
WHEREAS the update to the Global Standard adds a new ‘Excluded Account’ category for Capital Contribution Accounts and a de minimis threshold for reporting of Depository Accounts holding Specified Electronic Money Products,
WHEREAS, for Member States, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6) lays down specific data protection rules in the European Union which also apply to the exchanges of information effected by the Member States that are covered by the Agreement,
WHEREAS the protection of personal data in the Principality of Monaco is governed by Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024 relating to the protection of personal data including the conditions of implementation set out by Sovereign Order (7),
WHEREAS, on the date of signing of this Amending Protocol, the European Commission has, so far, not adopted a decision pursuant to Article 45(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 finding that the Principality of Monaco ensures an adequate level of protection of personal data,
WHEREAS both Contracting Parties commit to implementing and observing the specific data protection safeguards set out in the Agreement, including Annex III thereto, in such a way as to ensure that neither Contracting Party may use any justification to refuse to exchange information with the other Contracting Party,
WHEREAS Reporting Financial Institutions, sending Competent Authorities and receiving Competent Authorities, as data controllers, should retain information processed in accordance with the Agreement for no longer than necessary to achieve the objectives thereof and whereas, given the differences in Member States' and the Principality of Monaco's legislation, the maximum retention period for each of the Contracting Parties should be set by reference to the statute of limitations provided by each data controller's domestic tax legislation,
WHEREAS the processing of information under the Agreement is necessary for and proportionate to the purpose of enabling Member States' and the Principality of Monaco's tax administrations to correctly and unequivocally identify the taxpayers concerned, to administer and enforce their tax laws in cross-border situations, to assess the likelihood of tax evasion being perpetrated and to avoid unnecessary further investigations,
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
The Agreement is amended as follows:
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(1) |
the introductory wording between the title and Article 1 is replaced by the following: ‘THE EUROPEAN UNION and THE PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO, both hereinafter referred to, individually, as “Contracting Party” and, jointly, as “Contracting Parties”, HAVE AGREED TO CONCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AGREEMENT:’ ; |
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(2) |
in Article 1(1), the following subparagraph is added:
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(3) |
Article 2 is amended as follows:
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(4) |
Article 3 is amended as follows:
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(5) |
Article 6 is amended as follows:
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(6) |
in Article 7, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: ‘2. If the consultations concern significant non-compliance with this Agreement, and the procedure set out in paragraph 1 does not provide for an adequate settlement, the Competent Authority of a Member State or Monaco may suspend the exchange of information under this Agreement with, respectively, Monaco or a specific Member State, by giving notice in writing to the other Competent Authority concerned. Such suspension will have immediate effect. For the purposes of this paragraph, significant non-compliance includes, but is not limited to: (i) non-compliance with the confidentiality and data safeguard provisions of this Agreement, including Annex III, of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and of Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024 relating to the protection of personal data including the conditions of implementation set out by Sovereign Order, depending on the context, (ii) a failure by the Competent Authority of a Member State or Monaco to provide timely or adequate information as required under this Agreement, and (iii) the designation of Entities or accounts as Non-Reporting Financial Institutions and Excluded Accounts in a manner that frustrates the purposes of this Agreement.’ |
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(7) |
Article 9 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 9 Termination Either Contracting Party may terminate this Agreement by giving notice of termination in writing to the other Contracting Party. Such termination will become effective on the first day of the month following a period of 12 months from the date of the notice of termination. In the event of termination, all information previously received under this Agreement will remain confidential and subject (i) in the case of Member States, to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and (ii) in the case of Monaco, to the provisions of Law No. 1.565 of 3 December 2024 relating to the protection of personal data including the conditions of implementation set out by Sovereign Order, and in both cases to the specific data protection safeguards provided for in this Agreement, including those in Annex III.’ |
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(8) |
Annex I is amended as follows:
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(9) |
Annex III is amended as follows:
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(10) |
in Annex IV, subparagraph (ac) is deleted. |
Article 2
Entry into force and application
1. This Amending Protocol is concluded subject to its ratification or approval by the Contracting Parties in accordance with their internal procedures. The Contracting Parties shall notify each other of the completion of these procedures. This Amending Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of January following the last notification.
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 of this Article, Article 1(2), (3)(b) and (8)(c) of this Amending Protocol shall apply as of the date on which the Principality of Monaco begins to apply the CARF with all Member States.
Article 3
Languages
This Amending Protocol shall be drawn up in duplicate in the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish languages, each text being equally authentic.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have hereunto set their hands.
(1) Council Directive 2003/48/EC of 3 June 2003 on taxation of savings income in the form of interest payments (OJ L 157, 26.6.2003, p. 38, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/48/oj).
(2) OJ L 19, 21.1.2005, p. 55, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2005/44(1)/oj.
(3) OJ L 225, 19.8.2016, p. 3, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/prot/2016/1392/oj.
(4) Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 of 17 October 2023 amending Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation (OJ L, 2023/2226, 24.10.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2226/oj).
(5) Council Directive 2011/16/EU of 15 February 2011 on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation and repealing Directive 77/799/EEC (OJ L 64, 11.3.2011, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/16/oj).
(6) Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119, 4.5.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj).
(7) ‘Journal de Monaco’, the official bulletin of the Principality, no 8725 of 13 December 2024.
DECLARATIONS OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES ON THE AGREEMENT AND THE ANNEXES
The Contracting Parties agree, regarding the implementation of the Agreement and Annexes I and II thereto, as amended by the Amending Protocol of 13 October 2025, to use the Commentaries to the OECD Model Competent Authority Agreement and Common Reporting Standard, as well as the Commentaries to the 2023 Addendum to the OECD Model Competent Authority Agreement and to the 2023 update to the Common Reporting Standard, as a source of illustration or interpretation and in order to ensure consistency in application.
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES ON ARTICLE 5 OF THE AGREEMENT
The Contracting Parties agree that Article 5 of the Agreement is aligned to the latest OECD standard on transparency and exchange of information in tax matters enshrined in Article 26 of the OECD Model Tax Convention. Therefore, the Contracting Parties agree, regarding the implementation of Article 5 that the commentary to Article 26 of the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital should be a source of interpretation.
JOINT DECLARATION OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES ON THE ENTRY INTO FORCE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AMENDING PROTOCOL
The Contracting Parties declare that they expect that the constitutional requirements of the Principality of Monaco and the requirements of European Union law concerning entering into international agreements will be fulfilled in time to enable the Amending Protocol to enter into force on the first day of January 2026. They will take all the measures in their power to achieve that goal.
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2025/2393/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)