MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Parliament adopted on Tuesday a roadmap to fight tax crimes, in which it called on the European Commission to immediately start working on a proposal for European financial police, adding that the bloc also needed an EU anti-money laundering watchdog.

"The [European] Commission should start work immediately on a proposal for a European financial police force and an EU financial intelligence unit. An EU anti-money laundering watchdog should be set up", the European Parliament said in a statement.

The parliament's roadmap included the recommendations which have been composed for over a year by the legislature’s Special Committee on Financial Crimes, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance. The document was adopted with 505 votes in favor and 63 against.

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According to the parliament, the bloc needed new tax bodies since the EU member states showed "lack of political will" in tackling such crimes.

"Seven EU countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and The Netherlands) display traits of a tax haven and facilitate aggressive tax planning", the EU parliament recalled.

The proposal to establish the financial police comes following a number of revelations, including financial scandal Lux Leaks, the notorious Panama Papers affair, revealing offshore accounts and other financial information of many prominent figures across the world, as well as the Paradise papers, involving offshore investments disclosure, that hit the world in the recent years.

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