Keres
Violence and organised crime in the EU
The use of violence by criminals involved in organised crime is increasing in the European Union (EU), in terms of frequency, severity, visibility and impact. Most violence is concentrated in and around major transit points and transportation hubs used for smuggling goods, particularly drugs. At the same time, firearms are a key enabler of the increasing violence perpetrated by organised crime groups. Increased competition between rival criminal groups has led to a spillover of violence onto the ...
Understanding the EU's response to organised crime
Criminal organisations continue to pose big risks to the EU's internal security – a rising number of organised crime groups are active on EU territory, often with cross-border reach. The EU has made substantial progress in terms of protecting its citizens since the early 1990s. This has often been in response to dramatic incidents, such as murders committed by the mafia or other organised crime groups or big money-laundering scandals, or to negative trends, such as the steep increase in migrant smuggling ...
Combating child sexual abuse online
Online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and grooming practices (manipulation aimed at exploiting and abusing people), now increasingly targeting younger children, have been proliferating at an alarming rate. In 2023, the more than 36.2 million reports of suspected online child sexual abuse represented a historical peak. Reports of grooming rose by more than 300 % between 2021 and 2023. Most activities detected were hosted in Europe. In response to this situation, on 11 May 2022 the European Commission ...
Anti-money-laundering authority (AMLA): Countering money laundering and the financing of terrorism
In July 2021, the European Commission tabled a proposal to establish a new EU authority to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism (AMLA). This was part of a legislative package aimed at implementing the 2020 action plan for a comprehensive Union policy on preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The AMLA would be the centre of an integrated system composed of the authority itself and the Member States' national authorities with an AML/CFT supervisory mandate. It ...
Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings
On 19 December 2022, the European Commission put forward a proposal for the targeted revision of Directive 2011/36/EU – the main EU instrument to combat trafficking in human beings and to protect its victims. Despite progress achieved in fighting this crime, the Commission reports that, on average, over 7 000 people per year fall victim to human trafficking in the EU. Forms of exploitation have evolved and adapted to the new environment. For instance, new technologies are used to recruit victims. ...
Combating violence against women and domestic violence
Violence directed against a woman because she is a woman, or that affects women disproportionately ('gender-based violence against women') is a violation of fundamental rights, and a major obstacle to gender equality in all EU Member States. Despite increased attention, national legislation does not offer equal protection for women against all forms of gender-based violence across the EU, and there are significant gaps in the measures adopted at EU level. On 8 March 2022, the European Commission ...
Revision of the EU rules on asset recovery and confiscation
The confiscation of criminals' illicit profits is considered an effective tool in the fight against organised crime, identified as a major threat to EU security. However, despite the comprehensive set of EU rules on asset freezing and confiscation, there are still obstacles on the path to recovering criminal assets, as shown by the European Commission's June 2020 evaluation of the 2014 directive on freezing and confiscation of instrumentalities and proceeds of crime and the 2007 Council decision ...
Anti-money-laundering package
During the April II plenary session, Ϸվ is due to vote on provisional agreements resulting from interinstitutional negotiations on three related EU acts concerning money laundering and terrorist financing.
EU rules on combating violence against women
In March 2022, the Commission proposed a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence in the EU, and the co-legislators agreed on a compromise text in early 2024. Ϸվ is set to vote on the text during its April II part-session. The new directive would set minimum standards for criminalising severe forms of violence and for enhancing prevention, access to justice and protection of victims.
Preventing and countering the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and stay in the EU
In November 2023, the Commission proposed a directive to modernise and strengthen the legal framework on the fight against migrant smuggling. The proposal addresses the steady rise in irregular arrivals in the EU and the rise in smuggling on all main EU entry routes. The current directive defining the offence of facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence in the EU, and the framework decision on strengthening of the penal framework have both been widely criticised for their failure ...