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Understanding the EU's response to organised crime

Briefing 19-12-2024

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 and trafficking in human beings following the 2015 migration crisis or the sharp rise in cybercrime, fraud and counterfeiting since the coronavirus pandemic. Organised crime is, furthermore, an increasingly dynamic and complex phenomenon, with new criminal markets and modi operandi emerging under the influence of globalisation, geopolitical instabilities and new technologies in particular. While the impact of serious and organised crime on the EU economy is considerable, there are also significant political and social costs, as well as negative effects on the well-being of EU citizens. As organised crime has become more interconnected, international and digital, Member States – which remain responsible for operational activities in the area of police and judicial cooperation – rely increasingly on cross-border and EU-level cooperation to support their law enforcement authorities on the ground. Recognising the severity of the problem and the need for coordinated action, the EU has initiated several measures to encourage closer cooperation between Member States; it has also adopted common legal, judicial and investigative frameworks to address organised crime. ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ has made fighting organised crime a political priority and helped shape the relevant EU legislation. Future EU action will focus on implementing existing rules, and on improving operational and international cooperation and information sharing, while also addressing some of the main activities of organised crime groups and going after the most threatening criminal networks. Furthermore, the EU aims to make sure that crime does not pay. This is an updated version of briefings published in 2020 and 2022.