Sunday, 11 May 2025
No Result
View All Result
eudebates.tv
  • EU Policies
  • World
  • Special Debates
  • Events
  • Vote & Polls
eudebates.tv
No Result
View All Result

The mafia takes advantage of the economic crisis

Europe must act as a single country against organised crime

EUdebates Team by EUdebates Team
14/03/2021
in Justice - Citizens’ Rights
Reading Time: 6 mins read
0
glass gun shot Mafia crime
133
SHARES
1.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Join EU debates

European Child Guarantee adopted to prevent and combat social exclusion

EPPO: Laura Kövesi Chief Prosecutor got her official public European office

Rainbow flag raised again in Brussels to promote LGBTI rights

EU laws: Joining forces to make better future Regulation

Italy’s national anti-mafia prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho has called on Europe to act as a single country against organised crime. EU must react with enhanced monitoring systems and immediate judicial responses. An online conference hosted by the EESC discussed the ability of mafias to infiltrate the legal economy, and the even more dangerous threat this poses at a time of pandemic.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted an online conference on “The economic impact of organised crime and money laundering – How does the COVID-19 crisis aggravate the problems?”, to call for an alliance of all components of civil society and institutions against this social and economic scourge.

In his introductory statement, Stefano Palmieri, president of the EESC’s ECO section, stressed that the presence of organised crime in the European economic system created a harmful form of competition, which could undermine the development of the economy itself. For this reason, he added, and all the more so at a time of a pandemic crisis, a European strategy is needed to combat this problem.

The mafia takes advantage of the economic crisis

Federico Cafiero de Raho

The guest of honour at the event, Italy’s national anti-mafia prosecutor Federico Cafiero de Raho, explained how the phenomenon of mafias infiltrating the legal economy started in Italy back in the 1980s. Organised crime infiltrates public procurement through a well-established system of consortia, involving entities with different identities but directed by the mafia.

Organised crime in Italy back in the 1980s

legal-illegal

Mafias do not identify themselves, he said, they choose the form of a capital company to disguise themselves and infiltrate the economy. They become enmeshed with the business fabric of certain areas through bars, restaurants, hotels, or through real estate agencies, as is the case with the ‘Ndrangheta in the Netherlands.

During a pandemic, tourism and catering activities become easy prey: Mafias are prepared to offer their money to entrepreneurs who are most in difficulty. By means of false invoicing or other false documentation, they infiltrate businesses that need support, blend in and help that business to resume and move forward. So that business becomes a hostage to organised crime.

Europe’s responses

According to Mr Cafiero de Raho, the anti-money laundering system in Europe is very advanced, but not in all countries. Some, he pointed out, have not adapted to the forms of enhanced monitoring that Europe has called for, with the Action plan for a comprehensive Union policy on preventing money laundering and terrorism financing.

The prosecutor points the finger at countries that can be defined, including in Europe, as tax and regulatory havens. In some of them, financial centres have been set up that act as fully-fledged off-shore countries, fostering the laundering and accumulation of illicit capital. A body of legislation, he continued, needs to be put in place with immediate effect in these countries as well.

The economic impact of organised crime and money laundering

Mr Cafiero de Raho praised the coordinating role played by Europol and Eurojust as regards police and judicial cooperation. However, for the judiciary, the borders need to come down as regards criminal investigations and, therefore, when it comes to the relationship between the police involved in such investigations and the judicial authorities. The current situation, he concluded, makes it necessary to act as if Europe were a single country, and move with the same speed with which mafias would move a shipment of cocaine.

Contributions to the anti-mafia action

According to Green MEP Sven Giegold, the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic has meant that money laundering, tax avoidance and evasion had become even more unacceptable for the Member States, which will have greater difficulties in reducing their debts. The damage caused by financial crime will be even greater, he said. The COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity to combat dirty money from organised crime in all its forms. The MEP underlined the European Commission’s effort to do more on money laundering, transforming the regulatory framework with the move from directives to regulations, and creating a European anti-money laundering supervisor. However, what is lacking is the cooperation aspect between police and prosecutors, which would be absolutely indispensable, he added.

Floriana Sipala, head of unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (HOME), replied to Sven Giegold, referring to the upcoming publication in April of a strategic document to tackle organised crime in Europe. She pointed to three key aspects of the Commission’s strategy: taking action against the structures of mafia-style associations to dismantle them and reduce the number and danger of individual offences; focusing on the ability of criminal organisations to infiltrate the legal economy to launder the proceeds of crime; and strengthening Member States’ capacities when it comes to financial investigations.

Anti-mafia NGO mafianeindanke

Sandro Mattioli, founder of the German anti-mafia NGO mafianeindanke, is involved in raising awareness of the dangers of organised crime in Germany, thanks to a spirit of cooperation between NGOs and law enforcement agencies. The task is not easy, he explained. In Germany, there is a lack of data, research, of general awareness of the dangers, and of funding. And everything is to some extent interdependent.

Ernesto Ugo Savona, Director of the Transcrime research centre at the Catholic University of Milan, identified three main challenges. The first is to find a method for predicting problems, which requires a risk analysis, which allows you to predict and anticipate problems and find the right remedies. The second is the mass use of artificial intelligence and big data for the collection of real data. Finally, monitoring the impact of organised crime, so-called crime proofing, taking into account the consequences of legislation. We cannot build red tape without assessing the effect of the legislation we are producing, he said, clearly referring to the new EU Migration Pact and to the risk of undesirable consequences such as facilitating human trafficking.

Karel Lannoo, CEO of CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), said that not having a clear definition of money laundering is a major issue. Depending on the country – he said – some activities are considered a crime or an offence. Major financial centres, he added, are also the major places for money laundering and terrorism financing. This makes it extremely hard to control.

Other participants in the debate included Anja Korenblik, from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Gilbert Berk, expert on economic and financial crime at the European Police Office (Europol) and Javier Doz Orrit, rapporteur for the EESC’s opinion on Combating tax fraud, tax avoidance and money laundering.

eudebates anti-mafia European action

Share this debate with your friends!
Follow #eudebates on Google News and on Facebook
Tags: Common Security and Defence Policycrime victimsDEFENCEEurojustEuropean Security and DefenceEUROPOLFINANCEFinance and bankingFinancial Crimesfinancial managementFinancial Supervisory AuthorityIntellectual Property Crime Coordinated CoalitionJusticeMONEYMoney LaunderingPolice
Share53Tweet33

Related EU debates

Justice - Citizens’ Rights

European Child Guarantee adopted to prevent and combat social exclusion

15/06/2021
European Public Prosecutor's Office - EPPO
Justice - Citizens’ Rights

EPPO: Laura Kövesi Chief Prosecutor got her official public European office

05/06/2021
Rainbow flag in Brussels LGBTI rights
Justice - Citizens’ Rights

Rainbow flag raised again in Brussels to promote LGBTI rights

17/05/2021
Justice Legal Law Justice Symbol Lawyer
Justice - Citizens’ Rights

EU laws: Joining forces to make better future Regulation

01/05/2021
Europol building
Justice - Citizens’ Rights

EU serious and organised crime threat assessment (SOCTA) 2021

12/04/2021
Europol supported the investigation on VAT fraud
Justice - Citizens’ Rights

Hungarian authorities break up EUR 8 mln VAT fraud scheme

07/04/2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SOTEU 2022 - State of the Union speech

Watch State of the Union live: Ursula von der Leyen gives 2022 address #SOTEU

14/09/2022
Volunteers preparing food for Ukrainian refugees arriving at Berlin Central Station

EU steps up solidarity with refugees fleeing Ukraine

08/03/2022
pump jack oil diesel

REPowerEU to get rid of the dependencies of Russian fossil fuel

08/03/2022
Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission

EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine

26/02/2022
Finnish PM Sanna Marin

Finland: NATO membership ‘will change’ after Russian invasion

24/02/2022
NATO - EU joint Press Conference

EU responds to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with massive sanctions

24/02/2022
  • Social Media Facebook twitter

    DeleteFacebook? What is the best Facebook european alternative?

    268 shares
    Share 107 Tweet 67
  • Travelling in Europe with COVID19 country colour travel code zones

    238 shares
    Share 95 Tweet 60
  • Why don’t Mediterranean boat migrants take the plane? Why don’t refugees fly?

    222 shares
    Share 89 Tweet 56
  • EU nasty and vindictive? Nigel Farage criticizes EU vaccines strategy

    202 shares
    Share 81 Tweet 51
  • Burkini Debate: To Ban or Not to Ban the Burkini, Burka and Niqab in EUROPE?

    193 shares
    Share 77 Tweet 48

Join eudebates newsletter!

Enter your email to receive our newsletter.

Don't worry, we don't spam
eudebates_logo

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Watch State of the Union live: Ursula von der Leyen gives 2022 address #SOTEU
  • EU steps up solidarity with refugees fleeing Ukraine
  • REPowerEU to get rid of the dependencies of Russian fossil fuel
  • EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine
  • Finland: NATO membership ‘will change’ after Russian invasion

Newsletter

Join eudebates newsletter!

Enter your email to receive our newsletter.

Don't worry, we don't spam
SOTEU 2022 - State of the Union speech

Watch State of the Union live: Ursula von der Leyen gives 2022 address #SOTEU

14/09/2022
Volunteers preparing food for Ukrainian refugees arriving at Berlin Central Station

EU steps up solidarity with refugees fleeing Ukraine

08/03/2022
pump jack oil diesel

REPowerEU to get rid of the dependencies of Russian fossil fuel

08/03/2022
  • Home
  • EU Policies
  • Special Debates
  • Events
  • Vote & Polls
  • Video

© 2022 eudebates - EU debates, dialogue, communication for a better Europe - Privacy Policy.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • EU Policies
  • World
  • Special Debates
  • Events
  • Vote & Polls

© 2022 eudebates - EU debates, dialogue, communication for a better Europe - Privacy Policy.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.