The scale, sophistication and violent consequences of organised crime have become a serious threat to the EU’s security. Organised crime groups (OCGs) continue to endanger the values and functioning of our society, the safety, well-being and fundamental rights of our citizens, and the preservation of our economies and the rule of law.
- Organised crime profits from illicit activities are estimated at around EUR 139 billion a year[1].
- More than 80% of the criminal networks active in the EU use legal business structures to facilitate and disguise crimes, as well as launder criminal profits[2].
- More than 70% of criminal networks operating in the EU use corruptive methods to facilitate criminal activity or obstruct law enforcement or judicial proceedings[3].
Operational support to organised crime cases
During 2023, Eurojust handled a higher number of organised crime cases and arranged more coordination meetings to address this crime type, compared to the previous year. The Agency dealt with 1 000 cases, around half of which were newly opened in 2023.
OCGs are active in many crime areas, including property crime and money laundering, and move around quickly within and across multiple jurisdictions. Cross-border cooperation is therefore essential to detect them and build a solid prosecution case to achieve justice.
During 2023, Eurojust dealt with a variety of organised crime cases including drug trafficking, trafficking of human beings, money laundering, robbery and fraud.
’Ndrangheta’s criminal activities on the rise
’Ndrangheta, one of the world’s most powerful mafia-style criminal networks, is responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade, combined with systematic money laundering, bribery and violence. In recent years, ’Ndrangheta’s criminal activities have become increasingly widespread, with links to many countries in Europe and around the world.
A significant proportion of Eurojust’s organised-crime casework in 2023 concerned ’Ndrangheta-related crime. In May 2023, the Agency coordinated a highly successful joint action day involving 10 countries, in which 132 members of ’Ndrangheta were arrested. Eurojust was instrumental in ensuring the successful outcome of this case by providing crucial support at the beginning of the investigations as well as beyond the joint action day. The agency provided legal advice on competing European Arrest Warrants and the implementation of European Investigation Orders, supported numerous coordination meetings, and set up joint investigation teams and coordination centres resulting, in the largest-ever hit against Italian organised crime.
EU Strategy to tackle Organised Crime 2021–2025
Throughout 2023, Eurojust continued to assist the European Commission in the implementation of the EU Strategy to tackle Organised Crime 2021-2025. The Agency contributed to the meetings organised by the European Commission in February, July and November 2023 on progress made in carrying out the Strategy.
The recovery of criminal assets and other cross–border dimensions of modern OCGs are areas where improvements are still necessary. This includes broadening the current legal instruments and enhancing the harmonisation of EU and national legislations.
New judicial network on organised crime
In October 2023, the European Commission presented a new EU roadmap to fight drug trafficking and organised crime. In line with Eurojust’s experience, the roadmap recognises that to dismantle criminal networks across the EU, judicial authorities must exchange information early on and communicate regularly to ensure that investigative strategies are aligned and evidence from different countries is collected quickly.
One of the roadmap’s key actions is to strengthen information exchange and cooperation between judicial authorities on complex cross-border investigations into organised crime by creating a network of specialised prosecutors and judges from Member States, with the support of Eurojust. The Agency is working closely with the European Commission and Member States to establish the network, which is expected to become operational in 2024. The network will actively promote the use of Eurojust’s expertise in cross-border drug-related and other organised crime cases.
Stepping up the judicial role in major operations against organised crime
During the 17th Consultative Forum in October 2023, the Prosecutors General and Directors of Public Prosecutions of EU Member States discussed how to enhance the role of judicial authorities in joint operations against major organised crime, through the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats platform (EMPACT).
EMPACT is a security initiative, driven by the Member States and supported by the Commission and the Council, to identify, prioritise and address threats posed by organised and serious international crime. EMPACT brings together the judiciary, law enforcement authorities, EU agencies, customs and tax offices to take concrete actions against criminal networks.
Participants at the Forum stressed the need to improve awareness of EMPACT among judicial authorities and involve public prosecutors at an earlier stage in the planning and coordination of operational actions. Deeper and earlier involvement of the judiciary in the entire process will enable a more effective and coordinated approach to tackling major organised crime. This will maximise the impact of investigations into serious and complex crimes, such as drug trafficking, money laundering and migrant smuggling.
EMPACT has been operational for more than a decade and has proven to be a highly effective collaborative platform for law enforcement agencies. It is now time for the prosecution authorities in the Member States to step forward and further explore the possibilities for joint action against serious and organised crime through the platform.
EMPACT Operational Action Plan on High Risk Criminal Networks
To enhance its operational support to national investigations and prosecutions, Eurojust is co-leader in several operational actions within the EMPACT Operational Action Plan for High Risk Criminal Networks. For the first time within EMPACT, the judiciary is leading operational actions, with the support of Eurojust.
This Action Plan aims to promote cooperation in the identification and investigation of high-value targets. Due to the poly-criminality associated with high-risk criminal networks, the Action Plan tackles a wide range of crime types.
Within the Action Plan, Eurojust participates in the Operational Action on Countering OCGs from Ukraine, Russia and other Russian-speaking areas. In June 2023, a dedicated meeting was set up to take stock of the situation in Ukraine and how it affects serious organised crime operating in Europe. Eurojust’s and Europol’s analysis, based on the agencies’ operational work, as well as insights from EU Member States, indicated that there has been no major impact on OCGs in the European Union since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Eurojust’s organised crime casework has not changed significantly since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Eurojust and Nigerian judicial authorities enhance cooperation against organised crime
Over the last two decades, organised crime affecting both Nigeria and European countries has structurally evolved, becoming more violent, sophisticated and increasingly transnational. In view of this rapid expansion of OCGs operating in Nigeria and Europe, a more structured and longer-term cooperation is required.
In November 2023, Eurojust’s President and the Attorney General of Nigeria signed a Working Arrangement to enable closer cooperation in the fight against OCGs. Nigeria is the first sub-Saharan African country to sign a Working Arrangement with the Agency. This paves the way for the establishment of a Contact Point for Eurojust in Nigeria and closer communication for the swifter execution of judicial cooperation requests on both sides.
The signing took place during the Agency’s two-day Conference on Transnational Organised Crime affecting West Africa and Europe. The conference was co-organised with the UNODC and the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights. It brought together judicial and law enforcement authorities from eight West African countries and the national authorities represented at Eurojust to discuss how to strengthen cooperation against global criminal networks.
The Working Arrangement with Eurojust will enhance our cooperation. Let us work together to explore innovative solutions, best practices and new partnerships. Our collective strength and resolve are the keys to making a real difference in the fight against transnational organised crime.
132 ‘Ndrangheta mafia members arrested as a result of an investigation by Belgium, Italy and Germany
Crime: The mafia-style organisation, ‘Ndrangheta, based mainly in Reggio Calabria, is responsible for much of Europe’s cocaine trade, combined with systematic bribery and violence. Members of the criminal network are also involved in firearms trafficking, illegal firearms possession, money laundering, fraudulent asset registration, tax fraud and tax evasion, as well as the aiding and abetting of fugitives, some of whom are on the EU Most Wanted list. The criminal group invests its profits in real estate, restaurants, hotels, car wash companies, supermarkets and other commercial activities.
Action: In the early hours of 3 May 2023, law enforcement authorities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Brazil and Panama raid multiple locations and seize several companies.
Result: During the action day, involving 10 countries and over 2 700 officers on the ground, 132 members of one of the world’s most powerful criminal networks are taken into custody. This results in the largest-ever coordinated hit against Italian organised crime to date.
Eurojust's Role: Eurojust supports the involved authorities by establishing and funding two joint investigation teams. The Agency also hosts 10 coordination meetings and facilitates the transmission and execution of European Investigation Orders. Eurojust sets up a coordination centre to enable rapid cooperation between the judicial authorities involved in the action day.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union