About: Organised Crime Archives

A Council of Europe draft report alleging that Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi is a Mafia-style boss spells out a truth that diplomats privately acknowledge: the West in Kosovo has favoured stability over justice.

Corruption weighs heavily on peoples' minds in the Western Balkans and the general perception in the region is that it is increasing in both the public and private sectors, observed speakers at an event hosted by Gallup House yesterday (10 May).

The coalition government in Kosovo may fall as a result of a corruption scandal involving Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj, the press in the region reported yesterday (11 May). Limaj is investigated following raids carried out by EULEX, the EU rule of law mission in the former Serbian province.

Crime levels in Albania are low even by EU standards, as an unprecedented international crackdown on organised crime has taken place in cooperation with Western European countries, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha told EURACTIV in an interview that his country was now one of the safest in Europe following a crackdown on organised crime, and economic growth had remained steady despite the global crisis. 

Belgium and Sweden are swiftly returning ethnic Albanian and Roma asylum seekers to their countries of origin, hoping to avert an influx triggered by the recent removal of the visa requirement for Serbian and Macedonian nationals.

As banking migrates to the Internet, so too does payment fraud. Banks will have to be one step ahead of organised criminals to protect online payments, argues security expert Samee Zafar. EURACTIV spoke to the banking security expert, who has been advising banks in the City of London on the EU's Payments Services Directive (PSD), which is expected to boost online payments.

Just days before the European Commission presents a report on Bulgaria's progress in overcoming justice and home affairs shortcomings, the country's interior minister yesterday (28 January) presented his services' achievements and ambitions for the wider regional context.

Croatian President Stipe Mesic yesterday (23 October) called an emergency meeting of the nation's security council following the murder of a top journalist in central Zagreb. Meanwhile, the Croatian journalists' association issued a statement warning that the mafia had massively expanded in the EU candidate country.

The leaders of Bulgaria and Romania have accepted criticism of the two countries' performances in meeting EU standards on judicial reform and fight against corruption as fair. But financial sanctions amounting to hundreds of thousands of euro were hard to swallow in Sofia.

Bulgaria is trying to overcome a communication problem with the Commission while struggling hard to deliver on commitments to fight corruption and organised crime, the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin says in an interview with EURACTIV.

Bulgaria is scaling up its fight against corruption and organised crime with the first sentences now effective, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin told EURACTIV in an interview, also highlighting his country's difficulties in communicating a more positive image of itself.

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Rumen Petkov resigned on 13 April following a month-long corruption scandal that exposed links between government officials and mobsters, highlighting persistent problems in the new EU country. EURACTIV Bulgaria contributed to this report from Sofia.

Kosovars can "no longer plead ignorance" over the extent of mafia crime in the country, writes Krenar Gashi of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN).

The Parliament has narrowly backed a historical but controversial Directive that would force member states to harmonise their penal codes - for the first time ever - in order to combat counterfeiting and piracy across Europe.

As Eurojust, the European Union's Judicial Co-operation Unit, celebrated its fifth birthday, Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini presented his vision of how to strengthen the body's legal structure. 

The European Commission has launched an EU-wide crackdown on cross-border scams such as phoney lotteries and bogus holiday clubs and on companies abusing consumer-protection rules.

The European Crime and Safety Survey (EU ICS), the most comprehensive analysis of crime, security and safety ever conducted in the EU, was presented in Brussels this week. While positive findings include a fall in overall crime, member state 'hotspots' still prevail.

The European Union and US have launched a co-operation "contact group" concerning criminal justice, primarily in the fight against terrorism.

Questioned by the Parliament on the EU action against forced prostitution during major sport events, Justice Commissioner Frattini said that an EU-wide hotline for victims of forced prostitution is under consideration.

The Commission President proposes to use existing treaties to allow tighter cooperation in the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

The Austrian presidency is pressing Bulgaria to make further efforts to fight organised crime. Commissioner Rehn shares the presidency's worries.

The Commission has put forward proposals to allow information on potential criminals is to be made available across state borders.

The fight against terrorism must be global and multilateral, says EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, announcing a Commission initiative on the international dimension of security.