In order to allocate resources effectively, law enforcement agencies and policymakers need to develop a clear picture of the most threatening criminal networks operating in the EU that pose a serious threat to the union’s internal security, Europol reports.
On Friday, Europol published a new report entitled “Decoding the EU’s most threatening criminal networks”,which examines the characteristics of the criminal networks that pose the greatest threat. This pan-European analysis focuses on criminal actors in a first-of-its-kind mapping of the most threatening criminal networks. It details how the most threatening criminal networks are organised, what criminal activities they engage in, how and where they operate. It also assesses which of their characteristics reinforce the threat posed by these networks.
This Europol report is one of the key results of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which strongly supported Europol’s efforts in this direction. It will be an important tool for the fight against organised crime, which is one of the EU’s top priorities, as outlined in the recent roadmap presented by the European Commission.
Speaking at a press conference on the presentation of the main findings of the report, Europol’s Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, said:
Criminals thrive in secrecy, but we are changing that. This Europol report is the most extensive study on key criminal networks ever undertaken at the European level by law enforcement. Thanks to the collaboration of all EU Member States and 17 Europol partner countries, we are shining a light on the activities of the most threatening criminal networks in the EU. This data, now centralised at Europol, will give law enforcement agencies the edge they need to better target and conduct cross-border criminal investigations.
The Belgian Minister of Home Affairs, Annelies Verlinden, said:
We are introducing a new tool in the battle against serious and organised crime – a testament to the power of unity and innovation within the European Union. This report represents a significant milestone for our Belgian Presidency, and indeed, for the entire European community, reflecting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the safety and security of our citizens. While this report is a very important achievement in itself, it is just the beginning. Considerable work and further steps are required in the coming months and years.
The Belgian Minister of Justice, Paul Van Tigchelt, said:
Combating organised crime is an absolute priority for the Belgian Presidency and this is an important new weapon in that fight. We now have, for the first time, all crucial data on the most threatening criminal networks in one location – with Europol. The next step is for the various police forces of the Member States to continue to enrich this centralised information so we can further prosecute and dismantle these networks.
The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said:
Organised crime is one of the biggest threats we face today, threatening society with corruption and extreme violence. We need to know what we’re fighting – that’s why mapping organised crime is a key objective of our EU organised crime strategy and the roadmap I launched last October. The result is this important report showing the criminal threat posed by over 800 criminal networks with tens of thousands of members. I congratulate Europol on this important report.
The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said:
The impact of these findings will have significant implications for justice systems across the EU and the rule of law. Judges and prosecutors can only fight organised crime if they are free from intimidation, threats or attempts to influence their professional integrity. We must assure that this is the case. As the most threatening criminal networks run borderless criminal operations, cooperation between experts is vital. This is why the Commission will be supporting proposals for a new EU judicial network, to be placed at Eurojust, with a focus on organised crime, including High Value Targets.
This analysis was carried out on unique data provided to Europol specifically for this purpose, and supplemented by additional information already provided to Europol as the European Criminal Intelligence Centre.
All EU Member States and 17 Europol partner countries shared their data to identify the most threatening criminal networks in Europe. The result is a unique dataset of 821 highest risk criminal networks, with extensive information on all aspects that characterise them and help assess their threat.
These criminal networks, comprising more than 25,000 individuals, have been selected based on the threat criteria they pose. These networks operate in a wide range of crime areas, from drug trafficking to migrant smuggling, property crime and others.
Trends in the most threatening criminal networks were identified by Europol by analysing the full dataset of 821 networks.
A comprehensive analysis of the 821 criminal networks resulted in the development of an ABCD that sheds light on their key characteristics. By classifying key aspects of these groups into four different dimensions – A for Agile, B for Borderless, C for Controlling, and D for Destructive – the ABCD system provides valuable insights into their modus operandi, structures and patterns of operation.
The following networks are the most dangerous:
- Agile: they demonstrate an amazing ability to adapt their criminal business processes to opportunities and challenges, including challenges from law enforcement. They are able to infiltrate and abuse legal business structures extensively. This helps their criminal businesses thrive, enables them to launder criminal proceeds and conceals them from detection. 86% of the most threatening criminal networks use legitimate business structures, with the vast majority in the EU.
- Borderless: The most dangerous criminal networks conduct criminal operations across borders. Their activities affect many countries around the world and their composition is very international, with network members from many EU and global countries. Among the members of the 821 most threatening criminal networks, 112 nationalities were represented, with 68% of the networks consisting of multiple nationalities. However, when looking at the location of their main activities, it can be seen that the vast majority of them have a clear geographical focus and do not spread their main activities too widely.
- Controlling: The highest-risk criminal networks exercise tight control and focus in their criminal operations. They tend to specialise in one main type of criminal activity; truly polycriminal networks are the exception rather than the norm. The leadership of 82% of the most dangerous criminal networks is located either in the main country of operation or in the country of origin of key members.
- Destructive: The criminal activities and corrupt practices of the most threatening criminal networks cause significant damage to internal security, the rule of law and the EU economy. Half of the most threatening criminal networks are involved in drug trafficking as a primary criminal activity. More than 70% of networks engage in corruption to facilitate criminal activity or interfere with law enforcement or judicial proceedings. 68% of networks use violence and intimidation as an integral part of their modus operandi.
The threat from these networks is pervasive and complex. A concerted, sustained, multi-pronged response and joint co-operation is needed.
The ABCD of criminal networks highlights important elements to guide policy development and operational interventions. It is a starting point for future analysis of criminal actors and will be further developed in future Europol analytical products such as the EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2025.
With this data, now centralised at Europol, national law enforcement agencies will be able to target and conduct cross-border criminal investigations better.
