In Corruption and Organised Crime in Europe, Gounev and Ruggiero present a discussion of the relation between organized criminals and corruption in the EU’s 27 Member States. The book draws on research and scholarly work the editors carried out, respectively, within the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) in Bulgaria, and within academic institutions, as well as on behalf of the European Commission and the United Nations. Combining empirical data and theoretical debates, the book focuses on three main areas of the relationship between corruption and organised crime: public bodies, the private sector and criminal markets. It presents the findings of a recent research project carried out by the CSD on behalf of the European Commission, providing an analysis of the specific national contexts in which corruption and organized crime thrive. The essays also address institutional responses and policies, focusing particularly on how EU Member States attempt to sever the links between the official economy, the political sphere and organized crime. The second part of the book presents case studies, written by some of the foremost international experts on the subject matter, analysing corrupt exchange and criminal organisations, concentrating on specific European countries – Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK. As the first comprehensive study of corruption and organised crime in the countries of the European Union, the book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of criminology, sociology, law and international politics, as well policy makers and law-enforcement agencies.

This volume represents the first attempt to systematically compare organised crime concepts, as well as historical and contemporary patterns and control policies in thirteen European countries. These include seven ‘old’ EU Member States, two ‘new’ members, a candidate country, and three non-EU countries. Based on a standardised research protocol, thirty-three experts from different legal and social disciplines provide insight through detailed country reports. On this basis, the editors compare organised crime patterns and policies in Europe and assess EU initiatives against organised crime.

Recent years have been characterised by growing awareness among European member states about serious shortcomings to the way organised crime is measured and assessed. Currently, organised crime reports primarily generate descriptive analyses of a past situation based on law enforcement data and do not always provide the necessary information for proactive and preventive policy strategies. Therefore an EU Action Plan has been issued to develop a more future oriented and risk based methodology for the measurement of organised crime and to convert the traditional organised crime situation reports into strategic reports for planning purposes. This book is the outcome of two studies undertaken by a team composed of Belgian, Italian and Swedish researchers for the European Commission. It presents an overview of current practices in the measurement of organised crime in Europe and includes a discussion about the concept and the assessment of the impact of the phenomenon. Further the feasibility of the implementation of the existing EU Action Plan was studied and evaluated. As a result of applied research Measuring Organised Crime in Europe provides an in depth and comparative analysis of current practice in drafting organised crime reports across and by the EU and offers new ideas to improve their quality.

This book explores China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the criminogenic potential for economic, financial, and socio-cultural cooperation across countries, where some are known for weak law enforcement and high levels of corruption. It examines whether these flows of capital are increasing the amount of organized crime in the newly linked regions and how law enforcement agencies are responding. Bringing together experts across the Global South and Europe, this book considers transnational organized crime and corruption across One Belt One Road (OBOR). It examines crime and corruption in China and its international United Front tactic; analyzes various forms of transnational organized crime such as trafficking of illegal drugs, looted antiquities, and wildlife and counterfeit products; and presents studies on corruption and organized crime in selected OBOR countries including Russia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, and Bangladesh. This book makes a significant contribution to the development of southern criminology and will also be of interest to those engaged with transnational organized crime, political economy, international relations, and Asian and Chinese studies.

​​​This volume collects new contributions to research on mafias, organized crime, money laundering, and other forms of complex crimes, gathering some of the most authoritative and well-known scholars in the field. The chapters for this volume are original peices written in honor of the retirement of Dr. Ernesto U. Savona, highlighting his research and legacy. Throughout his academic career, Professor Ernesto U. Savona has investigated complex crimes ranging from organized crime, to economic crime, to money laundering. In his work, he has tried to bring together academics, policy makers, and practitioners to bring understanding for crime problems and innovative solutions. His passion towards the practical application of the findings of scientific research led him to found Transcrime in 1994, which is today among the most important criminological think-tanks in Europe.This important book is aimed at scholars studying criminal policy and research, particularly in the areas of criminal networks, organized crime, white collar crime, the history of criminology.

"This study demonstrates the need to tackle organised crime and corruption together as the two are in a mutually reinforcing relationship. Organised crime groups attempt to regulate and control the production and distribution of a given commodity of service unlawfully. In so doing, their aim is to bend the rules in their favour by corrupting officials. Corruption undermines the rule of law, which in turn provides more opportunities for organised criminals to expand their control over the legal economy and politics or even to take over governance tasks in regions and communities. Given their illicit nature and the need to interpret the available criminal justice data within a broader setting, the impact of organised crime and corruption is hard to measure. Within this context it is difficult to estimate with a sufficient degree of certainty an overall Cost of NonEurope in this policy field. This study does, however, provide scenarios showing the cost of corruption to the European economy. The scenario deemed most feasible by us points to an economic loss in terms of GDP of between 218 and 282 billion euro annually. The study also builds on existing estimates of the size of illicit markets representing a value of around 110 billion euro and points to the significant social and political costs of organised crime and corruption. The study seeks to establish the potential benefits of addressing the gaps and barriers that hinder a more effective fight against organised crime and corruption within the European Union. As combatting organised crime and corruption is a shared competence of the EU and its Member States, our estimates show the potential that could be achieved together by better transposition and enforcement of international and EU norms, filling the outstanding legislative gaps and improving the policy making process and operational cooperation between authorities. Where possible, the benefits of specific policy options to overcome gaps and barriers in the current framework have been quantified. The study demonstrates, based on quantified building blocks, that the Cost of Non-Europe in the field of organised crime and corruption is at least 71 billion euro annually"--Publisher's description.

The infiltration of organised crime in the legitimate economy has emerged as a transnational phenomenon. This book constitutes an unprecedented study of the involvement of criminal groups in the legitimate economy and their infiltration in legal businesses, and is the first to bridge the research gap between money laundering and organised crime. It analyses the main drivers of this process, explaining why, how and where infiltration happens. Building on empirical evidence from the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Ireland, Italy, France and Finland, Organised Crime in European Businesses is divided into four parts. Part I explores the infiltration of legitimate businesses to conceal and facilitate illicit trafficking. Part II examines the infiltration of legitimate businesses to develop fraud schemes. Part III focuses on the infiltration of legitimate businesses to control the territory and influence policy makers. Part IV concludes by considering the research and policy implications in light of these findings. Bringing together leading experts and detailed case studies, this book considers the infiltration of organised crime in legitimate business around Europe. It is an ideal resource for students and academics in the fields of criminology, economics and sociology, as well as private sector practitioners, public officials and policy makers.

This book deals with the widespread economic and financial crime issues of corruption, the shadow economy and money laundering. It investigates both the theoretical and practical aspects of these crimes, identifying their effects on economic, social and political life. This book presents these causes and effects with a state of the art review and with recent empirical research. It compares the international and transnational aspects of these economic and financial crimes through discussion and critical analysis. This volume will be of interest to researchers and policy makers working to study and prevent economic and financial crime, white collar crime, and organized crime.