How criminal networks destabilise the EU

About this episode

This episode explores how serious and organised crime destabilises the EU and its Member States.

Serious and organised crime is not just a threat to public safety; it impacts the very foundations of the EU and its society. It has a double destabilising effect on the EU. It undermines the EU’s economy, rule of law and society by generating illicit proceeds, spreading violence, and normalising corruption. But the threat does not stop there: increasingly, criminal networks serve as proxies for hybrid threat actors, exploiting vulnerabilities to destabilise the EU and its Member States from within. Drugs, firearms trafficking, hybrid threats and organised criminal networks recruiting young people to carry out acts of violence, including contract killings. These are a few examples which we will explore in this episode, to find out how serious and organised crime is destabilising the EU.

Topics covered

• serious crime
• organised crime
• EU stability
• corruption
• hybrid threats
• drug trafficking
• firearms trafficking

Keywords

• criminal networks
• EU economy
• rule of law
• illicit proceeds
• violence
• corruption
• hybrid threats

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: EU, Europol

Places: EU Member States

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