The primary goal of organised crime is profit. Law enforcement must therefore have the
capacity to turn the spotlight on the finance of organised crime, often inherently linked
to corruption, fraud, counterfeiting and smuggling. International criminal networks use
legal business structures to conceal the source of their profits, so action is needed to
address the infiltration of the licit economy by organised crime.
The recently-agreed Anti-Money Laundering package34 will help to identify and follow
up on suspicious transfers of money and facilitate the efficient exchange of information
between Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs). The Commission will support the
implementation of this legislation to make it harder for criminals to abuse the financial
system, and work on a supranational assessment of risks that will address, among others,
terrorist financing and virtual currencies. It will also establish a coherent policy towards
third countries that have deficient anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing
regimes. Linking up the work of national Asset Recovery Offices will improve crossborder freezing and confiscation of criminal assets. It is necessary to align and reinforce
the powers of FIUs, as differences in their roles hinders cooperation and information
exchange. Eurojust could also offer more expertise and assistance to the national
authorities when conducting financial investigations. Mutual recognition of freezing
and confiscation orders should be improved. In 2016, as requested by the co-legislators,
the Commission will issue a feasibility study on common rules on non-conviction based
confiscation of property derived from criminal activities.
Recent terrorist attacks have focused attention on how organised criminals are able to
access and trade firearms in Europe, even military-grade firearms, in large numbers. The
decision on who can hold a firearm and when they can be used is a societal choice for
Member States. However, differences in national legislation are an obstacle to controls
and police cooperation. As a priority, a common approach is needed on the neutralisation
and de-activation of firearms to prevent reactivation and use by criminals. The
Commission will review the existing legislation on firearms in 2016 to improve the
sharing of information (e.g. by uploading information on seized firearms in Europol’s
information system), to reinforce traceability, to standardise marking, and to establish
common standards for neutralising firearms. In the context of the on-going evaluation,
the Commission will consider whether to include weapons designed for self-protection
(alarm weapons) in the new provisions, as well as any other relevant aspect.
Trafficking of firearms has a critical external dimension, given that many illegal
firearms in the EU have been imported from neighbouring countries where large
stockpiles of military weapons remain. The recent operational action plan with the
Western Balkans should be implemented to the full and, if effective, be replicated with
other neighbours, in particular countries in the Middle East and North Africa.35
The market for illicit drugs remains the most dynamic of criminal markets, with a recent
trend being the proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS). The production of
NPS increasingly takes place in the EU and points to the urgency of adopting a new EU
legislative framework. The EU should continue to support Member States' activities in
fighting illicit drugs, including prevention, using the expertise of the European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol. The
Commission will assess the progress made in implementing the EU Drugs Action Plan
34
35
4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive and Regulation on information accompanying transfers of funds; see related
Commission proposals COM(2013) 45 final of 5.2.2013 and COM(2013) 44 final of 5.2.2013.
December 2014 operational action plan between the EU and the Western Balkans on the fight against illegal
trafficking in firearms.
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