First conference on Eurasian organised crime held at Europol

Over the last few years, Europol has received increasingly stronger signals from EU Member States about a rise in the activities of Eurasian organised crime groups. Both strategic and operational information has indicated that Eurasian groups are moving to European territory, which they perceive as vulnerable, accessible and profitable, due to - amongst other things - the different legislations in the various countries. The Member States most affected by these groups have been proactive in coming forward with an appropriate response. This has included the comprehensive involvement of Europol, through its specialised focal point EEOC, resulting in a large number of arrests in different countries during 2013 including high-level thieves-in-law. The EU Conference on Eurasian Organised Crime (EOC) was opened by Europol's Director on 17 October 2013 in The Hague.

Over a day and a half, a wide range of topics was presented and discussed by 90 participants, among which were law enforcement officials, practitioners and academics. The subjects included:

-Perspectives on the threat of Eurasian groups of the EU and criminal activities
-Situation of EOC in Italy
-Corruption in relation to Eurasian organised crime.

A delegation from Russian law enforcement was also present and delivered two presentations. In addition, Serguei Cheloukhine, Professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York; Mark Galeoti, Professor of Global Affairs at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University; and Federico Varese, Professor of Criminology at the University of Oxford, gave insights into this growing area of organised crime. Mr Cheloukhine's recommendations for the effective combating of such crime included adopting not only a reactive but also a proactive approach, coupled with creative-thinking in investigations. The criminals involved are apparently some of the best educated, often with PhDs in economics, finance and information technology. He went on to explain how one of law enforcement's greatest challenges is the tracking of criminal proceeds and investigating the way in which the organised crime groups invest their assets.

Delegates appreciated the breadth of the various themes presented at the conference and the high value of the research and analysis work that has been carried out by academics and practitioners alike. The presentations and discussions, coupled with the opportunities for networking, means that the conference will likely remain a regular fixture for EU Member States in their efforts to combat Eurasian organised crime.