A meeting was held yesterday in Amsterdam with the Ministers of the Interior and Justice of six European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Spain). During the meeting, the fight against organized crime was examined starting from the recent violent episodes in northern Europe and then focusing on the international modus operandi relating to drug trafficking and the importance of strategic hubs as well as the risks of interpenetration between the criminal world and whites. collar crimes. Collaboration will therefore be strengthened with a view to also achieving cooperation with Latin American countries.
During the meeting, the Minister of Justice and Security of the Netherlands, Ms Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, agreed on a multi-year action plan with the Ministers and the Justice and Home Affairs representatives of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain to work together as a united front against organized crime. Also present at the meeting were the European Commission, Europol and Eurojust. The aim is to identify and neutralize criminal networks also by combining resources, expertise and interventions, using them jointly.
Italy, present at the meeting with a technical delegation led by the Deputy Director General for the coordination and planning of the Police Prefetto Gambacurta, accompanied by the Director of the International Relations Service of the Office of Coordination and Planning of the Police Forces and by a representation of the Ministry of Justice who participated in the working session. In particular, the Spanish Minister of the Interior, in underlining the importance of the tracing of financial assets, also anticipated that the fight against organized crime will be one of the priorities of the future Spanish EU presidency in 2023. The Belgian Interior Minister instead stressed the importance of expanding international cooperation in order to be able to trace the members of criminal associations in other countries, also recalling the existing and strongly felt conflict between the need to carry out in-depth investigations and the freedoms of the individual and the protection of personal data . The Minister also announced that the next ministerial meeting will be held in Antwerp at the beginning of 2023. In his speech, Italy applauded the Coalition's initiative, specifying that formal adhesion to the project can only take place after the new executive takes office. . Italy underlined how the plan envisages a holistic approach to the fight against organized crime, highlighting how useful ideas can be derived from the actions that will be implemented on the ports of northern Europe. Italy also underlined the importance of prevention measures, including those of a patrimonial nature, which today constitute one of the most effective advanced safeguards in the fight against mafia-type crime. In this sense, it has been highlighted that these instruments, which can constitute a replicable example in other legal systems, have been continuously refined over time, incorporating indications from European judges and must now be considered fully compliant with the principles of the rule of law. The Italian intervention was particularly applauded by the Dutch Minister who underlined the importance of making use of Italian expertise and the desire to give priority to the initiation of actions related to the legislation on confiscation.
In the continuation of the meeting it is worth noting the commitment expressed by the Commission which congratulated on the agreed activities and provided full support to the activities of the Plan, describing its strategy against organized crime that passes through tracing and cooperation with third countries to strengthen the presence of the EU by also involving the sphere of corruption. During his speech, Commissioner Johansson also highlighted the importance of the tools currently available to the Commission such as Europol's Efecc and also the Agency's expertise on cryptocurrencies and big data. The Agency also highlighted how the aggressiveness of organized crime has increased, likewise increasing Europol's investigative activity, which has achieved excellent operational results. In underlining the need to reduce the vulnerabilities underlying criminal infiltration, the agency highlighted the importance of the strategic approach in this by reading the multi-year plan and highlighting how it is in synergy with Europol's objectives.