Organized Crime, and crime more generally, increasingly transcends national borders. As discussed in my last blog, globalization and technological advances have generated vast opportunities for Organized Crime. Nowadays, the victim of a crime can be in a different jurisdiction than both the criminals and their means for committing the crime. Meanwhile, the abilities of domestic authorities to counter the problem are largely constrained by national borders, necessitating ever-increasing transnational cooperation to counter Transnational Crime.
The European Union’s coordinated transnational approach to Serious and Organized Crime provides a good example of collaboration. It is perhaps not surprising that the Union, with its high level of transnational cooperation and coordination of domestic law, has an advanced approach for cooperation in containing Organized Crime.
The coordinated response to Serious and Organized Crime within the European Union is managed by a four-year policy cycle known as the “European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats” (EMPACT). The intelligence-led initiative ensures that efforts focus on the most critical criminal trends and threats in EU member states at any given time. An evidence-based process utilizes the best available knowledge to develop a multidisciplinary, coordinated and inclusive approach for addressing identified priorities. The joint policy also contributes to the coordination of national crime strategies. Moreover, the process aims to align how law enforcement agencies operationalize political decisions.
The policy cycle is guided by the European Union Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU SOCTA). Europol prepares the assessment based on analyses of data on Serious and Organized Crime from all Member States. The threat assessment provides a regional intelligence picture of the criminal networks and their operations. Also, it attempts to describe the broader environmental factors that influence Serious and Organized Crime in the EU. The assessment is forward-looking in its efforts to describe changes in crime trends and modus operandi and identify key developments.
The insights from EU SOCTA provide the basis for setting priorities for addressing Serious and Organized Crime in the region for the next four years. The priorities are decided on by the Justice and Home Affairs ministers of all the Member States, who act together as the Council of the European Union. Setting these priorities provides the political direction necessary for the Member States to focus their collective efforts on a realistically manageable number of priorities.
Subsequently, the European Commission drafts a four-year strategic plan for each of the priorities, complemented by one overarching strategic plan. These Multi-Annual Strategic Plans (MASPs) set strategic goals for the policy cycle. The participating states draft annual Operational Action Plans (OAPs) for each priority to outline the implementation of the MASPs. The OAP outline the joint actions of member states, institutions and agencies of the Union, and external partners.
Review and assessments are conducted throughout the four-year policy cycle to ensure the strategic plans, implementation, or even the priorities themselves adapt to changes in the criminal landscape. Europol provides an interim assessment of new, changing or emerging threats with emphasis on the current priorities. A thorough and independent evaluation ensures the lessons learned will inform the next policy cycle at the end of the four years.
What is most intriguing about the EMPACT model is how the 27 participating nation-states have managed to build a process for coordinating their strategies and operational efforts in addressing Serious and Organized Crime. The accomplishment is twofold. First, the participating domestic authorities share information about domestic crime beyond what is common practice amongst nation-states. Second, domestic political leaders have committed to emphasizing the region’s common interests and contributing resources for coordinated efforts.
Another attractive feature is the joint effort to identify and respond to changes in the Serious and Organized Crime landscape. This flexibility is important in light of how quickly Serious and Organized Crime adapts to obstacles and emerging opportunities. The European Union’s intelligence and evidence-based approach and its integrated processes for evaluating and modifying strategies and operational implementation have proven effective. Outside the EU, International efforts to counter Transnational Organized Crime are often infrequently reviewed and thus fail to adapt or stay on target.
Finally, the multidisciplinary approach of the EMPACT is encouraging. The approach recognizes how a broad range of public and private actors can prevent and address Serious and Organized Crime. The European Union and many of its Member States are thus at the forefront in promoting and developing alternative approaches for addressing Serious and Organized Crime. I will discuss these approaches in a later blog.
Transnational responses to Transnational Crime can undoubtedly learn from the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT). The initiative is an example of coordination of national strategies and operations to enhance and mutually benefit all participating states.
