The main threat in Europe is organized crimes

Organized criminal activity in Europe, it is widely accepted, has grown enormously in the last decade. The last ten-fifteen years have witnessed great changes in the political makeup of Europe, the collapse of Communism in 1989 and the deepening and widening of the European Union, through the establishment of the Treaties, have all been factors in the contribution to the growth of organized crime.

Although organized crime is certainly not a new phenomenon it has become, in recent years, increasingly more widespread and highly sophisticated, taking advantage of the advances in technology, particularly in the field of communications. It has also been quick to adapt and exploit the changing political and economic mechanisms within Europe. This is particularly the case with the transition economies of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) in Eastern Europe. The dramatic changes that followed 1989 and the resultant political and economic chaos have left many CIS countries extremely vulnerable to organized crime.

Why has Organized Crime Increased?

The reasons for the increase in organized crime are many and varied. One of the most important reasons for the sudden increase in organized criminal activity was the signing of the SEA (Single European Act) in 1986 and its introduction and provision, which states the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital, also provided a favorable situation for organized crime. The wholesale removal of borders across Europe meant that organized crime from the East could join together with those in the West. The Western groups very quickly moved into the East and Russia in order to provide assistance in the methods of sophisticated criminal techniques, to tap into the newly emerging markets for drugs and luxury consumer goods and also to secure their position in the