Organized Crime, the Mafia, White Collar Crime, and Corruption

Abstract

By extrapolating the member states’ prerogatives over security on a national scale,* the Lisbon Treaty introduced the concept of the security of the European Union (EU). Based on its new legal personality,† it aims “to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples.”‡ To ensure the security of the Union and its citizens, the Union “shall de‡ne and pursue common policies and actions, and shall work for a high degree of cooperation.”§ e EU’s concept of security is based on a comprehensive approach that underscores “transversal” issues¶ that include:• Linkages between external and internal threats to the security of the Union as a whole and its citizens• Interrelations between terrorism and crime • Interconnections of dierent sectors of (in)security, e.g., political,‡nancial, and societal securityIntroduction: e New Security of the European Union 51 Member States’ Policy Initiatives 54 Member States’ Security Cultures 56 Finance-Related Issues in National Security Strategies 60 Conclusion 62 Acknowledgments 62In addition, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union executed in Lisbon explicitly lists certain forms of severe criminality that shall be fought on the Union level: terrorism, tracking in human beings, sexual exploitation of women and children, illicit drug tracking, illicit arms tracking, money laundering, corruption, counterfeiting, computer crime, and organized crime.*Nevertheless, the concept of security on the EU level is not as progressive in every respect. While some member states have started to count the ‡nancial sector among critical infrastructures, the process of identifying and designating European critical infrastructures (ECIs) is not as advanced. e relevant Directive 2008/114/EC concentrates on the energy and transport sectors and does not particularly envisage ‡nancial ECIs, just as it says nothing about information, communication, and technology-related infrastructure and related risks such as cyber crime.