EU strengthens joint efforts to tackle cross-border organized crime

The European Union wants to help the judicial authorities in its 27 member states work more closely together in the fight against organized crime.

European cooperation needs to be strengthened and better coordinated to deal with the complex and rapid development of international crime, representatives of the European judicial network Eurojust said in The Hague on Wednesday.

Eurojust President Ladislav Hamran said the new initiative sent a clear signal of intent. "Organized crime knows no borders, but it also knows nothing of our determination to investigate and prosecute."

Eurojust says organized crime generates an estimated €139 billion ($156 billion) a year within the EU.

More than three quarters of all criminal gangs in the EU are active in several countries, and the new justice network aims to ensure that investigators can intervene more quickly and flexibly.

The network's main focus is on the fight against drug trafficking. About 50% of the gangs are involved in the drug business, according to a Europol report. This is often associated with extreme violence, money laundering and other serious crimes.

The EU's judicial agency Eurojust has been supporting national judicial authorities in the fight against organised crime for more than 20 years. It works closely with Europol, the European police agency, which is also based in The Hague.