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Abstract

At the beginning of the 21st century organised crime has become a "hot" topic in public debate and on political agendas across Europe. To control organised crime, far-reaching legal and institutional reforms have been passed in all European states and ad hoc instruments have been adopted by all major international organisations.
Despite its great media success and the flurry of national and international initiatives, comparative research has thus far been limited. This volume represents the first attempt systematically to compare organised crime concepts, as well as concrete historical and contemporary patterns and control policies in thirteen European countries. These include seven "old" EU Member States (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom), two "new" members (the Czech Republic and Poland), a candidate country (Turkey), and three non-EU countries (Albania, Russia and Switzerland).
Writing on the basis of a standardised research protocol, thirty-three experts from different legal and social disciplines provide insight through detailed country reports. On this basis, the editors compare organised crime patterns and policies in Europe and assess EU initiatives against organised crime.
Thanks to its informed analyses and unprejudiced assessments, "Organised Crime in Europe" will become an indispensable resource for scholars, students, practitioners, and policy-makers interested in understanding the complex phenomenon of organised crime and its related control policies in Europe.