MIND THE GAP - Analysis of research on illicit economies in the Western Balkans

This is despite the 1999 reforms in justice and home affairs fostered by the EU through the Stabilization and Association Process.8 The objective of this study prepared by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) is to systematically and strategically identify gaps in the current understanding of orga- nized crime in the Western Balkans, and to suggest future areas of w. [...] After first describing the methodology and data collection techniques of the gap analysis, the paper explains the scale, scope and impact of organized crime and corruption research in the Western Balkans. [...] One of the most worrying findings is that state-embedded actors are the most dominant type of criminal actor in the Western Balkans.45 Resilience to illicit crime Between 2017 and 2022, most research in the Western Balkans focused on resilience – that is, the existence and capacity of countries (including state and non-state actors) to prevent and suppress organized crime and corruption through po. [...] Issued in 2016, it assessed that the production and smuggling of drugs were the dominant and the most profitable types of organized crime, with the largest number of organized criminal groups involved.60 Overall, governmental assessments underline that corruption is the leading driver of organized crime in the Western Balkans countries, while laundered profit is the primary power tool of criminal. [...] For instance, the Horizontal Facility is a joint initiative of the EU and the Council of Europe designed to strengthen the efficiency and independence of the judici- ary; fight against corruption, organized crime and economic crime; promote freedom of expression, media rights and anti-discrimination; and protect the rights of vulnerable groups.79 To a lesser extent, the EU assists civil society in.