EU legislation in the field of financial and organised crime is affected by different issues. The anti-money laundering (and counter-terrorist financing) legislation is dense, but it still lacks effectiveness. Although the approximation between the Member States still presents some concerns, what seems to be desirable is not further legislative intervention from the EU but to foster monitoring activities (on criminal law usage, suspicious transaction reports, and FIU functioning, etc.). In this context, a specialised agency could be of remarkable value, but the corresponding draft needs accurate analysis. With regard to organised crime, FD 2008/841/JHA features too narrow a scope, on the one hand, when it requires the aim of obtaining “financial or other material benefit.” On the other hand, the EU definitions on the matter are too broad (e.g., as to what concerns participation in a criminal organisation). A more specific set of autonomous definitions oriented towards the specific forms … Read more

This article analyses and comments on the opinion of the Advocate General and the ECJ judgment in case C-268/17 (European arrest warrant against AY). Interestingly, the case has remained somewhat unnoticed, the literature on it being scarce. However, it addresses some quite appealing issues. First, the case poses interesting questions on the admissibility of the reference for a preliminary ruling. Here, the Advocate General’s and the Court’s views disagree, which opens a general debate around the preliminary ruling reference mechanism. Second, the case deals with the obligation of the executing authority to decide on each incoming EAW, even if an earlier one relating to the same person and the same facts had already been refused. Third, the ECJ had the opportunity, for the first time, to specify its case law on the provisions reflecting the ne bis in idem principle in the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant (Arts. … Read more

The article analyses the state of implementation and the effectiveness of measures applied by competent administrative programme authorities under shared management in the EU cohesion policy for the prevention, detection, correction and prosecution of fraud. It discusses the concrete initiatives taken to increase the preparedness of the management and control systems against fraud and presents the various components needed for a consistent administrative response in reaction to fraudulent irregularities. It also discusses possible reform ideas and looks at what will change with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The article starts with discussing the impact of globalization on crime and with further details on challenges posed by transnational crime. The author uses the legal approach and the human rights-based approach to address the issue. He outlines the limitations of a purely legal approach to transnational crime and highlights the role of the human rights-based approach as well as the attribution of State responsibility to transnational crime as effective means to combat transnational crime. He concludes that through the human rights-based approach, State responsibility can be attributed to transnational crime for the default of the State to take reasonable measures, in order to prevent acts that cause core human rights violations, including the omission to cooperate in global efforts to combat transnational crime.

This article provides a summary of an assessment and conclusions on the implementation of the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant (FD EAW) recently published by the European Parliamentary Research Service. It also contains recommendations on how to address the shortcomings identified. It is intended to contribute to the European Parliament's discussions on this topic, improving understanding of the subject, and ultimately feeding into an implementation report by the European Parliament. The study concluded that the FD EAW has simplified and sped up surrender procedures, including for some high-profile cases of serious crime and terrorism. A number of outstanding challenges relate back to core debates concerning judicial independence, the nature of mutual recognition and its relationship with international and EU law and values, constitutional principles and additional harmonisation measures. Furthermore, there are gaps in effectiveness, efficiency and coherence with other measures and the application of digital tools. The study … Read more

The last few years have seen the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (“Frontex”) grow ever more central to European efforts to control the external borders. The Agency moved from a merely coordinating and supporting role to a much more operational one. Frontex now engages in tasks running the gamut from surveying the borders and returning irregular migrants to combating criminal activity. To make this possible, the financial and personnel resources at the disposal of the Agency were increased substantially. This article first sheds some light on the historical background of the Agency. It then traces the successive mandate revisions and the growth in power they entailed. The article then examines how crime fighting was introduced into Frontex’ mandate, before analysing the Agency's contribution to combating criminal activity and its implications.