Press Release: Crime does not pay: cracking down on criminal profits

Every year in Europe, hundreds of billions of euro go straight into the pockets of criminal gangs and the mafia. Despite efforts by law enforcement around Europe, much of the illegal profits remain in the hands of criminals. This makes criminal groups stronger and robs European citizens of tax money which could be invested in health care or schools.

The Commission has proposed new rules for more effective and widespread confiscation of funds and other property acquired through crime. This will enhance the ability of Member States to confiscate assets that have been transferred to third parties, it will make it easier to confiscate criminal assets even when the suspect has fled and will ensure that competent authorities can temporarily freeze assets that risk disappearing if no action is taken.

European Commission: Memo/12/179: Confiscation and asset recovery: Better tools to fight crime http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/12/179&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: Speech/12/180: Cecilia Malmstrom: Confiscating assets: Hitting Criminals Where It Hurts http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/12/180&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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