The impact on the European Union of organized crime originating from the Balkans

Abstract

The aims of this dissertation are tow-fold: to assess the impact on the European Union of organized crime originating from the Balkans and to examine whether the main instruments and initiatives at the European Union's disposal are enough not to be outpaced by the rampant growth of transnational organized crime. The dissertation is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the difficulties in defining organized crime, whereas the second and third sections describe the development of transnational organized crime in Europe by specifically focusing on the rapid development of transnational organized crime in Bulgaria and Romania. Chapter 2 assesses the extent and transnational nature of the salient typologies of illicit activities in Bulgaria and Romania: drug trafficking, crimes against persons, money laundering and corruption. Chapter 3 analyzes the impact on the European Union of such organized crime originating from Balkans. Chapter 4 examines the present state of the major European Union initiatives to counter balance transnational organized crime. By specifically focusing on Bulgaria and Romania, I will be able to assess this area of study from a relatively new angle. Bulgaria's and Romania's European Union membership only took place in 2007, one can therefore find very limited studies which deal specifically with the impact of organized crime originating from the European Union membership of these two countries. Although in this dissertation I will attempt to be as comprehensive as possible, I hope that it will encourage and act as a stepping stone for future research in this area. This could not only contribute to the fight against organized crime, but also to the enlargement process of the European Union in light of possible future accessions of other Balkan countries.