A European Parliament report seen by SPIEGEL estimates that 3,600 international
organized crime organizations operate within the EU. The damage done to European
economies by organized crime totals hundreds of billions of euros according to a
European Parliament special committee investigating crime, money laundering and
corruption. The CRIM committee estimates that around 880,000 slave laborers live
in the EU, of whom 270,000 are victims of sexual exploitation. Human trafficking
alone generates profits of around €25 billion while the illegal trade in human
organs and wild animals makes for a further estimated profit of between €18 and
€26 billion annually. Meanwhile, cybercrime causes an estimated €290 billion of
damage. The report calls rampant corruption 'a serious threat' with 20 million
cases worth a total of €120 billion registered in the public sector alone. The
European Commission has called for intensified cross-border cooperation between
police forces and judiciaries in member states. Proposals include the
elimination of tax havens and the criminalisation of vote-buying throughout the
EU. The committee further advocates that individuals convicted of money
laundering or corruption are excluded from involvement in government procurement
for a period of five years. Whistleblowers who expose malpractice in either
business or government are to be provided with Europe-wide legal protection and
freedom from criminal prosecution. The European Parliament will vote on the CRIM
report on October 23.
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