2015-12-16

BRUSSELS - Despite a European directive on joint jurisdiction on confiscated goods, actual European monitoring is virtually nonexistent. European criminal organisations take advantage of this lack of solid jurisdiction.

In 2006 the European Council adopted the framework directive 2006/783/GAI, to provide a joint jurisdiction on goods confiscated from criminal organisations. Eight years later, 21 countries adhere to the decision but seven still are missing: Italy, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.

Confiscated assets are worth almost 4 billion euros a year in all of Europe. The data currently available Europe-wide, however, do not allow for a complete picture on confiscated goods. Aside from some national information, there is a lack of stats detailing the extent to which member states are able to recover illicit assets and cash. It is hard to estimate the true size of criminal wealth that ends up in the control of the state.

The cross-border data project Confiscated Goods focused on five main European countries, each with its own peculiarities when it comes to confiscation and freezing of assets: Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK.

Photos © Arctic Wolves

Team members

Andrea Nelson Mauro

Andrea Nelson Mauro is an Italian journalist based in Bologna.

Andrea Nelson Mauro

Daniele Grasso

Daniele Grasso is an Italian data - driven journalist based in Madrid at El Pais.

Gianluca De Martino

Gianluca De Martino is an Italian freelance journalist.

Alessio Cimarelli

Alessio Cimarelli is an Italian freelance data journalist/scientist based in Bologna.

Supported
Grant of €6.000, allocated on 29/11/2014
ID
2014/242

NEWSPAPER

TV

ONLINE

need resources for your own investigative story?

Journalismfund Europe's flexible grants programmes enable journalists to produce relevant public interest stories with a European mind-set from international, national, and regional perspectives.

Apply

support independent cross-border investigative journalism

We rely on your support to continue the work that we do. Make a gift of any amount today.

Donate