Preventing misuse of public funds by criminal organisations
Public funds should be made fully traceable to prevent mafia-styled organisations from misusing them, states a resolution approved by the Civil Liberties Committee. MEPs call for a special EP committee to investigate infiltration of the public sector and the legal economy by organized crime.
Organized crime takes advantage of globalization, the abolition of borders in the EU and differences among EU Member States laws to make substantial profits and go unpunished. This is possible due to criminal organizations that have created a support network and consolidated infiltrations into the political world, the civil service and the legal economy, says the resolution.
In order to prevent any misuse of public funds the committee calls on the Commission to draft rules ensuring that the use of EU funds is fully traceable by the public authorities, the citizens and the press.
The Commission should also draw up a legislation to prevent companies linked to organized crime from taking part in public procurement procedures. Full traceability of financial flows linked to public works, services and supply contracts should be guaranteed in all instances, say MEPs.
EP special committee
MEPs advocate setting up a special EP committee on the spread of cross-border criminal organisations. This committee should investigate the misuse of public funds by criminal organisations, their infiltration of the public sector and their contamination of legal economy and financial system.
The Civil Liberties Committee also calls on the Commission to table, as soon as possible, a legislative proposal on the seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of crime. Any revenue directly or indirectly connected with organised crime should be subject to seizure and confiscation, say MEPs.
MEPs suggest laying down rules to ensure that those who have been sentenced for membership of criminal organisation will be unable to stand for European elections. They also call on Member States to introduce similar rules for national and local elections.
The Commission should assess the implications of establishing a European public prosecutor's office and also the likely impact of extending the office's proposed remit to include the fight against cross-border organised crime and corruption (a possibility provided for in the Lisbon Treaty).