Combating organized crime: guidelines, prevention, comprehensive strategy. Report on action programme, Cardiff 1998

In a document intended for the Cardiff European Council (June 1998), the Council presents a progress report on implementation of the recommendations formulated in the action programme on organized crime (COS0548). Among the notable advances featured in the report are in particular: - the creation of the multidisciplinary group on organized crime, - conclusion of the pre-accession pact on organized crime with the applicant countries and Cyprus, - conclusion of a political agreement on joint action to criminalise participation in a criminal organization by anyone living in a Member State, wherever the organization is based or is active in the EU; - signature of the convention on customs cooperation and corruption and substantial progress on the draft convention on mutual judicial assistance in criminal matters; - establishment of a European judicial network to improve practical cooperation and an agreement on joint action on best practices in mutual judicial assistance in criminal cases; - establishment of a mutual evaluation system to assess the reasons for delays in providing mutual judicial assistance and urgent requests for confiscation of assets; - improvement in the system for collecting and analysing data on organized crime; - adoption of the Falcone programme for action to combat organized crime. The report notes substantial progress in ratification of the Europol Convention (14 out of 15 Member States) and on its practical implementation. The report also stresses the efforts of the Multidisciplinary Working Party to improve operational cooperation at strategic level. The Working Party has in particular adopted a practical approach to action against crime based on a multi-service approach. It has also made contacts with some key countries and organizations outside the EU (USA, Canada and Council of Europe) and made some moves towards Russia. �