Friday 10 December 2004 at 20:30 CET on Europe by Satellite

Organised crime and corruption in the Balkans

Interview with Mr Sorin STERIE, expert on Justice and Home Affairs in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

On the occasion of the publication of a landmark report on Balkan corruption and organised crime (study made by the independent Joint Research Centre on Transnational Crime of the Universita degli Studi di Trento and the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan), Sorin STERIE speaks about links among organised crime groups across the Balkans, about the characteristics of the Albanian mafia, about the lack of legislation and law enforcement, and on the possible liberalisation of visas in the future, given the progress achieved in the field of border management by the countries of the Balkans.

The study, which can be found on the following web page (PDF document), http://www.stabilitypact.org/upload/documents/044-TranscrimeReport.pdf contains detailed country profiles, and is quoted as “the most detailed study ever made on Balkan corruption” by Erhard Busek, the Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact.


Shot list of the interview of Sorin STERIE, expert on Justice and Home Affairs in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

00.20 On the definition of organised crime and connections between organised crime groups

02.15 On the nature and activities of albanian mafia and organised crime groups in Macedonia, Italy, Germany and Belgium

05.23 On the political will as priority for fighting organised crime

06.42 On the gaps in SEE countries legislations: data and witness protection; necessity to have agreements with Europol

09.35 Political will for fighting organised crime increases when countries come closer to the EU

10.24 On the corruption in the SEE Governments and involvement of corrupted officials in organised crime

11.00 On the visa regime between EU and SEE

13.17 Cutaways

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