The structures of organised crime and terrorist groups are similar, as are their procedures and methods. This also includes how they finance themselves, how they use the proceeds of their activities and at least partially transfer them into the regular money cycle through money laundering. The Western Balkans are considered the hinterland of criminal organisations based in the EU and operating across borders. Against this background, the mafia’s connections to the Western Balkans, especially Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo, are important; here they also meet terrorist actors such as the IS and the ANA. They enter into purposeful cooperations in order to jointly pursue their respective interests. The purpose of this book is to examine this constellation in order to show what impact it has on the EU and its member states. Subsequently, possible solutions are formulated for the strategic and operational levels. The findings are based on a research project conducted by the Institute for Police and Security Research (Bremen University of Public Administration), financed by the EU’s ‚Internal Security Fund‘ via the BKA.
This book addresses a polycrime conglomerate within the framework of a project funded by the EU from the ISF, which relates to illegal archaeological excavations, the trade in these cultural goods and, in particular, to forgeries of artefacts – original fakes. The fact that illegal excavations and the trade in these objects do not comply with the law is unquestionable and at the same time, just like the production of supposedly original archaeological cultural goods, the object of the profit motive – by means of money laundering – of criminal networks, but can also have political backgrounds in parts. This thematic complexity and its negative effects on the historical and social dimensions of the exploitation and falsification of cultural property define a field of activity (not only related to law enforcement) to which the EU must pay increased attention for a variety of reasons.
Present book addresses the concepts, policies, programmes, legislative measures and institutions constituting the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice – with emphasis on the protection of civil liberties, namely fundamental rights, and liberal democratic values against the background of Human Rights. To work on this multi-layered dichotomy – liberty and security, or vice versa, – has been the idea when conceptualising the project ERUPT (European Rights and Union Protection Tools) as a Jean Monnet Module under the ERASMUS+ programme of the EU.
With an ever closer look at movements organised by interest groups with unclear aims and non-transparent agendas, the democracies’ acceptance of deviating (and not necessarily fact-based) world views is challenged. Extra-parliamentary oppositions are democratically not legitimised but claim to speak on behalf of “the people” for the purpose of “revealing the truth”. Consequently, there is serious mal-advocacy in the name of the people. By making use of disinformation, propaganda, lies (fake news), and violence, these nevertheless civic movements are capitalising on the freedom of expression guaranteed by Human and Fundamental Rights. Against the background of numerous researches published in the recent years, present book is presenting a use-case (“The Galactic Federation of the Light”) to illustrate the threats to free and open societies deriving from such movements. The authors argue in the light of Human and Fundamental Rights that the freedom of expression as such is well-fortified to stand in against conspiracies and anti-democratic ideas.
As part of a research project funded by the EU Internal Security Fund (ISF-Polizei )and awarded by the Federal Criminal Police Office as the competent authority, the Institute for Police and Security Research (IPoS) of the Bremen University of Applied Sciences (HfÖV) investigated the aspects of radicalisation and deradicalisation in German prisons as well as possibilities for the social (re)integration of prisoners, whereby a special reference was made to structures outside of prison (aftercare and probationary services, but also prisoner support from the radical milieu). In this book, the relevant legal framework in Germany is analysed against the background of international regulations and practices. This is supplemented by interviews with experts from the fields of prison, probation services, ministries (political level), public prosecutors, lawyers, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, police, academia and civil society actors. Recommendations for action are derived from the findings.