Recent developments in East Central Europe have made countries in the region increasingly attractive to organised crime. The development of organised crime in ECE is seen as a significant problem with global implications. The roots of organised crime in ECE date back to the 1970s, but conditions after the revolutions of 1989 led to an influx of foreign-based gangs into the region. This has resulted in the emergence of organised crime that is predominantly international in character. Gangs have established strategic alliances to organise operations spanning three continents. The countries of ECE have been fighting back against organised crime and significant advances have been made. Continued criminal operations through the region, however, are perceived as a threat on a global scale. The accession of the Czech republic, Hungary and Poland into the EU in May 2004 will provide a clear litmus test for how successful these attempts have been to date.
[1]
Eberhardt Rt.
Illegal migration and cross-border crime: Challenges at the eastern frontier of the European Union
,
2003
.
[2]
Alan Wright.
Organized crime in Hungary: The transition from state to civil society
,
1997
.
[3]
W. Moskoff,et al.
The Second Economy in Marxist States
,
1991
.
[4]
T. Ouchterlony.
The European Communities and the Council of Europe
,
1984,
Legal Issues of Economic Integration.
[5]
Ernesto Ugo Savona,et al.
Organised Crime Around the World
,
2003
.
[6]
P. Williams.
Russian organized crime : the new threat?
,
1997
.
[7]
Ole Skovsmose,et al.
On the right Track
,
1994
.
[8]
P. Wiles.
The second economy in Marxist states
,
1992
.