the most recent edition of eurostat crime and criminal justice statistics that was published date back to twenty-nine may it covers the period from nineteen ninety-eight to two thousand and seven and it does not indicate the increase described by the honourable mep
the commission nevertheless acknowledges that organised crime is a threat to citizens and the economy throughout the european union
the commission is committed to come up with relevant proposals and to implement the actions to prevent and to combat various forms of criminal activities organised or otherwise
this is why these objectives are part of the stockholm programme comprehensive framework for eu action on the citizens justice security and migration policy for the next five years
recently the commission adopted the stockholm action plan and i think my colleague vice-president reding was here just half an hour ago to present it and discuss it with this plenary
furthermore before the end of this year the commission will present a communication on the internal security strategy and that will contain concrete proposals and threat assessments for the coming five years
of course organised crime will be included in this
common threats require common responses so common tools should be effectively used by all member states public authorities and private organisations
let me mention three types of crime which are truly european and also have an international dimension trafficking in human beings cyber crime and identity theft
the commission is determined to reinforce cooperation in this and is also preparing operational and legislative proposals on this
we will do this in cooperation with member states with the european parliament and with ngos and the private sector
dialogue coordination and operations are key words for the future sharing best practices standards guidelines developing training and research should increase mutual effectiveness and understanding
the cooperation with candidate and third countries is important to tackle crimes effectively
i would like to underline that an ambitious approach in the decision-making process depends on the political willingness of member states
the effective and efficient implementation of the adopted measures depends on the national resources allocated to achieve objectives
the commission can support member states by financial programmes to cooperate at a european level
as you all know the lisbon treaty provides the european parliament with new competences in this field and i would like to stress your responsibility and important role in shaping security in the european union
