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CSD Policy Brief No. 66: Динамика на конвенционалната престъпност 2015 – 2016 г.

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Crime rates in 2015 continue their downward trend with a decrease of 0.4% compared to 2014 levels. It must be noted, however, that the level of reporting crime to the authorities falls compared to officially registered numbers by the MoI in 2015. This means that latent crime is on the rise, which signifies a drop in public confidence in the MoI. One of the main reason for this discrepancy are the so-called police filters, which lead to diverging levels of officially recorded conventional crimes and crimes reported by the citizenry. These are some of the results of the National Crime Survey for 2015, presented in the current publication.

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CSD Policy Brief No. 63: Extortion racketeering: the vulnerability assessment approach

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Extortion racketeering has long been pointed out as the defining activity of organised crime. It has also been identified as one of the most effective tools used by organised crime in the accumulation of financial resources and the penetration of the legal economy. Although in recent years this crime has not been among the top listed organised crime threats in the strategic EU policy documents, it still remains ever present in European countries. The seriousness of the phenomenon has been recognised at the EU level and the crime has been listed in a number of EU legal acts in the field of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

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Integrated report on corruption and trafficking in women

Author(s): Nadya Stoynova,Atanas Rusev,Maria Yordanova / Language(s): English

Trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation is a criminal business of transnational nature, ranking third after narcotics and arms trafficking in generating huge amounts of illegal profit. THB in all its manifestations is a dangerous crime that results in significant psychological, emotional, financial and often physical harm to victims, representing a serious violation of human rights. Despite the seriousness of the crime, law enforcement and criminal justice authorities across the world encounter various problems in investigating and punishing perpetrators. One important barrier is corruption, which – as with other criminal enterprises – is a significant facilitating mechanism.

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Corruption and trafficking in women: The case of Bulgaria

Author(s): Tihomir Bezlov,Maria Yordanova,Nadya Stoynova / Language(s): English

Corruption is an important facilitating mechanism for human trafficking. The link between the two crimes is especially relevant in countries like Bulgaria, which traditionally have had very levels of trafficking. Corruption is believed to be one of the key instruments adopted by organised criminal groups to avoid detection and obstruct counter-trafficking efforts. Although the use of corruption is often mentioned along with human trafficking, few studies have empirically explored the factors and mechanisms behind this nexus.

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Anti-Corruption Policies Revisited: WP9 Organised crime and impact on vulnerable groups (ANTICORRP Integrated Report)

Author(s): Salvatore Sberna,Alberto Vannucci,Tihomir Bezlov,Dimitar Markov,Maria Karayotova,Ana Hećimović,Iva Nenadić,Munir Podumljak,Péter Gyimesi,Szidónia Nagy,Boróka Pápay,Zoltán Szántó,István János Tóth,Edona Krasniqi / Language(s): English

This integrated report investigates the link between political corruption and organised crime, by examining the modalities, resources and strategies used by criminal groups to govern and/or capture the market of political corruption. On the one hand, the report looks at the infiltration of organised crime in three main policy sectors where public spending and regulations play a pivotal role: public procurement, the privatization of public services, and management of EU funds. Alongside this, the report also analyses the criminal penetration of electoral politics, by evaluating the influence that criminal organisations can achieve in electoral arenas. As a result, the report provides a general assessment of policy regulations, legal countermeasures and practices adopted to prevent and combat organised crime, especially in interaction with political corruption. The report is drawn from data collected in five European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo) across the above themes, and includes two more countries for the assessment of anti-organised crime legislation and initiatives (Albania and Georgia). The methodology involves both extensive and intensive strategies of investigation. A quantitative assessment of the crime and politics nexus is based on the Organised Crime & Corruption (OCC) events database, in which events data about the link between criminal groups and political corruption have been gathered and assembled1. A qualitative assessment involves in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of corrupt exchanges, presented as single case studies conducted in the countries covered by this study, inclusive of primary and secondary sources (interviews, legal proceedings, academic and policy-oriented reports). Data collection and analyses were conducted by five institutions across Europe (EUI, CSD, BCE, IKS, PSD).

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Политически брифинг № 26 на CSD: Организирана престъпност и корупция: национални характеристики и политики в страните членки на ЕС

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The European Commission (EC) contracted the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) to analyse the links between organised crime and corruption. The main objectives of the study were to identify: • causes and factors that engender corruption by organised crime (including white-collar criminals); • the scope and the impact of that corruption on society and institutions; • organised crime’s main corruption schemes, the areas or risks they create, and the related differences amongst European Union (EU) Member States (MS); • best practices in prevention and countering corruption linked to organized crime; framework for a future assessment of trends in the link between organized crime and corruption, as well as corresponding counter measures.

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Политически брифинг № 41 на CSD: Динамика на конвенционалната престъпност 2012 – 2013 г.

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

In 2012 there was a sharp increase in both the number of victims and the number of crimes compared to 2011. These trends take place in the context of a 10-year drop in crime rates. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) statistics of registered crimes in 2012 showed the opposite trend - a 6% drop from 114,781 in 2011 to 107,828 registered crimes in 2012. This difference is explained by the rising level of unregistered crimes that are not part of the official statistics. Victims of crime in South Central and South Eastern regions of the country are least likely to report crimes to the police. These areas are also characterized by high levels of crime victimisation.

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Доклад за оценка на корупцията 1999

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Limiting corruption in Bulgarian society calls not only for institutional and legal measures but also for establishing the rule of law. In this sense, it is of crucial importance to foster a political and economic culture based on trust and respect for public institutions, on transparency and openness in the actions of public administration, and the will to achieve stability and predictability of the economic and social environment. Coalition 2000 is an initiative of Bulgarian non-governmental organizations which was launched in the Spring of 1997 aimed at limiting corruption in Bulgarian society through a partnership between state institutions, non-governmental organizations, and individual personalities, who developed and have been implementing an Anti-Corruption Action Plan, Corruption Monitoring System, and an anti-corruption public awareness campaign. The Corruption Assessment Report 1999 follows the structure and approach of the Action Plan adopted by the Policy Forum of Coalition 2000 in November 1998. It presents a general evaluation of the state and dynamic of corruption in Bulgarian society and of the efforts to counteract it in 1999.

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Доклад за оценка на корупцията 2001

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

Limiting corruption in Bulgarian society calls not only for institutional and legal measures but also for establishing the rule of law. In this sense, it is of crucial importance to foster a political and economic culture based on trust and respect for public institutions, on transparency and openness in the actions of public administration, and the will to achieve stability and predictability of the economic and social environment. Coalition 2000 is an initiative of Bulgarian non-governmental organizations which was launched in the spring of 1997 aimed at limiting corruption in Bulgarian society through a partnership between state institutions, non-governmental organizations, and individuals, who developed and have been implementing an Anti-Corruption Action Plan, Corruption Monitoring System, and an anti-corruption public awareness campaign. The Corruption Assessment Report 2001 follows the structure and approach of the Action Plan adopted by the Policy Forum of Coalition 2000 in November, 1998. It presents a general evaluation of the state and dynamic of corruption in Bulgarian society and of the efforts to counteract corruption in the year 2001.

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CONTRASTO ALL’ESTORSIONE ORGANIZZATA: L’ESPERIENZA ITALIANA

Author(s): Elena Sciandra,Antonio Iafano / Language(s): Italian

Extortion racketeering is a crime which spans all sections of society, poses threats to the well-being of local communities and impairs the growth and development of business. No country is immune to it, although it varies across time, space and economic context. Extortion can be perpetrated by single offenders, or it can be part of more complex criminal schemes. In this sense, the case of Italy is typical because Italian mafias systematically resort to extortion racketeering.

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Корупционни индекси. Регионален мониторинг на корупцията в Албания, Босна и Херцеговина, България, Македония, Румъния, Хърватска, СР Югославия Март 2001

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The present report outlines the key findings of the Regional Corruption Monitoring carried out in seven countries of South Eastern Europe – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), and Croatia. The surveys conducted in these countries were based on the methodology of the Corruption Monitoring System of Coalition 2000 and marked the beginning of the implementation of a Regional Corruption Monitoring System. The main goal of this comparative analysis of the seven countries from the Balkan region is to show the public significance of the problem of corruption and the extent to which corruption has penetrated into the various elements of society.

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Корупционни индекси. Регионален мониторинг на корупцията в Албания, Босна и Херцеговина, България, Македония, Румъния, Хърватия и Югославия Април 2002

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian

The report presents key findings about the level of corruption and corruption related perceptions in a cross country perspective. The analysis is based on national sample (n=1000) surveys of the population aged 18 and over in seven countries of Southeast Europe. It also includes comparative data from the 2001 survey conducted using the same methodology.

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HELSINŠKE SVESKE №34: Ekstremizam: Kako prepoznati društveno zlo

Author(s): Srđan Milošević,Pavel Domonji,Jelena Višnjić,Ivana Stjelja,Staša Zajović,Umberto Eco / Language(s): Serbian

Pojava ekstremne desnice i desničarske ideologije u Srbiji posledica su strukturalnih promena nakon razgradnje socijalističke države. Ratovi devedestih vođenih sa idejom o prekomponovanju Balkana, odnosno s idejom o Velikoj Srbiji (Memorandumu Srpske akademije nauka i umetnosti, 1986), samo su jedan od ideoloških osnova na kojima još uvek opstaje desna misao. Njene osnovne karakteristike jesu: etnička homogenizacija, težnja za stapanjem državnih i etničkih granica, antikomunizam i negiranje antifašizma, jačanje tradicionalizma i autoritarnosti, pravoslavlje tretirano kao superiorna religija u odnosu na ostale etničke i religijske grupe (posebno Hrvate, Muslimane i Albance), otpor idejama multikulturalizma i kosmopolitizma i netrpeljivost prema “novim” (LGBT popuacija) i tradicionalnim manjinama (Romi). Zajedničko svim desničarskim pokretima koji se pozivaju na ekstremni srpski nacionalizam i fundamentalističke interpretacije pravoslavlja, odnosno svetosavlja, jeste i izrazita islamofobija i neprijateljski stav prema svemu što je islamsko.

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Harvesting the ‘White Gold’

Author(s): Jos Boonstra,Sébastien Peyrouse,Marlène Laruelle,Tika Tsertsvadze / Language(s): English

How do you know that your sweater has not been made of cotton harvested by Uzbek children or produced by their counterparts in a Bangladeshi workshop? You don’t. Many companies do not carefully check through a ‘track and trace’ system if their products are produced by forced or child labour. At the same time many governments do not follow the labour laws that they signed up to. The sad truth is that fashion demands in the West still largely prevail over human rights in developing countries. But there is progress. This month 60 clothing firms agreed to boycott products with Uzbek cotton until hard proof exists that Uzbekistan has stopped child labour. This applies at least to those products in which Uzbek cotton can be traced which is often not possible yet because the link between cotton traders and Asian factories is often not clear to Western brands. The pledge of the clothing industry was spurred by the decision of the organisers of New York’s fashion week to cancel Gulnara Karimova’s show due to concerns over child labour. Unknowingly the Uzbek president’s daughter and ambassador to Spain and the UN in Geneva has helped to highlight her country’s human rights shortcomings.

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Strategii de supravieţuire într-o comunitate de romi. Studiu de caz. Comunitatea „Digului”, Orăştie, judeţul Hunedoara

Author(s): Iulia-Elena Hossu / Language(s): Romanian

The study presented here is the result of an anthropological field research undertook in the summer of 2004, continued by re-entrances in the field for almost three years, 2005, 2006 and 2007, in the area of Orăştie, Hunedoara county. The research considered here was lead by PhD. Professor Enikő Magyari-Vincze, to which the author participated as a field researcher. Although it does not have the purpose of an exhaustive analysis regarding the surviving strategies to which the members of the community resort through various contexts, in everyday life, it can be considered a guiding mark of an analysis concerned with different aspects which describe the life of this community.

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Geopolitics & Organized Crime and Corruption in the Early 21st Century with Reference to the Balkans

Author(s): Blagoje Grahovac / Language(s): English

Let’s summarize the main determinants of political and social developments of the Northern Hemisphere (and beyond) over the last two centuries. In short, national states were built in the 19th and civic states in the 20th century. Political jargon for all socio-political processes has established an original term - the new world order. If we simply relied on this term, then the main determinant of the "new world order" for the 21st century would be contained in the formula: with democratization into integration until globalization.

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BEZBEDNOST MLADIH: smanjenje rizika kroz podizanje svesti – nalazi iz istraživanja i preporuke

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

Research among young people aged 15-30 showed that peer violence is the most frequent security risk - a total of 23% of young people say that peer violence is often or very often in their environment. This is followed by traffic accidents (15%), i.e. fights/violent incidents and drug users or sellers in public places (14% each). The survey also showed that 87% of respondents feel mostly or completely safe in the country of Serbia. Respondents feel safest in their own home and the further away they are from their personal space – neighborhood, school/workplace and city where they live – the less safe they feel.The largest percentage of young people states that they have heard of some violence in their area (48%), while 12% of young people are personally familiar with the violence that occurs in their area. Among the investigated forms of violence, young people in Serbia most often state that they have experienced psychological violence. Thus, 15% of those surveyed say that they have experienced psychological violence one or more times, and the frequency of experiencing this type of violence is significantly higher among women.

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THREE FREEDOMS UNDER THE MAGNIFYING GLASS: SPECIAL EDITION

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Serbian

On March 15, one of the largest gatherings in the past few decades in Serbia was held in Belgrade. Due to the importance of this event and the large number of events the day before and in the days that followed, this Thursday we have prepared for you Three Freedoms under the Magnifying Glass: A Special Edition, dedicated to the “15. for 15” protest. In addition, there is our regular report on violations of basic human rights in the period before the protest itself. In the first two months of this year, we recorded a huge number of violations of freedom of expression, assembly and association (almost half of the total number of violations of these rights recorded during the entire year 2024)

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Three Freedoms Under the Magnifying Glass: December 26 – January 16, 2025

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English

Yesterday we witnessed the attempted murder of a student who participated in the protest. The disturbing moment of the young woman being hit by a car should not be seen in an isolated context. In recent months, we have witnessed numerous attacks on students and citizens who demand the determination and bearing of responsibility for the death of 15 people who died when a canopy fell in Novi Sad. Student blockades started after one such attack on students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. Since then, the highest state officials, starting with the president, find different ways to justify the abusers. In addition, government representatives embarked on a serious campaign of targeting and endangering the safety of students, high school students and all those who support student demands. This kind of atmosphere just led to attacks like yesterday’s. The government must urgently stop spreading hatred towards those critical of the regime, because they directly encourage violence and tensions in society. The number of violations of basic rights of citizens is almost impossible to count, but what is particularly worrying is the fact that these attacks are becoming more and more extreme and can lead to fatal consequences.

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Three Freedoms Under the Magnifying Glass: December 13 – December 26, 2024

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English

Another challenging year is passing and towards its end the situation in society is still tense. Blockades and repression towards high school students, students, and citizens continue. Thugs hit the crowd with cars and beat them, the first misdemeanor charges for participation in the protests are starting to arrive, the media close to the regime are targeting, the security services spy on activists… However, the end of the year also brought hope. Hope was brought by young, smart and brave people who stood up to fight for all of us. For freedom, for equality, for a better tomorrow. They show us that our strength is togetherness and perseverance, that it is worth fighting for the rule of law, that it is worth fighting against corruption, crime, violence, arrogance, insolence and lack of culture. Their understanding and application of democratic principles on faculties gives us hope that future generations of those who will build our society will be better and more successful in creating a fair and equal society. The youth together with the citizens lit up Slavija last week, but their struggle will certainly illuminate the years to come, and we wish you a lot of courage, perseverance and youthful spirit in the next one!

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