"Depriving criminal organisations of their resources, both material as well as financial, is a first important tool towards the development of an EU-wide strategy to eradicate this globalised and sophisticated phenomenon", said ALDE MEP Sonia Alfano (Italia dei Valori, Italy) EP rapporteur on "Organized crime in the European Union", welcoming today's long awaited proposal for a Directive by the European Commission on "Confiscating and freezing criminal assets". In fact, the Parliament when adopting Alfano's report last October 2011, asked the Commission to develop more coordinated measures between Member States in this field as well and other measures to fight organised crime.

According to Mrs Alfano, in fact,: "There is alarming evidence that organised crime infiltration has become solidly entrenched in political circles, public sector and legitimate economic activities. A European approach to this problem is vital". Indeed, only in 2010 the mafia-style criminal organisations operating in Europe benefited from an impressive turnover, estimated to be at least EUR 135 billion; more than the total annual budget of the European Union.

"We welcome the Commission for having translated part of the severity of this problem into legislation. Namely by setting precautionary measures and by going beyond the traceability of assets only to a specific criminal act, including also freezing  or confiscation provisions where assets are clearly linked to a convicted person or in possession of a third party".

"The confiscated assets should be spent for social purposes, and not least to promote a culture of law and justice. Now the European Parliament has to strengthen and to improve the proposal of the Commission ", she concluded.