site.btaBulgarian among Most Represented Nationalities in Human Trafficking Crime Networks for Sexual Exploitation in EU - Europol

Bulgarian, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian are the most represented nationalities in criminal networks engaging in trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation in the European Union (EU), according to a Europol report presented on Friday. The countries most affected by human trafficking for sexual exploitation are France
and Germany.

The document notes that there are 821 dangerous criminal networks operating in the EU, linked to drug trafficking (mainly cocaine), cigarettes, human trafficking and extortion. The most frequent participants in these organizations are from countries in the Western Balkans, mainly Albania, but also Turkiye and Morocco, Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told the media during a press conference. The drugs market is one of the main sources of violence in the EU and of revenue for organized crime, Verlinden added. Money laundering and corruption are a threat to the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, she added.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said that these criminal groups tend to threaten and bribe judges and ministers, as well as EU prosecutors.

EU's internal security is threatened by the activities of these groups featuring 25,000 members from 112 nationalities, half of them linked to the drug trade, said Europol Director Catherine de Bolle. She added that 86% of the criminal organizations also have legitimate businesses, mostly in construction and hospitality, through which they launder money. De Bolle noted that the report presented on Friday is the most in-depth study of European crime networks to date.