A specialised approach is needed, but there is the risk that the fragmented results
will not be used for common assessment and action to fight TOC. For the first time, a
group of experts from member states and representatives of seven monitoring bodies
of the Council of Europe – all with extensive experience in fighting organised crime –
have worked together in the preparation of this White Paper. Working in such a
multidisciplinary manner provides clear added value and is essential in the
identification of concrete solutions.
A major shortcoming emphasised by the White Paper is the geographical
fragmentation of international co-operation: we need to promote a more efficient
implementation of Council of Europe standards in this field. Without proper
enforcement of legal tools, international co-operation is hampered or even
impossible. In recent decades, some 30 conventions have been negotiated within the
Council of Europe to establish a common basis for co-operation in criminal matters
across Europe and sometimes beyond. These conventions cover such co-operation
mechanisms as extradition, mutual legal assistance and the transfer of sentenced
persons, but they also address specific forms of crime which have a transborder
dimension, such as terrorism, trafficking in human beings and cybercrime.