The threat of TOC is an increasingly important issue in many Council of Europe
member states, and thus for the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC).1
The setting up of an Ad hoc Drafting Group on Transnational Organised Crime (PCGR-
COT) was approved in 2012 and the terms of reference of the Group included
the drafting of a White Paper on TOC covering possible actions to be undertaken by
the Organisation in this field.
In this White Paper, special attention has been given to identifying areas in which the
Council of Europe could contribute to fighting TOC, actions it could carry out better or
more efficiently, and problems which have not been addressed specifically by other
international or supranational organisations or which should be co-ordinated with
actions of the Council of Europe. Simply stating that the Organisation should
undertake initiatives in the field of preventing and combating TOC will neither help to
address the problem nor find the needed synergies.