Too much money remains in criminal hands



Criminal activities in Europe are believed to generate about €110 billion every year. According to a 2016 Europol report, 2.2% of crime proceeds were provisionally seized or frozen in the EU in 2010-14, but only 1.1 % of was effectively confiscated.



Situation today



Several pieces of legislation set out how to seize criminal assets across the EU, but there are serious loopholes that are being exploited by criminals and terrorists who hide their assets in other EU countries. Current procedures and certificates are complex and inefficient. For example, there is not always a time limit, while another issue is that victims' rights regarding restitution and compensation are not sufficiently protected.



New rules



The aim of the new legislation is to replace the existing rules by a regulation, which would be directly applicable in all EU countries. It would lead to freezing and confiscation orders being enforced more rapidly and effectively. In addition the legislation would include tighter deadlines for authorities and standard certificates for all EU countries.



All criminal offences would be covered and a greater range of freezing and confiscation orders would be provided for. Under the new rules the victim´s right to compensation would take priority over the state.