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Commission launches EUR 16.5 million call to dismantle criminal networks

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On 21 May, the European Commission published a call for proposals to co-fund projects aiming to fight organized crime and drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings. With a budget of EUR 16.55 million, it will support police forces and law enforcement more broadly, but also civil society and other public and private bodies working to dismantle criminal networks and their business models. The call is open from 21 May until 3 September 2026. 

The call will support projects focusing on improving the intelligence picture on criminal networks; facilitating cross border investigations and financial investigations; supporting crime prevention measures tackling criminal infiltration; and dismantling organized criminal networks engaged in trafficking in human beings in the EU.

The fight against organized crime is a priority for the EU. Organized criminal groups are a threat to Europe. They resort to violence, corruption and intimidation to make huge profits while hiding their assets through complex schemes outside of the formal financial system and then using laundered assets to infiltrate the legal economy.

Drug trafficking, including the production of illicit drugs, is one of the most profitable crimes which causes violence, harms health and damages the environment. Trafficking in human beings, is the second most widespread illicit economy in the world, claiming about 10,000 victims in the EU per year. It is often linked to other crimes, such as drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, organised property crime, money laundering and document fraud.

This initiative supports the implementation of the EU Internal Security Strategy (ProtectEU), the EU Drugs Strategy and the Action Plan against Drug Trafficking to strengthen Europe's defences against organized crime. It is also part of the Internal Security Fund Work programme 2023-2027.

Previous projects addressed drug and human beings trafficking routes (Latin America, Caribbean and Western Balkans), AI tools for financial investigations, strengthened judicial expertise and frontline responses to child trafficking.

More information on these projects can be found online.

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