Organized crime in Europe is becoming more entrenched and destabilizing than ever, Europol warned Tuesday in its latest EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) 2025 report.
Based on intelligence from EU member states and international law enforcement partners, the report analyzes the current state of organized crime and anticipates future threats. It provides a roadmap for Europe’s law enforcement and policymakers to stay ahead of evolving criminal networks, which have adapted to global instability, digitalization, and emerging technologies.
Europol warns that serious and organized crime now threatens not only public safety but also the foundations of the EU’s institutions and society. Internally, criminal networks undermine stability through money laundering, corruption, violence, and the exploitation of young offenders. Externally, they increasingly operate as proxies for hybrid threat actors, according to Europol.
“Our security landscape is evolving dramatically. The SOCTA report clearly shows how serious and organized crime—and the threat it poses to our security—is also changing,” said European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner.
Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle cautioned that modern criminal networks are “more adaptable, and more dangerous than ever before.”
New technologies have enabled criminal activities to scale up rapidly, with criminals using them as both a catalyst for crime and a tool for efficiency.
“From cyber fraud and ransomware to drug trafficking and money laundering, the internet has become the primary theatre for organised crime. Criminal networks increasingly exploit digital infrastructure to conceal their activities from law enforcement, while data emerges as the new currency of power—stolen, traded and exploited by criminal actors,” the report states.
The report identifies seven key areas where criminal networks are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous: cyberattacks, online fraud schemes, online child sexual exploitation, migrant smuggling, drug and firearms trafficking, and waste crime.
Cyberattacks increasingly target critical infrastructure, governments, businesses, and individuals, often with state-aligned objectives. Ransomware remains a major threat, but hackers are also expanding their focus to strategic targets.
AI is being used in online fraud schemes for social engineering, accessing stolen personal data, and producing child sexual abuse material. Criminals also use AI to facilitate online grooming.
Criminal finances and money laundering tactics are evolving, with illicit funds increasingly funneled into a parallel financial system supported by digital platforms and blockchain technology. This system is designed to protect and grow criminal wealth while remaining resilient to disruption, according to the report.
Corruption, described as one of the most insidious enablers of organized crime, has also adapted to the digital age. Criminals increasingly target individuals with access to critical digital systems and use digital recruitment tactics to expand their reach.
Based on the report’s findings, the Council of the European Union will set priorities for law enforcement action, guiding the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) for the next four years.
