Mafia plans to intercept EU recovery funds heading for Italy
22.3.2021
Question for written answer E-001532/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Charlie Weimers (ECR)
Italy will receive hundreds of billions of euro from the EU ‘recovery’ fund.
Europol has warned that organised crime networks (mafia) have staked a claim on the recovery funds. A recent report warned that Italian criminal organisations will do everything in their power to ‘intercept’ them, including investing in and taking control of healthcare companies and major infrastructure projects. The Italian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate ‘strongly suspects that there is organised crime interest’ in the funds as the number of suspicious financial operations reported by the Bank of Italy increased by 7 % last year.[1][2][3][4]
The mafia has a proven ability to defraud public works projects. Court proceedings are currently underway in Italy against the mob as well as accountants, politicians and government employees who defrauded EUR 10 million of EU funds.[5]
The main control systems under the fund will be those of each Member State, with the Commission responsible for detecting deficiencies in the systems ex ante and recovery of swindled funds ex post.
- 1.Does the Commission have a specific and targeted plan to recover funds stolen by mafiosi?
- 2.Can it guarantee that no taxpayer money will benefit organised crime networks?
- 3.Does it agree that linking repayment to the introduction of EU taxes, while at the same time threatening Member States with increased EU contributions, is tantamount to an offer they can’t refuse?
- [1] Follain, J., Migliaccio. A., ‘How the Italian Mafia Is Targeting Europe’s Crisis Recovery Fund’, Bloomberg, 4 March 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-04/the-mafia-plans-eu-recovery-fund-heist-amid-drop-off-in-crime
- [2] ‘Maffia aast op miljarden uit EU-coronafondsen’, De Standaard, 25 February 2021, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20210224_98016203
- [3] ‘“The recovery fund is in their sights”: Europol warns of Italian mafia profiting from crisis across EU’, The Local, 15 September 2020, https://www.thelocal.it/20200915/the-recovery-fund-is-in-their-sights-europol-warns-eu-countries-of-mafia-profiting-from-covid-19-crisis/
- [4] ‘Corona-mafia? Organised crime setting sights on EU Recovery Fund, experts warn’, Euronews, 18 September 2020, https://www.euronews.com/2020/09/18/corona-mafia-organised-crime-setting-sights-on-eu-recovery-fund-experts-warn
- [5] Roberts, H. ‘Italian mafia trial could expose underbelly of massive EU fraud’, Politico, 4 March 2021, https://www.politico.eu/article/italian-mafia-trial-could-expose-underbelly-of-massive-eu-fraud/