ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the way in which the concept of organized crime has become a nodal point in European laws enforcement cooperation. It provides notes about the restructuring of law enforcement organizations in a number of European Union Member States. Since the creation of the Trevi Working Group on Serious and Organized Crime the Member States have been at pains to establish a common definition of organized crime. Organized crime has become an appealing working terrain for law enforcement agencies. The creation of international co-operation structures, such as Schengen and Europol, has imposed a demand upon the criminal justice systems in the Member States to enhance the co-ordination of information flows and to make accountability procedures more transparent at higher law enforcement levels. The future of co-ordinated efforts against organized crime within the EU does not only depend on the introduction of legal and organizational changes, but also on transformations in the police culture.
