Seminar against organized crime in Berlin
On November 15, a seminar was held in Berlin, organized by the German organization Mafianeindanke, as part of the activities of the CHANCE network for 2025. The participants: journalists, academics, judges and ministers discussed the topics of greed, money and justice. Our colleague Marta Buggio participated in the event. Here is what he shared with us:
“We talked about three topics: greed – about the functioning of the mafia itself, money – about the grey area of those who support crime, and justice – about the role of civil society in the fight against the mafia. I would like to give an interesting example with the participation of Leoluca Orlando, Member of the European Parliament and former Mayor of Palermo. Having dedicated most of his life to the fight against the mafia, he invited us to look at the enormous changes that have taken place in his city, Palermo, over the last thirty years. From being the capital of the mafia, a city living in constant shock after every mafia murder, gloomy and dangerous in the 1990s, it has become one of the most vibrant cities in the Mediterranean, full of light, people on the streets, cultural events and foreign students. Orlando stressed, however, that repression and police measures alone cannot guarantee security: the efforts of active citizens are needed. Here are some recommendations for action:
- In order to build or maintain a legal and safe environment, efforts are needed of active citizens, for example through marches, petitions, education, commemorations.
- Investigative journalism is not sufficiently protected even in Germany.
- Some laws on organised crime need to be improved to be an effective tool against mafias.
- Young people aged 16-18 with low education/foreign background are easy targets for recruitment by organised crime. That is why a bottom-up approach – organising seminars, lectures, workshops that can reach them – can be a key factor in countering this danger.
- Courses and centres at universities are crucial for promoting knowledge about organised crime and developing strategies to combat it.
Fighting organised crime and corruption is not an easy battle, especially when institutions are silent and not open to dialogue. Still, it gives hope to see many people across Europe committed to the cause, successful educational projects and to know that small steps taken together can lead to significant changes towards a fairer world.”
You can read more about the meeting and what experts from different countries shared in issue 14 of Voyager.
The meeting was hosted by Mafianeindanke.
Program of the event – Antimafia-Seminar-2025-Programm
The event is part of the CHANCE network work program for 2025, implemented with the support of the EU’s Erasmus+ program
