Key Takeaways:
> Europol’s 2025 threat assessment reveals criminal organizations are increasingly destabilizing European institutions through corruption and exploitation.
> Nearly all organized crime now has a digital component, with AI accelerating criminal capabilities.
> Criminal networks are increasingly operating as proxies for hostile state actors.
> Seven major threat areas are identified, such as ransomware, online fraud, migrant smuggling, and online child sexual exploitation.
Organized crime in Europe is undergoing a fundamental transformation that makes criminal networks more dangerous and harder to combat, according to a major new report released by Europol.
The EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) 2025 describes how criminal organizations are no longer just threats to public safety, but are increasingly undermining European institutions and society through corruption, violence, and exploitation.
“This is not just a law enforcement challenge; in fact, it is a challenge and a direct threat to our economy, our societies, and our future,” said Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle during the Tuesday, March 18 press conference discussing the report.
According to Europol’s analysis, which draws on intelligence from EU member states and international law enforcement partners, modern criminal networks are characterized by three defining features that make them particularly dangerous.
First, organized crime has become increasingly destabilizing, with criminal groups not only engaging in traditional illegal activities but also functioning as proxies for hostile state actors in hybrid warfare operations.
Second, criminal activity is increasingly digital, with nearly all forms of organized crime now having an online component. The internet has become the “primary theatre” for criminal operations, allowing networks to scale up their activities while hiding from authorities.
Third, artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are dramatically enhancing criminal capabilities. The same AI features that make the technology revolutionary – accessibility, adaptability, and sophistication – are being weaponized by criminals to automate and expand their operations.
The report identifies seven rapidly growing threat areas: cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure and ransomware; AI-powered online fraud schemes; online child sexual exploitation; migrant smuggling networks exploiting geopolitical crises; evolving drug trafficking operations; expanding firearms trafficking; and waste crime that severely impacts the environment.
Particularly concerning is the increasing violence associated with organized crime in several EU member states. This violence is “spilling over into wider society” and is facilitated by encrypted communications and online platforms that allow for borderless recruitment and coordination.
The assessment serves as a roadmap for European law enforcement and policymakers, emphasizing that combating modern organized crime requires “strategies that target both the key criminal markets and the underlying mechanisms that sustain them.”
As criminal networks continue to adapt and evolve, the report suggests that law enforcement must break the “self-perpetuating cycle” that allows these groups to expand, maximize profits, and strengthen their resilience against traditional policing methods.