Suchergebnisse

The main objective of the article is to show that the temporary symbiosis between centres of political power and organized crime leads to the development of permanent, corrupt and opaque networks. Focusing on the countries of the Western Balkans, the author points to the reasons for the development of organized crime in the region and then to the conditions created in the post-conflict period that resulted in the failure of effective attempts to stop organized crime and the corruption that facilitates it in the these countries. The article also points out that the creation of symbiotic relationships between political elites and organized crime groups leads to a 'state capture.' The unresolved problems of corruption and organized crime, in turn, have a direct impact on these countries' EU-integration processes.

For many years, the Balkans have been considered to be the primary area of interest of criminal groups that traffic in people, especially women and children. In Macedonia, this problem was revealed in the 1990s. However, initial efforts to reduce this phenomenon and combat it proved ineffective. This stemmed from the lack of a designated strategy and the narrow character of cooperation between individual institutions. The situation was unfavourable since human trafficking is an issue that requires an interdisciplinary approach and the collaboration of many bodies. This paper is an attempt to present and assess the institutional and legal system currently being established in the Republic of Macedonia in order to effectively combat the problem of trafficking in persons. First of all, the author will describe the existing legal framework and will also indicate the specialised institutions and procedures established in order to undertake coordinated institutional measures that address the problem of trafficking in persons.