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HORIZON FUTURES WATCH WORKSHOP #4: Futures of interpenetration of criminal and lawful activities11 October - 11 October 2023

The evolving complexity of global challenges is increasingly affecting the steering of European Research and Innovation which aims at addressing important present and future societal concerns. The idea of ‘watching futures’ to anticipate future possibilities and analyse the consequences of current choices to inform and shape a forward-looking EU R&I policy is continuously gaining ground. 

In this light, as part of the ‘European R&I foresight and public engagement for Horizon Europe’ study launched by the European Commission in connection to the Horizon Europe Foresight Network, a second series of online workshops will take place during October – November 2023.

The workshops, which will run for two hours each, will discuss insights stemming from thematic policy briefs compiled by expert panels, addressing possible future scenarios for critical issues (i.e., Interpretation of Criminal and Lawful Activities, Green Skills and Jobs, Big Tech, etc.). Following the presentation of each policy brief, each workshop will feature two focus groups: one involving the group of experts from the panel who developed the policy brief and one including representatives from topic-relevant EU-funded R&I projects. All events will foster extensive engagement with participants, including policymakers.

Posted on: 29/11/2024

Last Edited: 2 months ago

Futures of the interpenetration of criminal and lawful economic activities in the EU in 2035October 2023

Scenarios and policy implications

This study considers the interpenetration of criminal and lawful economic activities, with new technologies and unregulated terrains offering new opportunities for new types of interpenetration. We explore the possibility of differentiating, regulating, and controlling criminal and legal activities and markets, the level of control technically feasible and socially and economically desirable, among other relevant issues.  We analyse the following issues, among others:

  • Is there a possibility of differentiating and controlling criminal and legal markets and economic activities? 
  • What level of control is technically feasible and (at the same time) socially and economically desirable?  
  • To some extent is it possible to establish the lawful origins of funds used in every transaction?  

    The study is relevant for several reasons:
  • Crimes have wide-ranging, major impacts on the economy, society and environment, when connected to lawful economic activities.Quite often these connections (“interpenetrations”) are not detected  - or not reported for various reasons.
  • Economic hardship and crises are likely to reinforce the incentives for committing criminal economic activities.
  • New technologies might offer new opportunities for new or “refined” criminal economic activities.
  • Economic criminals are often innovative and enter unregulated terrains (e.g.,some commons, metaverse, etc.).
  • Lack of resources and skills to fight economic crime is a major hurdle.

Posted on: 18/11/2024