The Mafia: How Big of a Threat to European Societies?

As a part of our new project “Hand In Hand Against The Mafia”, The Society of International Affairs welcomes you to a panel debate about organized crime.

From the Italian and Eastern European mafias to Swedish motorcycle gangs – organized crime is a problem for most countries in Europe. Yet, public awareness of it sometimes does not go beyond the images of it reproduced in popular culture.

In this debate, our experts will discuss why people join organized criminal networks and what their major sources of income are. The debate will also engage in why different societies pursue different strategies to fight organized crime, and how the roles of the state and civil society differ. The Schengen cooperation has likely made things easier for organized crime, but at the same time there is increasing international cooperation against it. How successful have these efforts been?

The participants in the panel are:

Carina Gunnarson – associate professor in political science at Uppsala University.
Thomas Ahlstrand – deputy chief prosecutor at the international prosecution authority in Gothenburg.
Sven-Åke Lindgren – professor in sociology at Gothenburg University.

Moderator:
Adam Josefsson – master student in political science and local project leader of “Hand in Hand Against The Mafia”.

The debate will as usual include a 30-minute open Q&A session.

There will be a 20 min break for fika in the middle of the debate.

The debate is free for all members of The Society of international Affairs. The entrance fee is 20 SEK for everyone else. A one year membership can be acquired for 50 SEK before the start of the debate.