Seminar: “The social reuse of confiscated properties: experiences and legislations”

FLARE members: Terra del Fuoco and Amsed

The event in Strasbourg consists of the seminar “The social reuse of confiscated properties: experiences and legislations”.

Based on the Written Declaration 108/08 handed to the European Parliament by MEPs Vittorio Agnoletto, Josep Borrell Fontelles, Monica Frassoni, Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou e Graham Watson, the seminar focuses on the matter of social use of those properties and goods confiscated to organized crime.

The seminar intends to raise awareness among European institutions about the importance to begin legislate in the matter of social reuse of properties confiscated to organized crime groups. Lands, buildings, apartments etc. that are to be confiscated can in this way be used for social purposes. On this matter, the Italian experience of Libera is an example of good practices that can certainly be taken as  inspiration for future implementations.

Mr Hans Pottering (President of the European Parliament) attended the seminar  and gave full support in the promotion of an European law in the matter of social use of properties confiscated to organized crime groups with the following speech:

Mr. President of Libera, dear Don Luigi Ciotti,

Dear Madam Vice-President, dear Rodi Kratsa Tsagaropoulou,

Dear Madam Vice-President, dear Luisa Morgantini,

Dear Madam President, dear Monica Frassoni

Dear Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished guests,

It is a great honour and pleasure for the European Parliament to host the FLARE’s, the Conference for Freedom, Legality and Rights in Europe’s second event within the European Parliament, which is also its second step in its Season of Legality campaign.

FLARE has held its first major campaign event in Napoli with the organisation of the Italia day in Memory of Victims of Mafias last Saturday.

Today you are in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, at the heart of European democracy, in a European Parliament, which represents nearly 500 million people from the 27 Member states of the European Union, for this second event of your Season of Legality.

Allow me to say: Your fight is the European Union’s fight and therefore also the European Parliament’s fight.

Our continent is currently living through the longest period of peace for centuries. We Europeans have reached the point we are at today because - following the message of the founding fathers - we have chosen the path of and rule of law.

We must work closely together to ensure that rule of law and the rights of all citizens are respected everywhere on our continent and at all levels.

Today, around 150 representatives from associations and Non-Governmental Organisations, coming from more than 30 countries, are gathered here in the European Parliament in a joint effort to promote the rights of European citizens.

You want to encourage further efforts to fight together against organised crime and mafias at all levels, from the local level to the national, transnational and international levels, both at the grass-roots and through international institutions.

Your commitment, Ladies and Gentlemen, represents, without any doubt, the best evidence of the engagement and the courage with which civil organisations play their role of active citizenship.

As civil society representatives, you have the important task of promoting, spreading and protecting the rights and values of European citizens. This is a vital role that must be played in close cooperation and in an ongoing dialogue with European, national and local institutions.

It is with a great sadness that we observe how these rights are too often threatened and violated by criminal organisations.

Such criminal activities must be fought against by all means. Organised crime is no more a local or even national problem: mafias and criminal organisations form hellhound coalitions and alliances beyond national borders and develop trans-border criminal networks. They have, in general, become a transnational phenomenon and thus challenge for all of us.

The activities of criminal organisations have a major social, cultural, economic and political impact on the Member States of the European Union and the neighbouring countries.

It is extremely urgent to enhance and better coordinate our fight against mafias and organised crime. In this perspective, the reforms included in the Treaty of Lisbon, when this treaty enters into force hopefully at the beginning of the year 2010, will enable the European Union to be more efficient in the fight against cross-border crime and trafficking.

But to be fully effective, the fight against crime has also to be waged at the social level. Thus, the contribution of your organisations is vital for spreading all around the European Union and beyond a culture of respect for law and for encouraging citizens to support the fight against crimes they are witness, as well as the victims.

On behalf of the European Parliament, I would like to thank you for your commitment and your work. I would also like to encourage you to continue your effort aimed at improving the life conditions of each and every citizen.

The European Parliament supports you in this task and considers upgrading the efforts of fighting against organised crime to be an absolute priority.

Without doubt, progress has been achieved and cooperation strongly improved. The Member States of the European Union have for instance built upon common experience and progressively produced crucial legislation in this area, not least as regards the possibility of seizing assets of organised criminals and of using them for social purposes.

A central aim of today’s event is to raise awareness on the need to pursue our efforts by adopting of a written declaration proposed my colleagues Vitttorio Agnoletto, Josep Borrell Fontelles, Monica Frassoni, Todi Kratsa Tsagaropoulou and Graham Watson calling for:

·       the institution of a European Memorial Day for the Victims of the Mafia on 21 of March, as well as for,

·       the re-use of goods and money seized from international criminal organisations for social purposes.

This is an important initiative, which should enjoy all our support. It will certainly constitute a major move towards launching additional initiatives in this field.

After Napoli and Strasbourg, the FLARE will continue its campaign by promoting the declaration and the fight against organised crime with around 30 events all over Europe between now and May.

Dear representatives of the civil society, you have the full support of the European Parliament in your efforts.

I would like to wish you a fruitful conference in the European Parliament today and a successful campaign in the coming weeks.

I am strongly convinced that “the Season of Legality” will remind the European citizens of the importance of respect for and rule of law, which is a cornerstone of our European Union, as well as further convey the need to work closer to improve security and freedom at European level.

Thank you for your attention!

“The social reuse of confiscated estate property: experiences and legislations”

H. 10,30 – 12,30
Opening:
- Mr Hans-Gert POTTERING, President of the European Parlament
- Ms Luisa MORGANTINI, Vice-President of the European Parliament
- Mr Davide PATI, reference person of Libera Terra
- Lucio CAVAZZONI, President of the Consortium Libera Terra Mediterranea
- Antonio MARUCCIA, High Commissioner for Confiscated Property of the Italian government
- Elizabeth MATTSON, Vice-President of Vagen Ut! (Sweden, FLARE member)
- Sradhanand SITAL, President of Global Human Rights Defence (Netherlands, FLARE member)

H. 14,30 – 16,00
The social and political point of view
- Michele CURTO, President of FLARE network
- Luigi CIOTTI, President of Libera