The prison population fell in almost all European countries last year. Many detainees were released to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and meanwhile the crime rate also declined. The largest drop in prison numbers was in Turkey. However, in certain countries the incarcerated population increased.
Over the last ten years, there were significantly fewer homicides in the EU. Suicide rates have also dropped. While the situation in certain northern countries is less rosy, there were considerably fewer violent deaths per 100,000 people in the South.
Organised crime groups make an estimated €120 million of profit a year from betting-related match-fixing in sports events. Not only football matches are fixed, but tennis results are also manipulated more and more. And sports mafia are no longer only corrupting players, but clubs too.
1868. This is the total number of terrorism victims during the last nineteen years, who have either lost their lives in attacks in the European Union, or as European citizens outside the EU's territory. The EU has adopted several directives to combat terrorist acts, but certain member states have yet to transpose them into national law.
The latest Press Freedom Index (2020 edition) released by Reporters Without Borders highlights once again the risks journalists face worldwide. Coronavirus is only the latest threat to the profession.
The economic impact of Covid-19 has been immense, influencing all our lives. So far, however, the illegal drug market has not suffered unduly, and in some countries it is booming due to the capacity of criminals to adapt.
Virgin forests in Central-Eastern Europe are the last remaining ones on the continent, yet they are being mercilessly torn down. Part of this multi-billion euro industry is a mafia-like system that stretches all the way from Romania to Ukraine. Austrian timber companies are right at the heart of it.
Security guards in Croatia suffer from harsh working conditions: extremely long work shifts, poor equipment, minimum salary. They are overburned and cannot have a proper private life, but they have little alternatives. Yet security business is flourishing in Europe, and companies make millions of revenues.
Although journalists work in a relatively safe environment in Europe, they sometimes pay the highest price for doing their job
Since the turn of the century, the Old Continent stands out as the only macro-region experiencing declining numbers in its prison population. However, positive developments in Russia are key in explaining the trend. The EU benefits from the positive dynamics in Eastern and Central Europe. Recent data for Italy are worrisome.