How is the European Union trying to adapt to Italian Mafia extension in other EU countries?

Question

According to this rather old article Italian Mafia has managed to extend its operations way beyond Italian borders including in countries that were once thought to be immune to it:

(..) uncover how Italian mob syndicates are expanding beyond Southern Italy and gaining an unprecedented grip on economies once thought to be immune to organized crime, including Europe’s biggest, Germany.

The Condello murder would also help expose how the lack of a common European legislation is allowing the Italian Mafia to flourish across borders. Experts blame the lack of a pan-European strategy in the face of a Mafia that’s long gone global, with 28 different national legislations in the Union creating easy loopholes for the mob. EU authorities are missing the huge cash flows from money laundering, experts say.

This Guardian article seems to confirm the fact that how EU adapts its legislation to be an important factor that makes fighting Mafia harder both inside and outside Italy:

Italian ministers, prosecutors and police chiefs have denounced a European court ruling that tough prison regimes for mafia bosses violate their human rights, warning the judgment will hinder the fight against organised crime across the continent.

The ruling has triggered an outcry among investigators, who claim it does not take into account the context and history of the mafia in Italy.

Question: How is the European Union trying to adapt to Italian Mafia extension in other EU countries?

Answer 1

All EU countries have their own legal code and police forces. There is some cooperation, but by default the laws and police forces are distinct. So there are two areas of concern:

• Arrest and extradition of organized criminals for acts in another country.
• Arrest and trial of organized criminals for acts in the country in question.

This does not just affect the Italian mafia. All EU countries have organized crime, with local citizens, EU foreigners, and non-EU foreigners involved at various stages.

• The EU has a common European Arrest Warrant, which allows easier extradition.
• The EU has Europol to facilitate information exchange.
• There are many binational programs in border areas, like joint patrols or right of pursuit across international borders.