Eugenio Zoffili (right) meeting with experts from the Organized Crime Branch of UNODC in Vienna, 30 January 2024VIENNA, 30 January 2024 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on Combating Organized Crime Eugenio Zoffili (Italy) is in Vienna this week, holding two days of meetings at the OSCE Secretariat and the Office of the United Nations against Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The visit has been an opportunity to assess the current level of threat from organized crime and identify emerging trends and challenges that demand particular attention.

Zoffili, who also serves as Head of the Italian Delegation to the OSCE PA, has met with Permanent Representative of Italy to the OSCE, Ambassador Stefano Baldi, and the Permanent Representative of Italy to International Organizations, Ambassador Debora Lepre, as well as a wide range of officials from the OSCE Secretariat and UNODC.

“Building political momentum and promoting international collaboration is essential to effectively combat the scourge of transnational organized crime,” Zoffili said. “This is why I am working to reinforce relationships and promote synergy between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE executive structures, and relevant UN bodies at both the operational and political levels.”

At the UNODC today, Special Representative Zoffili discussed the latest drug and human trafficking trends with experts. He talked with UNODC officials about the links between trafficking and terrorism, and learned more about the regional impacts organized crime on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Underlining the importance of UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime’s new review mechanism, he stressed the key role of parliaments in fighting serious crime.

In discussions, Zoffili underlined the importance of the fight against drug trafficking, in particular, in combating all criminal activities, as it provides criminal organizations to access large amounts of money. Today, he noted, synthetic drugs are easily marketable and are spreading devastating social problems throughout the OSCE area. Migrant smuggling and human trafficking is also a top priority, he stressed.

For more on the work of the Special Representative on Combating Organized Crime, please click here.