Europol said it has identified 821 criminal networks operating in the European Union in the bloc's first mapping of the most threatening groups of this kind in the continent.
Commenting on a report published Friday, authorities said the analysis found how the most threatening criminal networks are organized, which criminal activities they engage in, and how and where they operate.
It also assesses which of their characteristics increase the threat posed by these networks.
"The threat from organized criminal groups is huge. It's one of the biggest threats we have towards our societies. It's also a threat towards our security, towards our cohesion in society, towards our children, our youngsters and towards our democracies," European Commissioner Ylva Johansson told a press conference in Brussels.
Europol said the criminal networks identified, which comprise more than 25,000 individuals, were selected based on criteria around the threat they pose.
The rings are active in a range of crime areas, from drug trafficking to migrant smuggling, property crime and others.
The analysis shows the groups are "remarkably agile" to adapt their criminal business processes to opportunities and challenges, including those challenges posed by law enforcement.
They are also able to extensively infiltrate and misuse legal business structures, authorities found. This helps their criminal businesses thrive, allows them to launder their criminal profits and shields them from detection.
In addition, 86% of the most threatening criminal networks make use of legal business structures, the vast majority in the EU.
"Judges and prosecutors can only fight organized crime if they are free from intimidation, threats or attempts to influence their professional integrity. We must assure that this is the case. As the most threatening criminal networks run borderless criminal operations, cooperation between experts is vital," European commissioner for justice Didier Reynders told journalists.
