During the week of 4 to 8 May 2026, 19 European countries joined forces to carry out the first EMPACT Action Days (EAD) on crime prevention and the administrative approach. The EAD were organised within the framework of EMPACT* MTCN-I** Operational Action 3.1, led by Italy, Germany, Malta, Portugal and ENAA***, with the support of Europol and the European Commission. Activities were coordinated from the ENAA coordination centre in Brussels, hosted within the offices of the Belgian Federal Public Service Interior.
The first EMPACT Action Days on the administrative approach mark an important step in strengthening cross-border cooperation and enhancing preventive efforts against serious and organised crime. As the action leaders stated: “This initiative demonstrates the added value of preventive and administrative action against organised crime across the European Union and highlights the need for a coordinated approach at both national and European level”.
During the EAD, nine participating countries**** conducted more than 30 coordinated operations, encompassing over 8000 activities across Europe. These included business, environmental and labour inspections, as well as inspections of construction sites, vehicles and roadside operations. The actions specifically targeted the criminal infiltration of legitimate businesses in vulnerable sectors, including hospitality (restaurants and hotels), the automotive industry, commercial and retail premises, cyberspace, public procurement, healthcare, precious metals and jewellery, transportation and construction.
In addition, ten countries***** participated in the EAD as observer. They also took part in two workshops: the first focused on initiating and implementing the administrative approach, including exchanges on national experiences and challenges, while the second addressed the use of administrative measures and their practical application.
The administrative approach to serious and organised crime complements criminal investigations by preventing and tackling the misuse of legal infrastructure through multi-agency cooperation, information sharing and taking actions to set up barriers. It uses regulatory and civil powers rather than criminal prosecution to prevent criminal networks from exploiting legitimate business, permits, property, or public services. Reflecting the multi-agency approach, the EAD’s operations involved a broad range of actors, including law enforcement, health authorities, tax authorities, consumer protection authorities, national and local public authorities, labour authorities, customs and immigration services.
The preliminary results of all these activities are:
Preventive checks:
- More than 4.426 businesses and industrial sites were inspected for compliance with sector-specific regulations, including environmental, food safety and work safety requirements.
- More than 37.038 individuals were checked, resulting in over 560 verbal warnings, the identification of over 74 illegal workers and actions against 27 members of an organised criminal group.
- More than 16.884 vehicles were inspected, based on which at least 82 administrative proceedings were instigated.
Administrative sanctions:
- A minimum of 749 administrative fines were issued to both natural and legal persons. The total value of all fines amounts to at least € 496.000.
- Over 590 expulsion orders were ordered.
- At least 2 businesses were closed and over 61 business activities were temporarily suspended.
- More than 473 area bans were issued.
A total of 93 assets were seized or confiscated. These assets include vehicles, businesses and real estate for a total amount of at least €3.000.000. The following goods were additionally confiscated:
- Over 20 kg of illicit drugs, including 553 g of cannabis, 103 g of cocaine and 402 g of cannabis resin.
- 13.6 kg of tobacco leaf equivalent (TLE).
- 250 ton of illegal waste.
- 7.817 kg of non-compliant fish and 3.650 sea urchins.
These figures may increase in the coming days, as data collection and aggregation are still ongoing. Additionally, certain administrative activities carried out during the EAD will require further investigation. Several individuals and companies are still being cross-checked internationally, e.g. through SIENA****** requests. In Sweden, for example, controls in the healthcare sector, may result in deeper investigations by the Police, Swedish Tax Authority and Health and Social Care Inspectorate, depending on information retrieved through SIENA. In Italy, the inspections of the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (DIA) at construction sites have initiated additional cross-checks and investigations into several individuals and companies.
* EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats) is an EU-led initiative that helps Member States identify and tackle serious and organised international crime by coordinating cooperation between national authorities, EU bodies, and international and private partners.
** Most Threatening Criminal Networks and Individuals
*** ENAA (European Network on the Administrative Approach) aims to stimulate and support a network of contact points with expertise in administrative measures against organised crime, while considering each country’s specific needs and circumstances. https://administrativeapproach.eu/
**** Belgium, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Sweden
***** Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland
****** The Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA) is a platform designed to meet the communication needs of EU law enforcement, enabling the secure exchange of operational and strategic crime-related information and intelligence between Member States, Europol and its cooperation partners.