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Ecomafias and Waste Entrepreneurs in the Italian Market
Massari, Monica

Environmental crime activities by criminal groups are gradually attracting the attention of political leaders, the media and the general public. Several observers, as well as national and international organisations, indicate that the level of infiltration of criminal organisations into different types of environmental crime increasingly represents a serious source of. This regards not only countries currently in transition toward different social, economic and political systems, but also those where fundamental democratic and civil rights (among them the right to live in a safe environment) are usually unquestioned. More crucially, the case is made that one of the side-effects of the current global industrial system, i.e. the increased production of hazardous and special wastes, has been exploited by a wide range of both legal and criminal actors who established new enterprises in the illegal management and trafficking of these materials. Although reports on this phenomenon regularly state that this illegal market is worth an incredible amount of money (between 12 and 15 billion euros) and that millions of metric tonnes of hazardous waste finds its way outside legal circuits every year, there have been very few empirical studies in this field (Legambiente 2002). This chapter focuses on the outcomes of a study on the role played by organised crime groups and other legal/illegal actors in the management and trafficking of special and hazardous waste in Italy, as part of a wider research project implemented in Italy and Spain.1 The analysis outlined a number of cases of illegal management and trafficking in hazardous and special waste.2 These took place during the past five years which saw the involvement of traditional mafia-type organizations, corporate entities, legitimate enterprises and partnerships between conventional organized crime affiliates, businessmen, local authorities and other official actors. The final goal is not only to provide a detailed overview of the phenomenon of illegal trafficking in hazardous waste, its characteristics, dynamics and trends, but also to outline the role played by both legal and illegal actors involved into this market, while emphasizing the similarities existing among their approaches toward business, their modus operandi and the techniques used.

The Cross-Border Crime Colloquium is an annual event since 1999. It brings together experts on international organised (economic) crime to discuss the latest developments in empirical research, legislation and law enforcement, with a special geographical focus on Western, Central, and Eastern Europe. The Colloquia aim at building bridges in three respects: between East and West Europe, between scholars and practitioners, and between old and young.

2019	Olsztyn, Poland
2021	Kongsvinger, Norway (Virtual)
2019	Utrecht, the Netherlands
2018	Kharkiv, Ukraine
2017	Bratislava, Slovakia
2016	Newcastle, United Kingdom
2015	Prague, Czech Republic
2014	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzeg.
2013	Cambridge, United Kingdom
2012	Manchester, United Kingdom
2011	Tilburg, The Netherlands
2009	Ghent, Belgium
2008	Beograd, Serbia
2007	Prague, Czech Republic
2006	Tallinn, Estonia
2005	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzeg.
2004	Berlin, Germany
2003	Ainring, Germany
2002	Ljubljana, Slovenia
2001	Bratislava, Slovakia
2000	Budapest, Hungary
1999	Prague, Czech Republic

The 22nd Cross-border Crime Colloquium will be hosted by the The University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland on 10 and 11 October 2022. We will soon share the agenda and details on how to attend.
For information, please contact
Prof. Dr. Joanna Banach-Gutierrez: jbbanachgutierrez@gmail.com
Prof. Dr. Petrus C. van Duyne: P.vanduyne@ziggo.nl

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