“The social reuse of confiscated assets in the EU”

The final conference of the project RECAST will be held in Palermo, Italy, on September 27, 2014.

Venue: Scuola delle Scienze Giuridiche ed Economico-Sociali, Aula Magna. Via Maqueda, 172, Palermo, Italy

The event is open to the public (200 seats available). Find the conference presentation and agenda below. For further information, contact the Department of European Studies: dems [at] unipa.it

An effective and efficient disposal of assets confiscated from criminal organisations is crucial to ensure that confiscation policies reach their expected objectives. If any problems arise in the last phase of confiscation proceedings, the efforts made by the criminal justice system in tracing, seizing and confiscating criminal assets can be brought to nought. Notwithstanding its importance, only limited attention has been given to the topic. More recently, the European Union institutions have provided an input to a closer scrutiny of the issue by showing interest toward a peculiar form of disposal, which is innovative both at cultural and economic levels: the social reuse. Giving the criminal roceeds back to the communities affected by organised crime is not only a social rebalance mechanism, but it clearly spreads the message that “crime does not pay” (what was previously illicit then becomes a benefit to the community) and therefore promotes a social fight against organised crime.

This conference aims to contribute to the current debate on this topic by responding to the following questions: which Member States envisage the social reuse of confiscated assets? If and under which conditions could other Member States adopt it? And which European standards can come about from current social reuse experiences?

The conference presents and discusses with representatives from national and European institutions involved in the fight against organised crime the results of the EU funded project RECAST – REuse of Confiscated Assets for social purposes: towards common EU Standards. The project has been awarded to the University of Palermo – Department of European Studies and International Integration by the European Commission, and it is co-funded under the 2010 ISEC Programme. It is carried out in cooperation with the Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria) and the FLARE Network, and with the support of the Italian Agenzia nazionale per l’amministrazione e la destinazione dei beni sequestrati e confiscati alla criminalità organizzata and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Its aim is to promote the development of common European standards on the reuse of confiscated assets for social purposes.

AGENDA

9.00 – Welcome from the University of Palermo. Roberto Lagalla, Rettore/Rector

9.15 –  RECAST project: an introduction. Giovanni Fiandaca, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Project Coordinator

 

SESSION 1: The point of view of policy makers and magistrates

9.30 – Italian policies on the social reuse of confiscated assets. Filippo Bubbico, Italian Ministry of Interior

9.45 – Judicial administration and social reuse of confiscated assets in Palermo. Silvana Saguto and Fabio Licata, Palermo Tribunal

10.00 – Judicial administration and social reuse of confiscated assets in Rome. Guglielmo Muntoni, Rome Tribunal

 

SESSION 2: Social reuse experiences in the EU and common European standards

10.15 – The role of ANBSC. Umberto Postiglione, Italian National Agency for the Management and Disposal of Assets Seized and Confiscated from Organised Crime

10.30 – The Scottish experience. Ian Stewart, Cashback for Communities Programme, Scottish Government

10.45 – The Spanish experience. Jesús Palomo, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid

 

11.00 – Coffee Break

 

11.15 – Other social reuse experiences in the European Union. Atanas Rusev, Center for the Study of Democracy

11.30 – The point of view of civil society. Umberto Di Maggio, FLARE Network

11.45 – The UNICRI experience. Giuseppina Maddaluno, United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

12.00 – The potential for adoption of current social reuse experiences by other Member States: towards common European standards? Salvatore Costantino, Università degli Studi di Palermo; Barbara Vettori, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano

12.15 – Final remarks. Giovanni Fiandaca

12.30 – Lunch