The purpose of the Initiative, which was launched in 2000, is to organise effective measures at all levels to combat organised crime and related activities such as corruption and money laundering.
The countries covered by the Initiative are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia.
Committee Chairman Hubert Pirker told reporters that the fight against organised crime required a sound justice system and full implementation of the law.
He said that of the EU member states, Greece, Italy, Austria and Germany were most affected by organised crime.
Pirker went on to say that 1.1 million vehicles were stolen in Southeast Europe in 2003, of which 450,000 were never found. He added that 7 billion euros was earned from vehicle theft and 12 billion euros from human trafficking.
The Director of the Croatian Office for the Prevention of Organised Crime and Corruption (USKOK), Zeljko Zganjer, said that in Croatia the most prominent were traditional forms of organised crimes, including illegal migration, drug trafficking, gun smuggling, money forgery and distribution of forged money.
Towards the end of last year Croatia adopted a national plan for combating organised crime, which also provides for operational cooperation between the police and other state authorities as well as cooperation with Europol and Interpol, Zganjer said.