The fight against the mafia in Italy and Europe

Abstract

One of the main hurdles to building an effective European anti-mafia strategy is the cultural gap that exists between the complex reality of such criminal phenomena and knowledge thereof held by public opinion. The belief is still widespread that the mafias are criminal phenomena that are only present in certain countries—Italy, Turkey and the Balkan countries—where they originate from the particular cultures and national histories of those peoples. The media have also contributed to instilling in the collective imagination the idea that mafiosi are rude and violent characters, animated by an insatiable thirst for wealth, exactly as they are featured in highly successful films and television series.