POSITION PAPER

COUNTRY: SPAIN
COUNCIL: INTERPOL
ISSUE: STRENGHTENING INTERPOL’S ROLE IN COMBATING
TRANSNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME
DELEGATE: NIHIRA SANDEEP NAIK

Organized crime and significant crimes are becoming increasingly global in nature. It is difficult for nations to
devise and implement effective crime-fighting strategies. For the effective eradication of this threat, increased
intelligence sharing and operational coordination at all levels, both national and international, are essential.
CAUSE:
Fighting transnational crimes is particularly difficult because, despite the fact that countries want to individually
lower the rate of organized crime, they struggle to align their views with those of other nations who share their
goals. Even if their views do align, they still struggle to develop and implement laws or work together with the
police in related nations. Due to Spain's strategic location and cultural ties to the major producers of cocaine,
organized crime continues to face its greatest problems from drug trafficking and money laundering related to
drugs.

UN INVOLVEMENT:
It has become clear that no single government, no matter how powerful, can battle organized crime across borders
alone. The UN has proposed steps to prevent human trafficking, prosecute criminals, and protect victims, as well as
advise on how to report crimes and urge individuals to speak out about crimes they are aware of.

SPAIN:

Special attention must be paid to the evolution of criminal organizations' violence, whether against other criminal
organizations, law enforcement forces, or society. Another factor to consider is the significantly high economic
damage and direct costs entailed by organized crime for our country, such as assistance services. The possibility of
these threats, combined with the harm they may do to society if they were carried out, is currently at a medium
level. In recent years, the Spanish government has focused combating organized crime, implementing a National
Strategy between 2019 and 2023. Although the government faces difficulties such as political corruption, levels of
the same are typically deemed mild, and while the government may improve on transparency, its institutional and
legal framework is mainly capable of battling corruption and ensuring convictions.

Spain has signed and organized several treaties and agreements, as well as ratified key international treaties on
organized crime, such as the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention
Against Corruption, and generally complies with international anti-organized crime standards. Spain has also
ratified international treaties such as the European Arrest Warrant and the European Convention on Extradition.
Spain also takes part in a number of international anti-organized crime task groups and projects, such as marine
security. The Spanish government has worked hard to develop legislation that responds quickly to threats.
However, because to Spain's tough legislation, criminal groups are looking for other pathways in other European
nations. As a result, the number and scale of criminal organizations participating in illegal operations in Spain have
decreased.
SOLUTIONS:
The Spanish government cannot combat transnational crime on its own since other countries' laws prevent Spain
from penalizing perpetrators from that country.
Police across the EU can thereby work and train in tandem with one another in order to structure their operations
just as efficiently as transnational organized crime groups, which are not hindered by national borders and
territorial jurisdictions.
Prioritizing the dismantlement of all criminal structures to prevent them from consolidating, progressing and rising
within the criminal pyramid.
 Reducing the criminal actions of people or organizations involved in serious crime.
 Preventing and impeding the formation of new criminal organizations, launching awareness campaigns on
the true face of criminality and consequences and developing policies.
 Countering the growing links between terrorism and organized crime, two of the most serious threats to
national security, whose convergence could result in a dangerous global scenario, as well as reducing the
interaction and mutual feedback between organized crime and other threats such as armed conflicts,
espionage, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The Spanish government has set AI integration as one of the top priorities in the country and calls for similar
efforts from all governments, particularly developed countries.