Organized crime and violent extremism in the Western Balkans

The webinar is organized to promote the publication of research reports, a digital toolkit, and civil society initiatives from the GI-TOC's Observatory of Illicit Economies in Southeastern Europe (SEE-Obs), which focus on the nexus between violent extremism and organized crime. The first report, titled "Beyond Ideology," was published in March 2025 and authored by Ruggero Scaturro and Giorgio Fruscione. It explores the connections between violent extremists and organized crime groups. The second report, "Money Trail," authored by Saša Đorđević, was published in June 2025. It explores the financial foundations of violent extremism in the Western Balkans. The third report, “Hired Guns or Ideologies,” authored by Fabian Zhilla, will be published on the day of the webinar and examines the roles of military-trained persons and returning foreign fighters. Additionally, the webinar will present a civil society initiative aimed at strengthening community resilience to violent extremism and organized crime in the Western Balkans, as well as a digital toolkit for financing violent extremism.