"The Commission must not be allowed to get away with cherry picking proposals to tackle organised crime that are vital for all of Europe," Dutch GUE/NGL MEP Dennis De Jong urged following today's vote on the Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering's interim report.

"This text has too little focus on prevention and rehabilitation. Criminal law should not only serve to reassure society but is also a means to help people come back to the community after their sentences," De Jong said in last night's debate, citing doubts about the setting up of a European Public Prosecutor: "Before making such a move, we need to look critically at the functioning of OLAF and Eurojust."

While saying he welcomed "the inclusion of a call to end bank secrecy, which is important as banks have worked as money laundering machines for organised crime for too long," Danish MEP Søren Bo Søndergaard said parliament should demand "more control of capital, more openness and transparency in public and business administrations and to involve civil society much more in the battle against organised crime."

Parliament's Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering was set up in March 2012 after the adoption of a Parliament resolution on organised crime. Its mandate is to investigate the extent of such activity and to propose measures for the EU to address these threats at international, EU and national level.