Organized crime is not a new phenomenon in the Western Balkans. Yet, despite its pervasiveness, research on the topic is scarce. Information is often anecdotal, and data is limited and frequently unreliable. Better quality of information would enable a more accurate picture and allow for more effective responses to fighting organized crime and corruption in the region.

How to gather and analyse such information, and how to design more effective policy responses was the topic of a two-day conference on the Western Balkans region at Wilton Park, an executive agency of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office providing a global forum for strategic discussion. The conference, ‘Tackling serious and organized crime in the Western Balkans’, was held on 24–26 February 2020, with the support of the UK Home Office and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.