“Cutting off the financial flows of the organized crime is one of the most efficient ways to fighting it”. The chairman of the parliamentary Internal Security Committee has stated the above at the opening of the round table titled: “Institutional Measures against the Organized Crime’s Funding”. The round table was held on 12 May 2015 at the National Assembly. The event was organized by its Internal Security Committee, together with the Centre for Study of Democracy.

The efficient fight directed at cutting off the financial resources of the organized crime will lead to higher revenues in the budget and to withering of the criminal activities, underscored Atanas Atanasov. He further said contraband trade and VAT unlawful refund reach 2- 2.5 percent of the country’s GDP. The strategy to counter this phenomenon, according to him, should be based on its profound scrutiny and knowledge.

The head of the Center for Study of Democracy, Ognyan Shentov, has said at the opening of the round table that a lot of illegal, often well managed, enterprises were operating on the market. In his words one of the measures to counter these businesses consisted in limiting their market profits, by using the same financial instruments for influence used in respect to the legal businesses.

At the forum were presented the results of a research held by the Center for Study of Democracy titled: “Financing of the organized crime in Europe”. One of the study's main conclusions is that together with the profits from criminal activities, legal financial resources play important role in the funding of the organized crime, which may need one at the beginning of its operation. The Center for Study of Democracy concludes that those problems, nevertheless, rarely fall in the scope of attention of the investigative organs and the prosecution.

Diplomats, lawmakers, representatives of state institutions and NGOs, experts took part in the discussion.