EU Statement on the UNTOC Implementation Review Mechanism at the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized[...]

Distinguished President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its Member States. Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

Criminal networks have an international and often global reach. It is therefore only with strong international cooperation that we will be able to fight transnational organised crime groups.

The EU is particularly well placed to testify of the importance of international cooperation. Our dedicated agencies, Europol and Eurojust, bring together the efforts of 27 Member States as well as those of partner countries. Using the international and European legal framework as basis for operational cooperation, they deliver significant results in order to address all forms of organised crime.

Our success to prevent and fight organised crime also depends on our capacity to use common terminology in our legal frameworks and to strengthen our international cooperation on this basis. At global level, the Palermo Convention has been in force for almost a quarter of a century now. It remains the main international instrument to fight organised crime. With more than 190 State Parties, it serves as basis for our cooperation to fight organised crime.

We therefore remain convinced that our capacity to implement the UNTOC Convention and its protocols is key to our effectiveness in responding to the global threat posed by transnational organised groups.

The UNTOC Implementation Review Mechanism is a crucial tool to support this effective implementation of the Convention. Since becoming fully operational in 2022, the Mechanism has already shown its value in helping State parties to identify implementation gaps, technical assistance needs and sharing good practices.

At the same time, we must acknowledge the significant challenges it faces.

The EU recalls that the Mechanism was designed to be cost-effective, concise and user-friendly. Yet progress remains too slow, with only a very limited number of reviews finalised since the launch of the process.

Organised crime is quick to move its operations to stay out of the law's reach. Our efforts must be faster in response. We should consider practical ways to accelerate implementation of the UNTOC Convention. The EU is ready to contribute to those reflections. We could simplify certain procedural steps, enhance the support delivered by the Secretariat to State Parties in completing their reviews as well as set clear timelines for the completion of certain steps of the review. The Mechanism could also make more effective use of existing information, tools, resources and technologies in order to facilitate the completion of the review by Parties to the Convention and contribute to the quality of the reviews. Also, while preserving the intergovernmental nature of the review, we believe that better use could be made from external sources, including those of civil society organisations.

At the same time, the EU remains deeply concerned by the challenges associated with securing sufficient, predictable and sustainable resources for the Mechanism. As reflected in the meeting documents, extrabudgetary contributions are decreasing. In 2025, only three Parties made voluntary financial contributions: the European Union, Italy and Norway. We therefore call on Member States to provide voluntary contributions to the Mechanism, with a view to broadening its donor base and ensuring its long-term sustainability. Furthermore, the EU and its Member States have consistently underlined that UNODC activities linked to treaty-based obligations should be covered under the UN regular budget.

If we are serious about safeguarding the UNTOC and its Review Mechanism and making them more effective, we must ensure adequate funding while making the best possible use of available resources. This includes achieving efficiency gains across the UNTOC, notably through a more efficient organisation of meetings and streamlining of working methods. Such gains should, in turn, benefit the implementation of the UNTOC and its Protocols, including through the Review Mechanism.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of the Mechanism depends above all on the political commitment of States Parties. The European Union therefore calls on all Parties to showcase their commitment to cooperate in the fight against organised crime by completing their review. We may wish to reflect on ways to incentivise timely completion of reviews, including by increasing visibility for those States Parties that have completed the process, particularly in the lead-up to the 30^th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention, in 2030.

In conclusion, the EU stands ready to work with all partners to foster the implementation of the UNTOC Convention and to make the Mechanism more efficient, better funded and fully capable of delivering on its mandate.

We are therefore actively engaged in the negotiations on the resolution aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the UNTOC and hope it will result in the establishment of an Implementation Review Group that will quickly deliver recommendations to improve the Mechanism.

Thank you, President.