More than a third of organized crime in the European Union, as well as major criminal networks that pose significant threats, launder their profits through investments in real estate, according to a Bloomberg report, citing a European Commission study on organized crime across the region.

Europol, the European agency for law enforcement cooperation among member states, found that among criminal organizations representing the most serious threats, 41% chose to invest in real estate to launder their illicit proceeds. Other popular choices, though to a lesser extent, included investments in luxury goods, cash-intensive businesses such as hotels, and cryptocurrencies.

The report reveals that 49% of money laundering by gangs operating within Europe occurs exclusively within the EU, 32% in investments both inside and outside the EU, and 19% exclusively outside the EU.

"There is hardly any protagonist in the universe of serious and organized crime who is not connected, in one way or another, with a sector of the legitimate economy, either to conceal their criminal activity or to launder the profits derived from it," the report states.

The mapping of criminal groups comes at a time when the European Union is striving to combat organized crime, due to the surge in drug-related violent incidents in certain member states, including Belgium and Sweden, and record cocaine seizures at Europe's second-largest port, Antwerp.

The report identifies the existence of 821 criminal gangs - with a total of over 25,000 members - that pose the highest risk to the European bloc. It warns that they are capable of causing significant harm to the EU's internal security, the rule of law, and the economy.

These gangs have no borders, possess an international character, and their most common activity is drug trafficking. At least half of them are involved in illegal drug trade, the report finds. Other activities these criminal groups engage in include fraud, property crimes, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking.