The European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) of the Council of Europe participated in Eurojust’s eighth annual meeting on migrant smuggling, held in The Hague from 20 to 21 November 2024.
Migrant smuggling is a highly profitable global crime that takes advantage of people’s desperation and vulnerability – and so often ends in abuse and tragedy. Transnational organised crime groups exploit vulnerable migrants, often subjecting them to violence, abuse, and even death, all for profit.
Increasingly, smugglers rely on digital tools such as social media, online platforms, and mobile apps to recruit, advertise services, communicate, and transfer money. This growing digital aspect creates new challenges for legal proceedings and prosecutions.
To enhance its efforts in supporting national authorities in the judicial process, Eurojust facilitates a Focus Group comprising specialised prosecutors and investigative judges from EU Member States and select non-EU countries. This group acts as a vital network for coordinating judicial efforts and strengthening joint operational responses to migrant smuggling. Members of the Focus Group convene annually at Eurojust’s meeting. This year’s meeting featured three main sessions, focusing on unaccompanied minors as migrants, digital trends in smuggling operations, and updates on country-specific developments.
The CDPC presented its work in the field of the Smuggling of Migrants (SoM), an issue which has been at the forefront of the Council of Europe’s work for almost a decade.
In this respect, the CDPC presented the Council of Europe Action Plan on Fostering International Co-operation and Investigative Strategies in Fighting the Smuggling of Migrants, which the CDPC adopted in 2020.
The CDPC informed the participants of the Council of Europe Network of Prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling, which aims to facilitate the transnational exchange of information and good practices and meets annually since 2022. The Council of Europe and Eurojust have agreed to increase synergies between their respective networks or focus groups of specialised prosecutors working on SoM.
Informative migration country profiles focusing on SoM have been developed for most CoE MS. Additionally, a summary and key interventions of the second International Conference on the SoM organised by the CDPC in collaboration with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General is available here.
Simultaneously to the Eurojust meeting, the CDPD held its Plenary meeting on 20-22 November, with a section dedicated to the SoM.
The Eurojust meeting brought together participants from EU Member States and other regions, including the Western Balkans and EuroMed Justice partner countries. The meeting was organised by Eurojust’s Anti-Trafficking Team, which brought together practitioners to discuss the latest operational and strategic developments in the field of combatting the SoM.
Further information on the CDPC’s work: Smuggling of Migrants - European Committee on Crime Problems.
