The EU’s Global Engagement to Counter Smuggling and Trafficking Networks

25.09.2019

Fighting and preventing migrant smuggling, and appropriately addressing trafficking in human beings including in the context of migration, are among core priorities of the European Union and a crucial element in providing a comprehensive response to irregular migration. Criminal networks take advantage of people’s despair and use land, sea and air routes to facilitate irregular migration. They put people’s lives at risk and seek in every way to maximise their profits. While trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling are two different crimes and therefore subject to different legal frameworks they are closely interlinked. In recent years, the EU has put in place concrete actions and stepped up cooperation at EU level and with non-EU countries and organisations.

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EU global engagement to counter migrants smuggling and trafficking in human beings