Source: Eurojust
Migrant smuggling is a lucrative global crime that prioritises profits over human life, posing a significant threat to the EU’s internal security. Transnational organised crime groups frequently prey on vulnerable migrants, subjecting them to violence, abuse, exploitation, and even death, as they seek to maximise their gains.
Smugglers also increasingly use digital services and tools, such as social media, online platforms and mobile applications, for recruitment, advertising their services, communication and money transfers. This digital dimension of migrant smuggling investigations has a significant impact on judicial proceedings and presents new challenges to prosecution. During the meeting, Eurojust presented a new leaflet outlining the resources available at the Agency to fight migrant smuggling in the digital domain. The digitalisation of migrant smuggling is also one of the priority work strands under the European Commission’s flagship initiative, the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling.
The meeting included participants from across the EU Member States and third countries, including the Western Balkans and EuroMed Justice partner countries. It featured three sessions, including discussions on unaccompanied minors as migrants, migrant smuggling in the digital domain, and country updates on trends and developments in the participants’ countries.
Eurojust has been actively involved in the fight against migrant smuggling, coordinating 425 cases in 2023. The Agency provides operational support to national authorities through all stages of the proceedings, from when a case is opened by an EU Member State until justice is served in court.
To strengthen its work in this field, Eurojust also supports a Focus Group of prosecutors and investigative judges fighting migrant smuggling, which consists of specialised prosecutors from all EU Member States and some non-EU States. The Focus Group serves as an important hub to regularly connect key judicial actors at national level in the EU Member States who are responsible for tackling migrant smuggling crimes, and to support their joint operational response. Members of the Focus Group convene once at year at the Eurojust annual meeting.