Migrant smuggling continues to be a persistent and lucrative criminal enterprise across Europe. Criminal networks exploit gaps in jurisdictions and legal frameworks to maintain their agile operations. This week, judicial and law enforcement experts gathered at Eurojust to examine the latest trends and discuss strategies to combat this evolving threat.
The annual gathering emphasised the importance of international cooperation to dismantle migrant smuggling operations. It also served as the plenary meeting of the ‘Focus Group for Prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling, which marked its 5th anniversary this year. This informal network of judicial practitioners has played a pivotal role in fostering cross-border coordination in migrant smuggling cases.
Ms Daniela Buruiana, Eurojust National Member for Romania and Chair of the Anti-trafficking Team highlighted its achievements, “Since its creation five years ago, this network has strengthened collaboration among prosecutors in the EU and beyond, acting as a key forum for sharing information, analysing trends and new developments, and supporting a joint operational response. The fight against migrant smuggling requires persistent cooperation and coordination amongst all the key players and with the support of Eurojust, this group remains a cornerstone of that effort.”
Mr Zacharias Symeou, Eurojust National Member for Cyprus and Chair of the Migrant Smuggling Group added, “The bonds forged and the trust that has been built amongst the practitioners participating in the Focus Group on migrant smuggling, since its creation five years ago has only become stronger. Since the fight against the migrant smuggling phenomenon requires a unified, consolidated and close cooperation, the Focus Group continues to be a prime example of that. With the support of Eurojust, and with the drive of the members of the Focus Group, I am excited to see how it will develop even further in the next five years.”
Jurisdictional issues in international waters in migrant smuggling cases
Participants, including representatives from the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, Europol and national authorities, exchanged best practices and discussed challenges to judicial coordination.
A main topic of discussion was the use of Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) to investigate and dismantle smuggling rings across borders. Case studies were shared, including successful collaborations with third countries, while challenges in establishing such teams were also examined. Participants were introduced to the forthcoming JITs Collaboration Platform, a digital tool to improve cross-border collaboration and exchange of evidence and information.
On the first day of the meeting, Eurojust published and presented a new leaflet on ‘Jurisdictional issues in international waters in migrant smuggling cases’, which highlights the legal challenges linked to migrant smuggling by sea in international waters in cases of shipwrecks and mass casualties.
Breakout sessions delved into the complex legal dilemmas surrounding migrant smuggling cases. Experts discussed whether the criminalisation of migrants hinders investigations into Organized Crime Groups, while also discussing the use of covert measures and special investigative techniques.
Closing remarks emphasised the importance of sustained cooperation, with participants committing to further collaboration in the fight against migrant smuggling. The event underscored that while progress has been made, the dynamic nature of smuggling networks requires ongoing innovation and cross-border partnerships to effectively disrupt and dismantle these criminal operations.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union