Prosecutors from the Western Balkans and EU Member States met in Vienna, Austria, on 7-8 July 2026 for the third meeting of the Western Balkans Subgroup of the Focus Group on Migrant Smuggling. The meeting brought together practitioners to strengthen judicial cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and related forms of organised crime.
Hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Justice and chaired by the Chair of Eurojust’s Focus Group on Migrant Smuggling, the meeting was organised by the Western Balkan Criminal Justice project at Eurojust, with contributions from the EU4FAST project.
Participants exchanged views on recent developments and practical challenges, including judicial cooperation issues, evolving criminal trends and innovative investigative approaches. Discussions focused on the prosecution of cross-border smuggling networks, cooperation through EMPACT, the use of drones for evidence gathering and the growing use of Hawala systems by criminal groups.
The programme also included a visit to the Austrian Joint Operational Office, providing an opportunity to discuss closer cooperation between judicial and law enforcement authorities. The support available through the Western Balkan Criminal Justice project, including operational funding, and through EU4FAST, including advisory support, was also presented.
By bringing together practitioners from different jurisdictions, the meeting helped reinforce mutual trust, facilitate the exchange of expertise and promote closer operational cooperation across the Western Balkans and the European Union.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union