On 12 and 13 November 2025, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation held its annual meeting on migrant smuggling.

Representative from European institutions, agencies, national authorities, and judicial and law enforcement experts gathered to examine the latest trends and discuss strategies to combat persistent and lucrative criminal enterprises in migrant smuggling across Europe, which continue to exploit gaps in jurisdictions and legal frameworks.

The meeting also served as the first in-person plenary meeting of the Focus Group for Prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling. This informal network is credited with fostering the mutual trust necessary for successful cross-border migrant smuggling investigations. Attendees emphasised that in-person meetings are the most effective way to build the trust necessary for complex judicial cooperation.

Key findings from the meeting include: 

• Overcoming procedural barriers through increased use of judicial investigation teams (JITs) as an alternative to traditional mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests. Especially when cooperating with non-EU countries.
• Combating digital smuggling and ‘crime as a service’ through the prioritisation of digital tools in investigations.
• Shift in focus to better use investigative resources in prosecuting Organised Crime Group (OCG) leaders, rather than only low-level offenders.
• Need for legal harmonisation across borders by calling for unified legal frameworks and standardised rules for evidence admissibility to facilitate smoother international cooperation.