The President of the Commission underlined that work is underway to renew the anti-trafficking legislation, which is 20 years old
Tougher penalties, a renewal of the definition of the crime of migrant smuggling as well as a single European center for the coordination of activities and the exchange of information are expected to be included in the Commission’s proposal for the new legal framework against trafficking networks, the President of the European Commission, Ursula said today von der Leyen. speaking at the international conference against traffickers in Brussels.
The President of the Commission underlined that the work on it is in progress renewal of anti-trafficking legislationwhich as he said is 20 years old.
“We will update the definition of the crime of migrant smuggling, strengthen our penalties and expand our jurisdiction. We also want to improve cooperation between Member States and our agencies with a single European anti-smuggling center to coordinate activities and share information at Europol. We will set up operational working groups, including with partner countries, and Europol will deploy staff to strengthen Member States’ capacity in the field,” he noted.
He also pointed out that crisis management it is important, however it is not enough and a response is needed that will stop traffickers and prevent loss of life.
Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that “the first part we will work on is to prevent people from trusting their lives to traffickers”, stressing that this includes cooperation on border management and information sharing, but also “gently” tools, such as awareness campaigns, and a new focus on digital marketing.
“Most irregular crossings today are advertised on social media, organized on messaging apps and paid for by digital money transfer. And this can only be addressed at an international level, by working with internet companies. So together we can prevent people from putting their lives in the hands of ruthless criminals,” he said.
At the same time, the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies is needed, added the president of the Commission, stating that it should the assets are seized used by criminals, but also to stop the financial flows of criminal groups.
Source :Skai
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