Subscribe here: [ Ссылка ] Brussels proposes tougher penalties for migrant smuggling to reduce irregular arrivals in the EU. The European Commission puts the spotlight on mafias and seeks to harmonize the regulations of the Twenty-Seven. "Smugglers are a threat to migrants for the EU," said Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson. The project was presented on Tuesday, coinciding with an international conference on human trafficking being held in Brussels. So far this year, some 281,000 irregular crossings have been detected, 18% more than in the same period last year.
The European Commission puts the spotlight on mafias and seeks to harmonize the regulations of the Twenty-Seven
The European Commission wants to combat irregular immigration by focusing on mafias and toughening penalties. Brussels wants to harmonize legal definitions of human trafficking across the European Union and penalties for such crimes — which are transnational — with penalties of up to 15 years in prison for the smuggler if migrants die. The penalty would remain at a maximum of 10 years if the trafficker uses "serious violence", if he is part of a criminal organisation and other aggravating factors, according to a proposal for a directive presented on Tuesday in Brussels. In Spain, that proposal would mean increasing the penalties because the maximum is now eight years. The initiative of the EU executive seeks to expand the jurisdiction to prosecute these crimes also in international waters (through which this trafficking partly transits). The Commission, which is exploring ways to reduce irregular migrant arrivals, also wants to give more power to Europol, the European agency for major international crimes, and strengthen cooperation between partners.
Brussels says 90% of irregular migrants arriving in the EU use different smuggling services, according to estimates by Frontex, the EU's border agency. In the communication accompanying the directive, Brussels notes that "ruthless smugglers" have caused the deaths of more than 28,000 people since 2014, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration. "Smugglers are a threat to migrants for the EU," said Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson on Tuesday, calling for "tools" to combat these mafias. The project was presented on Tuesday, coinciding with an international conference on human trafficking being held in Brussels.
Migrant smuggling is reaching new heights in Europe, driven by emerging economic crises, environmental emergencies resulting from climate change, conflicts in different areas of the world and demographic pressure. In 2022, around 331,000 irregular entries were detected at the EU's external borders, the highest level since 2016, after a couple of years with low levels of arrivals due to the coronavirus pandemic, where everything came to a standstill, including immigration. So far this year (up to the end of September), some 281,000 irregular crossings have been detected, 18% more than in the same period last year, according to Frontex, which says that analysing migration flows and existing crises "criminal smuggling activities can be expected" in this area. Human trafficking is a very lucrative activity, according to analyses by the UN agency for the study of organized crime, which estimates that smuggling networks earn between 4,700 and 6,000 million euros a year worldwide (data from 2018).
There is currently a European legal framework against the "facilitation" of entries, but the EU executive recognises that it is too broad and needs to be updated. In addition, according to the proposal for a directive – which will now have to be negotiated with the Member States against the clock if this legislature that ends in the summer is to succeed – the penalties for the various offences related to human trafficking differ greatly between partners. Harmonising them, Brussels believes, will have a "deterrent" effect and prevent traffickers from seeking to operate within less stringent legislative frameworks.
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